Mulligan: first half ‘a disgrace’
Mickey Harte’s All-Ireland champions found themselves 11 points adrift half an hour into the NFL Division One clash in Omagh before clawing their way back to within one goal of the visitors by the game’s end.
“The first half was a disgrace,” said the Cookstown man. “Anything we tried in the first half didn’t work out for us.
“But that is not taking away from Kerry. They played us out of it. It was very hard to get the ball off them. The 15 of them were flying.”
Kerry were unstoppable going forward, dominant in midfield and ruthless in defence, and Mulligan admitted that events in Croke Park last September may have laid the foundations for Tyrone’s problems at the weekend.
“They beat us fair and square. Maybe they were that bit hungrier than we were. Maybe a bit of complacency set in, in that first half but there were a few harsh words at half-time. We can’t give teams a lead like that come championship.”
The sides had met nine times previously while Harte has been in charge but nothing in the game’s most charged modern rivalry prepared the 11,174 spectators for the events they witnessed two days ago.
It was an astonishing game but one almost overshadowed by events after the final whistle when tempers flared and threatened to boil over.
Mulligan, Harte and Jack O’Connor played it down, with the players claiming it was merely an indication of the “respect” the teams have for each other. A euphemism if ever there was one maybe, but all parties are aware their relationship is spiky enough with adding fuel to the fire.
“That’s just it, two teams that want to win,” said Kerry captain Darran O’Sullivan.
“It was bound to happen. If there was no rivalry or no fiery end to it, it would mean that one team didn’t care. That showed that both teams were up for it and wanted to win. It shows that the league is important to both teams as well.”
Mulligan all but admitted that it was merely an appetiser for the summer to come, pointing out it was now “one-nil” to Kerry.
The whole country is hoping for another meeting in the 2009 championship but Harte has already served warning that it may not happen as soon as people expect. Both sides seem intent on pointing out that this year will be about more than just Kerry and Tyrone.
“There is a good rivalry there,” said O’Sullivan when asked if the win meant more than just the two league points. “We look forward to playing the best teams. They are the teams and the games that will stand to you.”
Kerry have developed the happy knack of establishing huge first-half leads in their opening two league games against Ulster opposition and have scored four goals in the process. Donegal never looked like recovering in Tralee on the opening day but Tyrone demonstrated their resilience and self-belief by ending Sunday’s game just three points behind. O’Sullivan was in no way shocked.
“We knew tiredness and everything else would come into it. Back in 2006 (in Omagh as well) we had a good lead on Tyrone and they came back to beat us. We knew they would come back stronger in the second half.
“We knew if we just popped away with a couple of scores, we would be alright. There is always an extra gear with Tyrone. It was nothing to do with levelling off ourselves.”
The next date in Kerry’s diary is another trip north where they will replay last year’s league final against Derry. The game holds yet more promise as Damien Cassidy’s side have also registered a 100% start.
“We are motoring along nicely,” said O’Sullivan. “We are trying to find our feet. At times (against Tyrone) our play was good, at others it wasn’t but we are still learning. We hope to improve in the next game.”
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