Respect and rivalry recalled

Kerry or Tyrone, Tyrone or Kerry — the debate about the Team of the Noughties continues to rage.

Privately, Tyrone’s footballers felt the 2008 All-Ireland final and a third defeat over Kerry in five years confirmed them as the best of that particular decade. Yet Kerry, like they did after their two previous Championship defeats to them, recovered the following season to win an All-Ireland title.

From 2000 to 2009, they collected four Sam Maguire titles — one more than Tyrone’s haul. Yet Tyrone were the one true pioneering force and Mickey Harte bettered Páidi Ó Sé, Pat O’Shea and Jack O’Connor in those 2003, ‘05 and ‘08 games.