'kerry Loss Shows The Level Tyrone Must Reach'

Manager Malachy O'Rourke lamented Tyrone's carelessness successful possession and profligacy successful onslaught aft they were outgunned by Kerry successful Saturday's All-Ireland semi-final astatine Croke Park.

Having beaten Dublin successful nan past eight, Tyrone returned to nan GAA's office hoping to return nan scalp of different All-Ireland contender.

And while they trailed by conscionable a constituent 7 minutes into nan 2nd half, Kerry - for illustration they did against Armagh successful nan quarter-finals - caught occurrence and struck 9 unanswered points connected their measurement to a comfortable 1-20 to 0-17 win.

"It was disappointing nan measurement it sewage distant from us," admitted O'Rourke.

"At half-time we felt we were correct successful nan game, nan first half we played a batch of bully shot and did good connected some kick-outs. The downside of that was we gave distant possession cheaply done our ain efforts unforced and past Kerry put america nether unit arsenic well.

"And past we're caught a wee spot astatine nan back. We near ourselves a spot bare astatine nan back. We didn't springiness Paudie [Hampsey] capable screen astatine times and David Clifford successful peculiar was very prominent. We were still successful it astatine half-time."

O'Rourke added: "We sewage it backmost to a constituent but aft that erstwhile we sewage possession we weren't capable to penetrate nan Kerry defence.

"Our shooting ratio and changeable action astatine times wasn't awesome and Kerry were very bully successful possession. They could person had a fewer much goals successful fairness and they didn't springiness distant overmuch shot and were capable to summation nan lead."

Defeat brings nan curtain down connected O'Rourke's first twelvemonth successful complaint of Tyrone.

He led Monaghan to 2 Ulster titles and Glen to an All-Ireland Club triumph, and while location were nary trophies for nan Red Hands successful 2025, he says he "will return a batch of positives" retired of his first title aft returning to inter-county management.

"We've had 4 title victories. We went to Ballybofey and won [against Donegal] and hit Dublin successful Croke Park, and nan boys person put a batch of effort successful and we person improved.

"To get into nan past 4 you're going to beryllium playing nan apical teams and Kerry are 1 of nan apical teams, truthful immoderate weaknesses you person will beryllium exposed than successful nan different games.

"There's been a batch of positives but a crippled for illustration that shows nan level you person to get to if you want to beryllium challenging for nan apical honours and that's what we'll study from today."

O'Rourke added that location has been "no talk" of retirements yet among nan much knowledgeable members of his panel.

"I would emotion that they would beryllium location to thief guideline [the younger players]," he said.

"There's a large vacuum location betwixt under-20s and elder and it's a large gap, it conscionable doesn't hap overnight. It's not conscionable a lawsuit of group stepping up, there's a batch of activity to beryllium done and there's a large modulation to beryllium made.

"The much knowledgeable players that are astir to guideline them, truthful overmuch nan better."

While O'Rourke must hold until 2026 for different chance astatine landing nan Sam Maguire, Jack O'Connor is 1 triumph distant from collecting his 5th crossed 3 spells arsenic Kerry boss.

Having past won nan title successful 2022, nan Kingdom will look nan winners of Sunday's semi-final betwixt Donegal and Meath successful nan 27 July decider.

O'Connor utilized his post-match property convention to deed retired astatine Kerry critics aft beating Armagh, but connected Saturday he was inclined to attraction his remarks connected his side's performance, which he described arsenic "mature".

"We slowed it down and sped it up erstwhile we had to," said O'Connor.

"We kicked nan shot done nan lines good today. Found David and sewage one-on-one situations and that's ever bully for us."

O'Connor added that "getting to grips" pinch nan mediate of nan section was important to his side's occurrence aft they initially struggled to contend pinch nan aerial prowess of Tyrone midfielders Conn Kilpatrick and Brian Kennedy astatine kick-out time.

He besides described nan capacity arsenic "more rounded" than that of 2 weeks ago, erstwhile his broadside deed 14 scores without to reply to crush Armagh.

"It was a much rounded capacity [than against Armagh].

"The Armagh crippled was a spot freakish successful that they conscionable couldn't get their kick-out distant but this was a much rounded capacity because Tyrone are very large astir nan mediate of nan field."