New kind of battle for the aristocrats

THE scenario facing the two heavyweights in Healy Park tonight flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Kerry and Tyrone have claimed five of the last eight NFL titles and on four occasions the spring silverware has been a precursor for September glory.

Between them Mickey Harte, Jack O’Connor (in both his comings) and Pat O’Shea espoused the philosophy that going hard for league glory could bolster rather than hinder prospects of championship success.

The backdrop to tonight’s league clash is somewhat different.

There is a pressing need for points alright, but not for the reasons which have governed the recent league clashes between Kerry and Tyrone.

The grim spectre of relegation will hang in the Omagh air over both teams with defeat, particularly in the case of Tyrone, making for a nerve-shredding afternoon in the final round of games on April 11.For the front-runners of much of the last decade, it’s an unpalatable and unfamiliar set of circumstances to come to terms with.

Scratch beneath the surface though and reasons to explain the spring decline for both can be found. For starters, the trawl for personnel to fill championship starting places has been extensive by both O’Connor and Harte.

Injuries to established stars have affected both camps, and O’Connor has also had to contend with the twin plagues of retirement and AFL as well.

It’s noteworthy that of the 30 players that start in tonight’s clash, only 17 were on the Croke Park pitch when Maurice Deegan threw in the ball at the start of the 2008 All-Ireland final.

That’s a large turnover and it’s reflected by the fact that in their five games to date in the league, Kerry have used 33 players. In the same time frame, Harte has had 30 in action. The necessity to rebuild and revitalise their teams has forced the hand of both managers and that’s why they’ve paraded so many newcomers.

The likes of David O’Callaghan, Jason McAnulla, Aidan O’Sullivan, Peter Harte, Brian Looney and Cathal McCarron are light on experience at this level.

Since intercounty senior football is a new occurrence to plenty in both the Kerry and Tyrone camps, it’s natural that it’s going to take a time for them to bed in properly.

The form of both teams can hardly be described as a crisis either, it seems more fitting to judge that their standards have simply slipped from the heady heights of recent years.

Kerry’s scoring difference is actually in the black despite three defeats, that’s largely due to an emphatic dismissal of Galway but also because of the narrow margins of their losses.

Last Sunday’s two-point loss to Mayo could have morphed into a heavier defeat had the Westerners not been so profligate but the reversals against Dublin and Cork earlier in the campaign were close calls.

As for Tyrone, apart from their opening day loss against Derry, they’ve been challenging vigorously in their other matches and the one-point losses against Monaghan and Mayo could easily have swung the other way.

Perhaps the most salient point is that opposition teams are starting to treat the league more with respect than contempt, borrowing from the blueprint that has served Kerry and Tyrone well in recent years. Now that the likes of Cork, Mayo and Dublin are starting to claw back the deficit, the challenge for Tyrone and Kerry is to adapt.

Avoiding relegation is the best starting point and for both that’s still feasible.