No looking back
The January episode following the clubs’ All-Ireland junior semi-final in Portlaoise damaged relations between the counties. However, both chairmen are confident there will be no impact from the controversy in Fitzgerald Stadium.
“That’s gone. It’s history,” said Kerry chairman Patrick O’Sullivan. “Everybody in Kerry has moved on and no doubt the people in Tyrone have as well. This is about two footballing teams playing football and only that. When the game is finished it’s finished and that will be that.”
O’Sullivan’s Tyrone equivalent Ciaran McLaughlin echoed those sentiments.
“What has gone on before is in the past. GAA is lot bigger than anyone or anything. Sport is emotive, but we all know that life is far more important in sport.
“We will hope the game is played in the best possible spirit. There have been plenty of matches between Kerry and Tyrone and a very intense rivalry. I just hope we come out the other end with a win.”
Tyrone PRO Damian Harvey said January’s events will have “utterly no bearing on the game at all” and pointed to his own club’s good relations with Kerry.
“There’s enough rivalry between the counties without having to bring in club rivalries. My own club Cookstown went to Croke Park in 2010 and won an intermediate club final and beat Spa. They clapped us off the field and then into the function later. You can see from the internet forums that there is plenty of banter and craic but no animosity.”
O’Sullivan won’t put a figure on what crowd he expects but is hopeful of a large one.
“Regional qualifiers have hardly gone over 20,000 and we don’t really know what to expect. We hope it’s an impressive crowd. There are people holidaying in Kerry and there’ll be a big Kerry crowd too.
“It’s two of the biggest names in Gaelic football and the town is well-suited for any sized of crowd that will come to watch them.”
O’Sullivan feels there is more incentive than just victory for the winners on Saturday.
“Whoever comes out of this game will go forward with great confidence. The next team [Clare] will know all about it in the weekend after.
“I hope it will be Kerry but they have to find another gear while Tyrone showed with their big win over Roscommon that they seem to have found it already.”
Harvey warned any thoughts of Kerry exacting revenge on Tyrone for previous defeats in the ’00s would be misplaced.
“Kerry might see this as an opportunity to get back at Tyrone but we have had a huge turnover of players since 2008.
“For all the talk of this team ageing, we only had two players 30 or over playing against Roscommon. It’s a different crew at the moment. If Kerry think they can right a few wrongs they’ll see they’re up against lads who haven’t featured in those previous games.”
Kerry’s Aidan O’Mahony said the narrow nature of their win over Westmeath was irrelevant.
“It was a massive test. I don’t think Westmeath have been beaten in Mullingar in the last two years and getting into the qualifiers that’s the type of test you need,’’ he said. “The big thing for us was a win whether it was by one point or 10 points. We’re just happy with the win.”
He also said the Kerry panel were oblivious to outside criticism.
“People are entitled to their opinions. We’re just a closed camp ourselves and have been training hard the last couple of weeks.
“We’ve a hard week of work ahead of us and another game next week so we’re looking forward to that.”
Meanwhile, despite reported opposition from Kildare who were entitled to home advantage, their qualifier against Limerick has been fixed for Portlaoise next Saturday at 7pm as St Conleths Park grounds in Newbridge wasn’t deemed suitable.
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