Allianz NFL Division One, round one: Kerry v Tyrone (tomorrow, Fitzgerald Stadium, 2pm)
IF HE was forced to choose between winning the Dr McKenna Cup and taking two points home from Killarney tomorrow, Mickey Harte would surely opt for the latter but we all know the Tyrone manager sets the bar higher than that.
He will expect to win both and so Tyrone travel south determined to pick up from where they left off last Saturday night and lay down a marker for the year ahead by taking the prized scalp of Kerry.
Kerry have the home field advantage but what does that count for? Over the last four seasons, the Munstermen have played 17 Division One games on their native sod. They won eight of those, drew two and lost seven including their first home games of the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons. Last year they ended that sequence by beating Donegal by a point.
Meanwhile, Tyrone have taken points from nine of their 14 away games (including 2016 in Division Two). The Red Hands have won six, drawn three and lost five and only last year, when they were defeated by Galway in Tuam, did they fail to take something from their first game on the road.
One more stat - the last three League meetings between the sides have produced a win each (Tyrone last year, Kerry in 2017) and a draw.
Harte included six of the side that had started the All-Ireland final against Dublin in last Saturday night’s derby battle with Armagh. Tyrone rode their luck near the end but it was a dominant first half spell in which they controlled possession and scored five points on-the-trot that paved the way to their victory.
He includes three more All-Ireland final starters for tomorrow’s tussle – Michael McKernan, Rory Brennan and Mattie Donnelly all come in alongside League debutants Liam Rafferty (a combative corner-back) and physically-imposing midfielder Brian Kennedy, who lines out alongside Declan McClure.
Harte will be up against his fifth Kerry manager tomorrow. Since he began in 2003, Harte has been pitted against the sadly departed Paidi O Se, Jack O’Connor (two spells), Pat O’Shea and now Peter Keane of Cahirciveen, who was promoted to take over from Eamonn Fitzmaurice after leading the Kingdom minor to three All-Ireland titles.
Keane has inherited a defensively brittle outfit that made the Super 8s last year without ever looking like an All-Ireland-winning unit.
Veteran full-forward Kieran Donaghy stepped down at the end of last season, Keane’s attacking options have been further limited by the loss of David Clifford to injury and he is also without midfielder David Moran and defender Jason Foley.
The Dr Croke’s players (Munster club champions), who are preparing for next month’s All-Ireland semi-final against Leinster’s Mullinaghta from Longford, will also be absent meaning Keane is also minus Gavin White, Micheal Burns and goalkeeper Shane Murphy.
Kerry opted out of Munster warm-up competition, the McGrath Cup, and so they are something of an unknown quantity. Of course, the same can’t be said about the Red Hands and Keane will have watched Tyrone with interest last Saturday night.
He expects the same intensity from the visitors from the start of tomorrow’s game.
“They’re obviously very, very experienced, plus you throw in the McKenna Cup games that they have had over the last five or six weeks, so I’m expecting them to bring what they’re bringing all the time which is great intensity,” he said.
“They’re very busy, very workmanlike but I suppose my priority is to make sure that we’re in some kind of decent shape for that game.”
Kerry will come into the game in decent shape and any team with that green and gold jersey on their backs will put a fight but, if there’s a good time to meet them, tomorrow is as good as any.
Tyrone’s defensive cohesion should be a level above their hosts and they can control the ball through Tiarnan McCann, Niall Sludden, Peter Harte and Mattie Donnelly in the middle third and pick holes in Kingdom defence for Darren McCurry (nine points last Saturday night) and David Mulgrew to exploit. They may not have it all their own way but Tyrone should win this one.
Kerry: TBC
Tyrone: N Morgan; L Rafferty, R McNamee, HP McGeary; T McCann, R Brennan, M McKernan; B Kennedy, D McClure; M Donnelly, P Harte, N Sludden; D McCurry, D Mulgrew, C McShane
Subs: B Gallen, L Brennan, D Canavan, K Coney, C Grugan, C McCann, A McCrory, B McDonnell, K McGeary, C McLaughlin, C Meyler
