Red Hand skipper Dooher doubtful for semi-final

TYRONE captain Brian Dooher remains a doubt for Sunday week’s NFL semi-final against Wexford.

Dooher is battling a flu which kept him out of the Kerry game in Killarney. However, the prospects for Stephen O’Neill are brighter after the team’s league top scorer was also forced to miss out on Sunday after complaining of tightness in his hamstring after the warm-up.

“Hopefully I’ll be back, if I can get rid of this flu. I have it now for six weeks,’’ said Dooher.

“I just couldn’t play the last two matches, it was getting worse. We have a few club matches next weekend and that’s what I am targeting.’’

Just like Mark Harte, whose injury-time point from a free cost Kerry a semi-final place, Dooher agreed Tyrone were lucky to advance.

“We got two goals at times when we desperately needed them. We probably did not deserve them. In the second half Kerry must have had 80 or 90% of the ball. We were living on scraps.

“They were dominant at midfield and they were hitting really good cross-field balls into (Colm) Cooper. We weren’t pressing enough and they seemed to have all the time on the ball they wanted and they seemed to have spare men.

“When you look at Kerry, they are out of the league now, but they should be in before us. They are streets ahead. However, we’re not complaining.’’

Mark Harte, who was jeered by a section of the crowd two weeks ago after Tyrone lost to Mayo, described the Kerry match as ‘a once-off’ game.

“We got quite a lesson from them. Although we made it to the semi-final, we have to be realistic about what went on in that game. We came off second best.’’

He has put the incident in the Mayo game behind him, believing that it will further develop his character.

“I would not really class them as supporters, to be fair,” he said.

“It was just people venting their anger at the team and they directed it at me when I was being substituted. But things like that happen. Players have come through it before and been stronger for it - and hopefully I will be the same.’’

Kerry County Board chairman Sean Walsh said he felt most disappointed for the players after the Kingdom relinquished their league title.

“They had worked exceptionally hard over the last five weeks and they would have wanted another day out in the semi-final.

“And to lose out by a last-minute point was very disappointing.

“This time last year they probably wanted it more than we wanted it this year. When you have a long campaign and a long year, trying to put league titles back-to-back might not be the best thing for the team.

“But we would have taken it if it came. Not being in the semi-final is not the end of the world for us - in relation to the championship.’’

* Wexford last contested a semi-final in 1950, when they lost 1-11 to 1-6 to Meath - having played Kilkenny, Waterford, Carlow, Cork and Tipperary en route. The county contested a final in 1946, when Meath also beat them, and they last made it through to the Leinster championship final in 1956 - when they lost to Kildare.