Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Downtrodden will only delight in sticking it to callow Dublin
Kerry manager Jack O’Connor and Dublin boss Dessie Farrell shake hands after the match at Austin Stack Park.
How things have changed since Jack O’Connor and Dessie Farrell last shook hands after a match.
Last year, Dublin had just won the Leinster final and were unbeaten in Championship since 2014 and Jack was in charge of Kildare. All has changed and changed utterly as Yeats said, even if it is too early to say if a terrible beauty has been born.
Saturday in Tralee was always going to be a tough ask of Dublin considering how many front line bodies they are short. Kerry were not far off full strength. Gavin White, Mike Breen, and David Moran have to come back into it but other than that, what they have they have.
Dublin’s metamorphosis from all-conquering champions to a team filled with novices has happened suddenly. Jim Gavin excelled at dropping a player or two in together to get them vital experience. Generally they would have been panel players for at least a season if not two before they got their opportunity. When they were given game time in the league they were surrounded by winners and experienced players that held their hand and guided them through until the stabilisers could be removed.
Farrell doesn’t have that luxury. He has to throw a group of rookies in together at the deep end. They are learning for sure, but it is in the school of hard knocks. When young players are being introduced the manager wants them to do well. It strengthens the squad but it also is a little reminder to the absentees that no one is irreplaceable. One of many quandaries facing Farrell at the moment is that he is now looking out the door for his experienced players to return. He may need to bring some of them back quicker than expected. None of this is ideal. One thing is for sure: the games are not going to get any easier. Mayo up next in Croke Park. Like Kerry they will feel they have suffered enough at Dublin’s hands in the last decade and will be only too delighted to stick the boot in. Farrell and Dublin have two weeks to gather themselves after two knockout blows.
Kerry will be delighted with the result and their first-half performance, in particular the 20-minute power play before half time scoring 1-9 without reply. They would have preferred to have scored more than one point in the second half but experiencing a scrappy fretful half of football won’t do them any harm either.
Diarmuid O’Connor was outstanding in the middle of the field and was ably assisted by his club mate Jack Barry who once more had the better of Brian Fenton. With Seán O’Shea closer to the goal and the excellent Paudie Clifford roaming from the corner rather than the 40 they had a much better look and balance to the forward line. The sextet that started all played really well, playing the roles that suits them best with David Clifford once more lighting up the game.
The fact that as a team they were willing to kick the ball inside was critical in this regard. When factoring in the conditions some of their football in the first half was of the highest order. As well as the scoring forwards a word for Adrian Spillane who played well again. Kerry cleverly played him at 12 in the first half even though he wore 10. He was a big factor on the long Dublin kickout which because of the wind direction was going to favour that side.
As well as winning at least one kickout clean he secured some important breaks. Another feature of the game is that Kerry did not concede a goal. The defence was well marshalled and led by Tadhg Morley and while Dublin did create a couple of chances they kept a clean sheet, for the second week in a row. That defensive solidity will please Jack and his management team every bit as much as their attacking display. The home crowd left satisfied and with Donegal coming to Killarney in two weeks — where Kerry rarely lose — it is a big opportunity to get more points on the board before they head north for Ulster again.
Speaking of Ulster, there was some battle in the Athletic grounds in Armagh yesterday culminating with five red cards from one incident at the end. That must be some kind of a record. Kudos to David Gough and his officials for having the courage to implement the rules to the letter of the law. Generally speaking in that kind of a melee, a few yellow cards are dished out and maybe one unlucky culprit gets the road. When the footage is reviewed with forensic detail by Fergal Logan, with his barrister hat on, it will be interesting to see if the cards and resultant suspensions stick.
Said suspensions could be particularly costly for Tyrone if they are for more than one game, considering the calibre of player involved. Armagh again impressed, particularly in the first half. They played slightly differently from a week before in that they gave up the Tyrone kickout to keep shape at the back. It is as if they are readying themselves for a summer where they can cope with whatever challenge is thrown at them.
To win big this ability to adapt is vital. Defensively they got a lot of bodies back and Tyrone struggled with it in the first half. Armagh were disciplined and forced turnovers. Their forwards interchanged well and realising that Rian O’Neill would struggle to have the same impact on the scoreboard, others stepped up. Jason Duffy and Aidan Nugent were again very good and Rory Grugan continues to pull the strings from centre forward. They created a plethora of goal chances converting two.
Another player who has really caught the eye over the last few weeks is Jarly Óg Burns. He is revelling in his new position at left half back and it is giving Armagh another dimension in possession. Interestingly in the second half when Tyrone committed more bodies forward, Armagh’s defensive system creaked. Tyrone got some great scores and as they pushed up on the Armagh kickout they put real pressure on their neighbours.
Armagh do have set plays for these exact scenarios and satisfyingly for them, they executed when it counted. For their last and crucial score Blaine Hughes went long and Rian O’Neill secured the kickout. He immediately kicked it on to Stefan Campbell who converted. Shortly afterwards, the melee put an end to Tyrone’s gallop but prior to that they were hunting the draw with energy and intent, to their credit.
There were glimpses of the post All-Ireland hangover though. Brian Dooher and Fergal Logan were quite animated on the sideline. Generally as a manager that happens when your players aren’t working as hard as you would expect. Regardless of appeals or anything else this is what the management will be focusing on prior to their next game, at home to Kildare.
The joint managers will want to know why their men only started to play when the game was gone away from them. It will be worth keeping an eye on this over the next few games. When those habits embed they can be hard to shift — until it is too late.
