Sport

Danny Hughes: Tyrone need to smother Kerry forwards to stand a chance

Brendan Crossan

Brendan Crossan

Brendan is a sports reporter at The Irish News. He has worked at the media outlet since January 1999 and specialises in GAA, soccer and boxing. He has been the Republic of Ireland soccer correspondent since 2001 and has covered the 2002 and 2006 World Cup finals and the 2012 European Championships

Tyrone's Ronan McNamee and Kerry's David Clifford during the 2019 All-Ireland semi-final. Padraig Hampsey could take over these man-marking duties on Saturday Picture: Philip Walsh
Tyrone's Ronan McNamee and Kerry's David Clifford during the 2019 All-Ireland semi-final. Padraig Hampsey could take over these man-marking duties on Saturday Picture: Philip Walsh Tyrone's Ronan McNamee and Kerry's David Clifford during the 2019 All-Ireland semi-final. Padraig Hampsey could take over these man-marking duties on Saturday Picture: Philip Walsh

IT is most likely that Kerry will win this weekend and Tyrone need to put the likelihood of this in perspective.

I believe that this Kerry team have what it takes to win the 2021 All-Ireland.

Yes, I realise Mayo have beaten the All-Ireland champions, probably one of the greatest teams of all-time.

However, this is Mayo we are talking about - the great under-achievers.

The Kingdom have a history with Sam Maguire only rivalled by Dublin.

More often than not, they don’t do losing finals, except against their great rivals recently, of course.

There will be no inferiority complex should Kerry beat Tyrone and head into another September final with a sense of confidence and ‘that’ aura of invincibility.

What makes this weekend’s tie quite intriguing is the sub-plot.

How will Kerry’s forwards perform against Tyrone’s defence?

I refer to Tyrone’s defence loosely, of course, from a numerical jersey perspective, as the Red Hands will flood players back as a collective, absorb the pressure from an advancing and dangerous Kerry team and attempt to hit them on a counter-attack.

Brian Dooher and Feargal Logan are intelligent individuals, and pragmatic too.

I think even they realise that a straight shoot-out will result in only one winner.

When Michael Collins was director of intelligence during the War of Independence, he knew that engaging the British on their own terms was suicide.

‘Guerilla’ warfare was born and Irishmen engaged with Britain on their terms through flying columns.

If I was in the shoes of Tyrone management team, the practical solution is to play to their own strengths.

Do not fight on the same terms as Kerry but utilise their own strengths as a ‘collective’ to engage.

Most likely, Tyrone will flood men back, suffocate Kerry’s forwards and aim to frustrate a team who, let's face it, would not exactly look forward to being dragged into this sort of contest.

It is early days in the management tenures of Dooher and Logan and to be fair they haven’t yet had the benefit of an uninterrupted pre-season in order to shed the defensive ‘label’ and develop a more attacking style.

However, you only have to look across to Galway under Padraig Joyce and the structures put in place by Kevin Walsh that were completely dismantled in favour of a more offensive and attractive game.

The result was some very heavy defeats and they have failed to return to Croke Park since.

Tyrone management haven’t thrown the baby out with the bathwater, rather you feel if they do become more attack-minded, it will be a gradual process.

As a player I only thought about winning – how I won was largely irrelevant.

If it’s a great contest and fantastic to watch, it’s a bonus, but by and large all that matters is the result.

Honestly, I think that every player will put personal performance as their first concern.

The team result is closely second.

In my head, they go hand in hand: 'I perform - the result will follow.'

If you have a team thinking this way, then ideally you have a team prepared to get their performance right and be on the end of the right result.

Tyrone will need each and every player to perform to be in the game against Kerry heading into the last 10 minutes.

Despite the delay in playing the game and the circus that ensued, Tyrone needed to be given time to prepare.

Yes, it was not ideal preparation from a Kerry perspective, however, in years gone by the Kingdom have always had three to four weeks in between All-Ireland quarter and semi-finals.

Despite the fact that Tyrone won an Ulster title, I still feel that there is more in them.

We have yet to see the best of Conor McKenna this year while Cathal McShane has been used in the last 20 minutes by and large.

Interestingly, both individuals have good and bad moments when they have entered the fray.

The bigger question is does Tyrone management start these individuals now?

I suspect that McKenna will start, however, Cathal McShane may be held in reserve and make an impact from the bench.

For me, McShane needs to start, he is the perfect target-man alongside Tyrone’s star forward this year; Darren McCurry, who will benefit from having him play centrally.

McCurry loves that off-the-shoulder pass and a half a yard is enough to allow him get his shot away.

Niall Sludden has had a good Championship and after a couple of difficult years under Harte, has found form and confidence.

Padraig Hampsey will most likely follow David Clifford - even should this mean they change together! - as one moment of brilliance from the boy king could well prove fatal to Tyrone’s chances.

It is harder to see thereafter how Tyrone will contain Paidi Clifford, Sean O’Se and Paul Geaney.

I go back to my original point – Tyrone’s best chance lies in the power of the ‘collective’.

I am not taking the COVID outbreak into consideration here, it has to be said, and a lot will depend on its after-effects on those players playing.

Presuming, though, all those affected will be fit again, while Kerry remain strong favourites, I do think that this game will be closer than many predict.

After the beating of Dublin, I heard it said that Kerry were the big winners and I can’t help but think that there is a perception that Kerry are ‘nailed on’ winners this year.

Within ‘that’ statement lies a certain motivation for both Tyrone and Mayo, who lie in wait for the winners.

Kerry have a very dangerous forward line and the fact that they hammered Tyrone earlier this year again backs up this narrative.

However, once again I go back to the cliché ‘forwards win games, defences win titles’.

And on that rock will the outcome be decided this weekend.