‘We knew Tyrone wouldn’t lie down’

JUST as you would expect from Jack O’Connor. Sublime as Kerry were in the first-half, the manager opted instead to focus on the second period where the two points and a win came close to dissolving through their fingers.

“We were expecting that at half-time. We knew that Tyrone weren’t going to lie down. We were almost relishing it in a way because these are the tough games that bring you on.

“Tyrone didn’t get going in the first half, but there was always going to be kick in them in the second half and we were delighted that we were able to dig it out because there was fellas being sent off left, right and centre.

“That’d be the one thing that would worry you – there were yellow cards that wouldn’t have been given in the first round of the league that were being given there.”

Kerry’s discipline was a bone of contention for the majority of the last championship campaign but they could count themselves unfortunate to see three defenders sent to the line on yellow card offences in the second-half.

“I have no problem with the yellow card thing, but at times the crowd were baying for blood and that may have influenced the man a bit. I don’t want to give out about referees because they have a tough job.

“But I thought one or two decisions were a bit harsh. All managers want is a bit of consistency. I’m not sure that those would have been yellow cards in the first round of the league.”

O’Connor himself became embroiled in an unseemly incident at the end but he talked about it with the hint of a wry smile on his lips later and dismissed it as a spot of “handbags”.

Mickey Harte was more willing to discuss the incident. “It is a highly charged situation which we wouldn’t want to see developing at all,” said the Tyrone manager, “but sometimes people are in that place and things can escalate if they are not sorted out quickly.

“It is unnecessary and doesn’t look good and I wouldn’t want to be involved in it but things like that happen.

“You can’t condone them, you hope it doesn’t happen and that that is the end of it. I have seen much more serious, similar events, maybe even in this place here. I hope we don’t get back to that.”

Harte was just as happy to expand on Kerry’s first-half performance, one which belied the almost suffocating nature of the rivalry since the three-time All-Ireland winning manager took charge.

“I was more than impressed. You run out of superlatives for the way they were playing. They showed composure, a variety in their play, as well as the strength and power of Tommy Walsh inside.

“I haven’t seen a performance like that for a long time in a single half and, only for Johnny Curran in the second half, it would have been an even better day for them.’’