Tyrone hope Kerry win can be 'lift-off moment'

Tyrone players surround Kerry captain David Clifford

There is something about Kerry that seems to bring the best out in Tyrone.

Tyrone fans will be hoping their gutsy three-point win over the All-Ireland champions in Healy Park can again be the lift-off moment for 2023.

The six-goal mauling in Killarney two years ago was the launchpad for Tyrone's All-Ireland triumph that year.

Since that humbling defeat, Tyrone have beaten Kerry three straight times in league and championship and played with a fire and passion in Sunday's 1-15 to 2-9 win that has been markedly absent in the last year or so.

But they are often at their most dangerous when written off, and so it proved again in Omagh.

"It's not unlike us in fairness after a few bad ones to pull a performance like that out of the bag," grinned man of the match Mattie Donnelly.

Mattie Donnelly kicked three points from play in Tyrone's win over Kerry

"It didn't come out of nowhere, but in recent form it came out of nowhere.

"It's in us, it's always in us, but it should be something we produce on a more consistent basis so that's the challenge now.

"Can we reproduce that level of energy and urgency and effort in two weeks time (against Monaghan)? We need to if we want to stay in this Division."

Tyrone answered critics - Logan

Joint manager Feargal Logan admitted it might have taken the might of Kerry to shake Tyrone out of their lethargy.

"We have had a few jousts with them and for some reason they do tend to bring the best out in us but the resilience the Tyrone lads showed was immense.

"People questioned the fellas' character with (four) goals going in last week in Mayo but they answered them in spades today.

"Let's hope everyone affords the credit to them that they deserve.

"Believe it or not I didn't think we were a million miles off it in this league. Small momentum shifts worked against us at times and then the bigger momentum shifts came in and killed us.

"Now we have to get more points out of a critical game against Monaghan and people can judge it over the seven games."

Donnelly contemplated retirement

A bad injury in last year's away league win over Kerry left Mattie Donnelly fearing the end of his inter-county career.

Since starring in Tyrone's All-Ireland minor win in 2008 he has been regarded as one of the leaders and classiest of footballers in the county but he has more than his fair share of injuries in recent years.

A hamstring avulsion, when one of the tendons ripped off the bone, while playing for Trillick in the winter of 2019 was as serious as it gets.

Something similar happened again against Kerry last year but he went against medical advice and opted for no surgery.

On the evidence of Sunday's performance, when he rolled back the years with an outstanding man of the match performance, he made the right call.

"If there had been surgery on the table it would have been a long way back. It (retirement) was definitely on the radar at that stage.

"When you get to this stage you definitely do have to review it but once I felt I had something to offer and more juice in the tank, I just committed fully to it and said 'Why not?'

Tempers flared in the second half in Omagh

"I enjoy any day Tyrone win, and I enjoy any day they win when they're not meant to and I enjoy any day you beat the All-Ireland champions, so it was enjoyable today personally.

"But it will only be satisfying on reflection if we stay up.

"It is up to the players now to make sure the bar is very much raised.

"Kerry are the gold standard in gaelic football, they always have been, but we pride ourselves as a forceful football county, a passionate football county.

"We are keen to get to the levels Kerry are at so we have a big few weeks ahead."

Darragh Canavan celebrates winning a crucial free for Tyrone against Kerry

Ruairi Canavan will have a decade or more of these battles to look forward to but he was buzzing after coming on for his first game-time against the Kingdom at senior level.

The Under-20 All-Ireland winner converted two nerveless frees.

"Watching teams like Kerry growing up, and our own boys too, all you want to do is go out there and play football with them and against them.

"It was great to get on. Healy park was bouncing today, the crowd really got behind the team and it definitely drove us on."