Darragh Ó Sé: Kerry's physical edge to see them past Tyrone
Monday 24 August 2015 14:00, UK
Sky Sports pundit and Kerry legend Darragh Ó Sé previews Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final between his native county and Tyrone...
If Kerry v Tyrone was a horse race and you were looking at form, Kerry's hammering of a Kildare side who did to Cork what the Kingdom couldn't, would leave you right back at zero.
Tyrone on the other hand have steadily improving form, but I still expect Kerry to win and feel they have the potential to win by three or four points.
Kerry are a tight group now. They're a team steeled by last season's All-Ireland success while Tyrone's cohesion is more recent.
The Cork replay was a vital for this Kerry team. They stumbled in the Munster final but that extra game allowed for a sharpening of focus and steeled them further.
There are so many questions about how the Kerry attack will set up against Tyrone's much-heralded defensive system.
I half expect to see Kieran Donaghy at the edge of the square with the Gooch playing just off him. Kerry might well play James O'Donoghue further out the field away from goal and pull Stephen O'Brien back into defence.
Tactical strokes
Tyrone will be all out to make sure Kerry don't get the kind of start they enjoyed against Donegal in last year's All-Ireland final and Mickey Harte is a past master at tactical strokes. I expect him to show his hand here very quickly.
There has been so much talk about Tyrone playing beyond the edge of the rules this season. Whatever about that, they will need to meet Kerry with a big physical challenge if they are to have any chance of winning on Sunday.
Harte knows that and he will be telling his players that. Being worried about yellow and red cards is for another day and there will be plenty of focus on Tiernan McCann in this regard.
I was asked this week how much McCann's preparations for Kerry would have been impacted by all the media attention he has received and the meetings with disciplinary committees in Croke Park. My take is he shouldn't be affected at all.
Tyrone will need to meet Kerry with a big physical challenge if they are to have any chance of winning on Sunday.
You train away with the idea you are going to play and don't worry what people think. This is a massive game - you just don't be worrying about stuff like that.
I do expect Tyrone to gain from this saga however. They will be more united because of it and will focus their anger in the only direction they can - towards Kerry.
Intriguing
The head-to-head between the managers is intriguing. Tactically, and in terms of preparation they both hold the road map to victory.
Ultimately though it comes down to the players on the field and how they implement those tactics. Here I believe Kerry have a physical edge, but I also believe Harte will target this strength and other obvious advantages like midfield.
They won't take on David Moran and Anthony Maher one-on-one in the middle. They'll go at them collectively.
This Tyrone team has some great players - not as many as the past, mind - but they're a team that's very much the sum of its parts.
A good example of Tyrone's thinking in this regard is the way they curtailed Conor McManus in their victory over Monaghan. The problem for Tyrone is that Kerry have more than one Conor McManus.
Tyrone will defend in big numbers, attack on the break in reasonable numbers and there's a wariness over the potential influence of Sean Cavanagh, Peter Harte and Darren McCurry.
Harte will spring a couple of surprises too I'm sure but I feel Kerry's physical edge can see them through.
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