Tyrone v Kerry Semifinal 2025

[trueblue1234]

Has Darragh not been carrying an injury? Someone mentioned he was in a boot before warm up in last game.
In my view, if you're benching DC, you're giving up any chance. It'll take him, MxCurry and Donnelly to be flying to give us a chance. While his form may have dipped, him and McCurry are still our main hope for scores. Without him I don't give us a chance.

[DaleCooper]

Irish Times Darragh Ó Sé: Kerry and Donegal have shown a different gear and should be too strong for Tyrone and Meath:

After all the excitement in the run-up to the quarter-finals, there's a different feel about the semi-finals. Those games clarified a few things and changed the picture. Before the quarter-finals weekend, more or less everyone was saying that any one of six teams could win the All-Ireland. I think that number is probably down to two now – Kerry and Donegal.

Without dismissing Tyrone and Meath, I just think that what Donegal and Kerry produced the last day was so far clear of anything any other team has been capable of in this championship. Both teams clicked into a gear that nobody else has shown. They might not reproduce it but we know they have it. We don't know that about Meath or Tyrone.

Let's take the Saturday game first. The one thing that won't be a factor here is history. The Tyrone thing doesn't matter to the current Kerry players the way it did to our generation. I'd say if you asked Sean O'Shea about it, he'd take a look at you as if to say, "Listen now, I have enough problems of my own without worrying about the hang-ups of washed-up old Kerry players."

He'd be 100 per cent right, too. Time moves on. Tyrone have moved on too. This is a different type of team from the ones they used to produce. Their personalities are different. One the one hand, they're not as cynical or as cute with the dark arts. On the other, they're not as free-flowing or as filled with quality either.

If they're going to beat Kerry, they have to dominate midfield. They have Brian Kennedy and Conn Kilpatrick in there and not only are they huge men but they aren't one bit shy about using their size. With the way the game is now around the kick-outs, those two should be an incredible weapon for Tyrone.

But Armagh had plenty of big men around the middle too. Mark O'Shea and Sean O'Brian came of age for Kerry the last day and Joe O'Connor put in one of those games he's been putting in all year.

That's what I mean about the quarter-finals changing the picture. Before that, I would have been worried about how the Kerry midfield would cope against the likes of Niall Grimley, Ben Crealey and Rian O'Neill. They've shown now they can hold their own. It doesn't mean they'll be able to do it again against Kennedy and Kilpatrick but they can break even at least.

That might be all they need to do. Because when I look around the rest of the pitch, I think Kerry can dominate this game physically in the same way they did two years ago. Go through Tyrone's best forwards – the two Canavans, Darren McCurry, young McElholm who came off the bench the last day. What's the common factor? They're all small men.

I know they won't all be on the pitch at the same time and that Tyrone have the likes of Peter Harte and Mattie Donnelly to bulk out the forward line. But when it comes right down to it, I think size is going to matter here.

If Kerry do their job out the field, Tyrone have no outlet that they can pump the ball up to and expect him to win it by himself. They don't have a David Clifford or a Michael Murphy. They don't have a Seánie Shea or an Oisin Gallen. You'd take Darragh Canavan and Darren McCurry ahead of most players in the country in terms of skill on the ball. But they have to get on the ball first.

Add it all up and I expect Kerry to have enough. Tyrone needed two-pointers to stay in touch with Dublin in the first half the last day – are they really going to be able to keep that sort of accuracy going from distance? They haven't been scoring goals and Kerry haven't been conceding them. Is that going to change here? I make Kery strong enough favourites.

I make Donegal even stronger ones, in all honesty. It's funny, the previews to all of Meath's games this year probably said the same sort of thing. Fair play to them, they're a team on the up, Robbie Brennan has got a great tune out of them – but they won't be winning this. And still they went out and beat Dublin, Kerry, Cork and Galway.

So will we learn our lesson? Sure, why start now?

There's a hint of the Cork v Dublin hurling semi-final about this. Donegal won't be running in seven goals but they will be every bit as relentless in wearing Meath down. Unless Meath have some sort of magic potion, I expect it will all just be too much for them.

What really struck me about Donegal against Monaghan was how much they looked to be enjoying Croke Park. You could see in that second half that they were at home there, that it was the place they had been aiming to get to all year. This was the weekend they had circled on the calendar – we're going to be there, boys, and we're going to make mincemeat out of whoever is waiting for us.

On the flipside, Meath came to Croke Park the last day looking to right a wrong. They felt they had left the Leinster final behind them by coughing up so many goals to Louth so they were coming back to Croke Park to make amends. And there's nothing wrong with that – but it tells you they're a team at a different stage in their journey than Donegal are.

Meath have some great players and you go through some of their lesser known names and they can seriously play ball. Jordan Morris is obviously their go-to player but the likes of Ciaran Cualfield and Ruairi Kinsella and Matthew Costello have really jumped out this season. I just think Donegal are operating at a level above.

They'll be looking to feast on Morris in particular. That lovely dummy bounce he has might get him past the odd defender against Donegal but it won't get him through on goal. Beat the first man and there'll be another right there waiting. Meath will be full of energy and we know they don't lack courage. But Donegal didn't come all this way to slip up against a Division Two team.

I expect Donegal to do a professional job here and that they'll go through along with Kerry.

But I've been wrong before.

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

20 minutes of football is doing an awful amount of heavy lifting for Darragh's argument on Kerry there.

In the same way that Tyrone can go out against Donegal and put in a very good performance but look like a reserve team the next week against Mayo, Kerry can blow hot and cold like anyone else.

And to be honest, it has been lukewarm for the most part.

[tyrone08]

20 minutes of football is doing an awful amount of heavy lifting for Darragh's argument on Kerry there.

In the same way that Tyrone can go out against Donegal and put in a very good performance but look like a reserve team the next week against Mayo, Kerry can blow hot and cold like anyone else.

And to be honest, it has been lukewarm for the most part.

That 15-20min spell could be kerrys undoing. People are forgetting that kerry were getting beat for majority of that match. While that spell was fantastic aramgh did absolutely nothing to stop it. They kept trying the same tactic.

O'se questions if tyrone can kick a few 2 pointers like they did against Dublin. Obvious question should have been can kerry score 14 points out of 14 attacks again.

I said before that the kerry game defensively armagh werent great. Would say tyrones defense will be better than Armaghs.

[DaleCooper]

Forewarned is forearmed. Morgan will have done a ton of strategising for various scenarios.

Maybe that "goalkeeper kicking to themselves tactic" could have let armagh stymie one or two kickouts.

Must be very disappointing for McGeeney.

[trueblue1234]

Their personalities are different. One the one hand, they're not as cynical or as cute with the dark arts. On the other, they're not as free-flowing or as filled with quality either.

He seems to leave out the exact same could be said about the Kerry team. Neither team is as strong as their noughties equivalent imo.

[AustinPowers]

20 minutes of football is doing an awful amount of heavy lifting for Darragh's argument on Kerry there.

In the same way that Tyrone can go out against Donegal and put in a very good performance but look like a reserve team the next week against Mayo, Kerry can blow hot and cold like anyone else.

And to be honest, it has been lukewarm for the most part.

That 15-20min spell could be kerrys undoing. People are forgetting that kerry were getting beat for majority of that match. While that spell was fantastic aramgh did absolutely nothing to stop it. They kept trying the same tactic.

O'se questions if tyrone can kick a few 2 pointers like they did against Dublin. Obvious question should have been can kerry score 14 points out of 14 attacks again.

I said before that the kerry game defensively armagh werent great. Would say tyrones defense will be better than Armaghs.

Good point.  Kerry were very accurate in that spell , but  even if they only kicked 0-8 in that time , they would only have been 3 ahead. And the game. Still there for Armagh, who would have been going for points, and  not goals like they did

I can't see Tyrone  giving Kerry as much time on the ball  like Armagh did

Kerry could win this by 10+ but I just have  this strange  feeling Tyrone are  going to win this

[joemamas]

Congrats to all you WUM merchants, you have ruined what could have been a decent discussion.
idiots. Go back to Hogan Stand

[mackers]

Forewarned is forearmed. Morgan will have done a ton of strategising for various scenarios.

Maybe that goalkeeper kicking to themselves could have let armagh stymie one or two kickouts.

Must be very disappointing for McGeeney.

Kerry won't ambush the Tyrone kickout the way they did with Armagh's. Forewarned is forearmed as you say.  The worry is that Armagh completely picked off Morgan's kickouts in the Ulster semi. Morgan's kickouts ain't that great either.  The keeper's job is nearly impossible at this point.

[thebigfullforward]

Forewarned is forearmed. Morgan will have done a ton of strategising for various scenarios.

Maybe that goalkeeper kicking to themselves could have let armagh stymie one or two kickouts.

Must be very disappointing for McGeeney.

Kerry won't ambush the Tyrone kickout the way they did with Armagh's. Forewarned is forearmed as you say.  The worry is that Armagh completely picked off Morgan's kickouts in the Ulster semi. Morgan's kickouts ain't that great either.  The keeper's job is nearly impossible at this point.

You're screwed as a keeper. Keep seeing people say Armagh persisted with the same tactic but I'd genuinely like to know what else they could have done? Sure they could have slowed the game more but in terms of kickouts what else could be done?

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

Humped the absolute fcuk out of it down the middle.

[tbrick18]

Morgan's kickouts were a disaster against Dublin - but they still managed to win.
I thought Tyrone were poor against Dublin until that last 10-15mins, and I thought Dublin were poor throughout.
Tyrone's main players are still the older guys, Peter Harte, Mattie Donnelly and McGeary - if Kerry get on top of them out the field and break even around the MF area the supply won't be there regardless of what combination of forwards Tyrone play.

However, if the 3 mentioned above get on top and can last the full game, then Tyrone are in with a shout.

Kerry have been inconsistent all year, but can switch it on and have the forwards who are more capable of winning their own battles than Tyrone do - on that point I agree with O'Se. But if in this game Kerry don't play at their best, then can be caught because the same applies to them in that if there is no supply going forward they will struggle for scores.

I think Kerry have the defenders to go man-to-man on DC and McCurry, not sure Tyrone can say the same about Seanie O'Shea or Cliffords.
For me, Tyrone's best chance is to run at the Kerry defence - which takes a lot of energy especially in the hot weather.
I don't think there'll be a huge gap between them, but in general I think Kerry have better players in more positions and so will likely win by 5 or 6.

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

Hampsey has always done a good job on David Clifford.
Seanie O'Shea turned it on against Armagh but they didn't seem to mark him at all. He got a free run at it.

[greatpoint]

I've heard from multiple outlets now: "If Kerry play at their best, no one will beat them."

[DaleCooper]

GAA Statsman on the Kerry Tyrone teams so far this year

https://x.com/gaelicstatsman/status/1942920094906012135?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet