Well that was a “proper horrorshow” performance by Tyrone. Away games to Kerry rarely bring a positive result but this must surely rank as the worst trip to the Kingdom in recent memory.
It started badly with Ronan McNamee conceding an early, soft penalty and got progressively worse when Darragh Canavan was carried off with a suspected serious ankle injury. From that point Tyrone capitulated all over the field. There was no sign of the defensive structure that defined our style in recent years and we were toothless in attack.
Niall Morgan had a torrid afternoon with six goals finding their way past him. He was even found off his line for a splendid lofted finish by Gavin White from about 40 metres out. Kerry had scored five goals before half time, never looking back and are now the only genuine contender to Dublin’s throne and the team best equipped to stop the seven in a row. Kerry’s forward line tore through us time and time again and could easily have raised more than the half dozen green flags. David Clifford, Dara Moynihan and Sean O’Shea were excellent while Paul Geaney popped up with a brace of goals.
It has been a frustrating league for Tyrone. There have been a number of disjointed displays and key players are struggling to exert their influence on the game. The return of Cathal McShane is eagerly anticipated but may prove to be too big of an ask this year. It would certainly allow Conor McKenna a bit more space. He has not shown any of the form we saw from him last autumn, indeed he has been successfully double teamed throughout the campaign to great effect.
There will now be much soul searching for Tyrone with four weeks until the Championship meeting with reigning Ulster champions Cavan, who themselves were relegated for a third consecutive year. Disappointing league campaigns have been written off in the past but in the modern game, a poor league is indicative of what is to come later in the summer. Tyrone have it all to do.
Unofficial Tyrone 