Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Tyrone are the litmus test of Kerry’s defensive refit

When Jack O’Connor was appointed Kerry manager for his third term in September 2021, it was clear that the chastening one-point defeat to Tyrone in the All-Ireland semi-final was going to be his starting and finishing point with regard to what changes were going to be made. 

Jack was well aware there would be no need for wholesale alterations, but, first off, he was going to make Kerry harder to beat. He understood the depth of talent within the squad. He knew that he was getting them at the right age profile with a good training age. 

While the covid period was a disaster in terms of results for Kerry, with the Cork and Tyrone defeats really hurting, ironically many of the players had dramatically accelerated their physical development, particularly in the window from March 2020. The dramatic stop in football gave them the time and space to drive their gym work. This they did. There was nothing else to do. Many of them re-emerged as physical specimens. He knew he was inheriting a group that was ready to make the final step, with a little bit of Jack subtlety and stubbornness added to the jigsaw.

Item No 1 on the agenda, using that Tyrone defeat as a reference point, was going to be shoring it up at the back. This is still as relevant today as it was then. Kerry had morphed into a running team with backs tearing up the field, running into the Tyrone cover and getting turned over again and again. Kerry were 100% on their own kickout that day as Tyrone gave it up and set the traps further back the pitch. 

Afterwards, Niall Morgan revealed that this is exactly what they expected Kerry to do and they were ready for it. When Tyrone turned them over, Kerry were completely out of shape and Tyrone had space to break into. The Ulster men exploited this brilliantly and fatally for Kerry. 

As Jack planned for 2022, I can picture him that winter as the rain beat in off the Atlantic in St Finian’s Bay watching that first Conor McKenna goal on loop. An unforced turnover, followed by missed tackles leading to the goal. The most important part though was all of the Kerry backs were racing back, scrambling to try to stop Tyrone. They were chasing the danger rather than facing it, being reactive rather than proactive. The only Kerry back facing the play was Tom O’Sullivan as he was marking Darren McCurry close to goal. 

Structure and reducing turnovers was going to be key for Jack, and Paddy Tally would help with this. Tadhg Morley’s role and location prevented the same scenario presenting itself last year. In all, Tyrone scored a staggering 2-9 from 35 turnovers that day in 2021. 

As Kerry improved and developed this aspect of their game through last season the graph went in the right direction. In the Croke Park games, Mayo scored six points from turnovers, Dublin scored 1-3 in the semi-final and Galway were limited to only two points from turnovers in last year’s final. A ringing endorsement of a tactical tweak that had been game-changing for the group. 

Importantly though, that was achieved against teams with an orthodox enough setup. Tyrone will be more extreme and as they showed in Ballybofey last weekend are once more hunting in packs. As Morgan pointed out two years ago, they will realise the value of turnovers, but it is a different Kerry they are facing now. From the Kerry perspective, this is the ultimate litmus test to definitively judge how far they have come in this regard.

Tyrone needed goals to win that match in 2021, scoring three to eventually win by a point. To win Saturday they will again need a few majors, something they have struggled with this season. They have only scored two goals in five games in this year’s championship, one against Monaghan and last weekend against Donegal. 

On the flip side, Kerry are once more miserly defensively and are keeping their net intact. Yes, they are coughing up more chances than last season but to date in the championship they have only conceded one goal, Eoghan McLaughlin’s bullet in Killarney. If this pattern is to continue, Kerry will have too much. 

One interesting manoeuvre that Tyrone are currently trying is getting either Conn Kilpatrick or Brian Kennedy to drift into full-forward to offer themselves as a target man. They have done this for the last two seasons at various points, particularly with Kilpatrick, but the difference at the moment is they are clearing out the area in front of them and leaving a huge amount of space, sometimes all the way out as far as the 45m line. Their starting position is right on top of the goalkeeper. This will be awkward for a sweeper to deal with. If he drops too deep there is space in the ‘D’, if he doesn’t drop deep enough a dangerous one-on-one or two-on-two can be left inside.

A further interesting dynamic will be Tyrone’s approach to the Kerry kickout. Last time out, as already mentioned, they gave it up. But will they fancy going after it on occasions with David Moran now retired? Kennedy and Kilpatrick are excellent in the air and they will realise that Kerry have struggled at times on their own kickout this season. I will also be keen to see if Kerry press Morgan as aggressively as they do other teams at times. He has a huge kick that can clear any press — remember his converted free in 2021 from nearly the halfway line just before half-time?

Tyrone have been working again on that over-the-top setup for a goal chance. It hasn’t quite come off for them yet but they were very close on a few occasions against Donegal. Kerry will need to be wary of this.

Since that win in 2021, Tyrone have gone through a lot of flux, while Kerry were busy winning an All-Ireland. Until very recently Tyrone have got nowhere near the standards set that year. They had a mass exodus from the squad last year. Some of the exits were explainable, many were questionable. Some of their key players looked unfit, others had their form desert them. They had won everything and they were clearly lacking the cause that brings the best out of them. 

They were loose in their dealings with the media. Darren McCurry did a memorable podcast with the BBC’s GAA Social last year. It was great listening and enjoyable for all of us on the outside. It was honest and insightful. If I was on the inside I wouldn’t have been happy with it and I would have been asking the question how exactly is that contribution going to help us to win the All Ireland? Their results in championship since lifting Sam were stark. Their win against Donegal was only their third in championship football since the All-Ireland success. However, here they are and here they come.

The sight of the Kerry jersey always gets Tyrone and their people going. Think back to the league game in Omagh last March. That was Tyrone’s best performance of the league. Mattie Donnelly was inspirational and Darragh Canavan set off on an excellent form line that has continued to trend upwards since. They were flinty and aggressive, but also accurate and slick with the ball. Basically, they were themselves. 

They are extremely proud of their record against the green and gold and revel in their role as the ultimate disrupters. The recent record favours the Ulster men. They were the only team to beat Kerry in league or championship last season. The last time Kerry beat Tyrone in either league or championship was that infamous six-goal hammering in Killarney in 2021. The overall championship record stands at four wins a piece. 

After a typical ding-dong encounter, I think Kerry will restore their advantage on Saturday, though narrowly. Kerry are better now than they were in 2021. They also have the invaluable experience of winning from last year. One thing they have been lacking so far this year has been that manic hunger, something the Red Hand men should bring to the fore. If they don’t Kerry will be found out.

One thing is for sure, boring it won’t be.

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