EVEN in an era dominated by systems where players get corralled into small areas to support each other, pressure the opposition and defend space, games like this still come down to
one-on-one battles and having the unbending will to win them. Tyrone-Kerry games always have.
One of Mickey Harte’s great coaching achievements over the years has been to convince and cajole individual players to take on specific roles for the benefit of the team. Remember Sean Cavanagh sacrificing himself to take Aidan O’Mahony on a tour of Croke Park in one
All-Ireland final? Or the McMahon brothers, who had played all over the field for Tyrone before the 2008 All-Ireland being recast as full-backs to neutralise Kieran Donaghy and Tommy Walsh?
That is why mention of Harte still strikes terror into Kerry. No team he ever picks lines out as expected. A few players always end up performing in a way that no one expected. Peter Harte is named at left half-back. I wouldn’t trust that for a second. Cavanagh might stand at midfield for the throw-in. After that he’ll be off into the full-forward line and anywhere else that takes his fancy at any given time.
Getting the right Kerry players in the right places to handle those challenges is the biggest test for Eamonn Fitzmaurice, but also one he has passed against better teams and better players. It’s unusual for Kerry to make so many changes having won against Kildare so comfortably in the
All-Ireland quarter-final; it’s clearly horses-for-course stuff when dealing with Tyrone.
Bryan Sheehan was having a terrific year but fell off that form a little against Kildare. It’s interesting that Peter Crowley is back again instead of Aidan O’Mahony, just at the time of year when he really exploded for Kerry in 2014. He looked flat enough last month against Cork. He’s possibly one of those players that needs a few months to get to the pitch of things.
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Now that he’s here, and with O’Mahony absent, he could be nailed on to mark Cavanagh. At the same time he’s the ideal man to anchor Kerry down from centre-back — particularly when Kerry will surely try and hold at least four players in defence at all times given how heavily Tyrone rely on swift counterattack for scores. It’s the tricky kind of choice Fitzmaurice must make all over the field. They’re also the choices that’ll swing this game back and forth.
For Tyrone, today is like finding a golden ticket. You couldn’t possibly see any way they could make an All-Ireland semi-final — even up to a few weeks ago. But they’ve surfed the wave and put their team together well over the past month. Recent history means they’ll have no fear of Kerry. They’ll also see everyone backing Kerry and thrive on the idea of taking their All-Ireland title as a prize scalp.
They also have key players going well and different younger ones stepping up every game to support them. They’ll try and get both Cavanaghs, Harte, Darren McCurry and Mattie Donnelly on the ball as much as possible. The biggest impact Tiernan McCann’s availability will have on Tyrone is the return of an excellent ball-carrier who has played a huge role in reviving their season. He’s another one for Kerry clamp down on.
Tyrone will take some encouragement from their past domination of Kerry, but there’s also a huge difference between Tyrone 2015 and Tyrone 2008. This team is mid-reconstruction, and while it’s turning out nicely it’s a long way from finished. With that in mind, Tyrone will probably try to reconnect with the spirit of 2003, when they hunted Kerry down in packs all over the field. Tyrone don’t have the quality to go toe-to-toe, but they have the dedication and spirit to spend all day trying to throw Kerry off their stride and the quality to hurt them if they succeed.
Tyrone will turn the heat up. They’ll keep their kickouts short and varied to try and take Maher and Moran out of the game. Kerry have picked a tough, mobile team with at least one experienced player on every line, and will surely try and blitz Tyrone early on to knock the fight out of them. Hanging in there till half-time will be crucial.
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They will have plans for all Kerry’s key players, but will rely on a few of their own to reach a new level of excellence to cope. That’s the thing this time round: Kerry have more options, more variety and more experience.
Tyrone will make it a battle, but it’s not one they can win.