Jack O'Connor: Semi-final display more rounded than 'freakish' Armagh second half

RTÉ News​

19 hours ago

Now set for his seventh All-Ireland final as Kerry manager across three separate spells, Jack O'Connor described his side's display in their semi-final win as more rounded than their "freakish" second half against Armagh.
There was none of the score-settling and angry callouts that typified his quarter-final press conference. O'Connor was positively beaming after his side overcame a sluggish start to power past a Tyrone side that had haunted them in the past.
After the Armagh game, O'Connor had stressed the fact that Kerry had benefited from being "written off" beforehand, which allowed them to play with more freedom. That situation was reversed this time and O'Connor said he was always wary of a Tyrone side coming in with little expectation.
"We felt coming in that this was going to be a very tough game," O'Connor told reporters.
"Tyrone had some big results that almost went under the radar. They beat Donegal above in Ballybofey, very few teams do that. I don't think it was picked up too much in the media.
"Beat Dublin here. I don't care what they say about Dublin, Dublin are still a hard team to beat here in Croke Park.
"They would have come into this game with a lot of confidence and there was lot a noise about our game, which meant Tyrone were coming in under the radar.
"I thought that showed early on. In the first 15 minutes, Tyrone were the better team. They settled quicker and had us in a lot of bother on breaking ball around the middle of the field. As soon as we got to terms with that, I thought the game changed and David's goal settled us."
The display bore some similarities to the quarter-final, with Kerry killing the game with a burst of unanswered scores in the second half.
Their surge was slightly less devastating and surreal than the Armagh blitz, with the unanswered haul of 0-09 being stretched out over a longer period and not being solely built on a wipeout of the opposition kickout.
However, from O'Connor's perspective, this made it more satisfying, the Kerry boss reserving particular praise for Joe O'Connor, who took home the Man of the Match award.
"It was a more rounded performance because I thought that spell against Armagh was a bit freakish.
"It was like they just couldn't get their kickout away and we kept the ball up that end of the field.
"I think this was a more-rounded performance because Tyrone are very big around the middle of the field, Kennedy and Kilpatrick are big men and they have a lot of targets, and Morgan has a serious weapon of a kickout.
"The two boys (O'Shea and O'Brien) plugged away great for most of the game, and then Joe finished up midfield and what a game Joe had.
"Powerful game, he is getting better all the time."
It was a more rounded performance because I thought that spell against Armagh was a bit freakish
One irritation was the amount of wasted goal chances. Kerry were by a distance the most prolific goalscorers in the league, hitting 17 across eight games including the final.
Having made hay on two-pointers a fortnight ago, they created a remarkable volume of goal chances against Tyrone, squandering all of them bar David Clifford's brilliantly taken goal late in the first half.
"I know, I know... two or three at the back post that looked like tap-ins," O'Connor sighed.
"It's disappointing because we prided ourselves throughout the league on scoring goals.
"At least we created the chances. Today we were creating goal chances, the last day we were creating two-pointer chances.
"I think it's a sign of the team that they recognised what's in front of them, and there was a bit more space inside this time and they put the ball in and created those chances.
"Sure, look, of course we'd have had an easier afternoon if we'd converted a few of them."
It was a world away from 12 months ago, when Kerry were dumped out at the semi-final stage by Armagh.
After the game, O'Connor, to the surprise of many, played up the impact of the enormous Armagh support, which dwarfed the Kerry crowd.
During their alleged mini-crisis earlier in the summer, Kerry players had appealed to the supporters to come out to support the team. There has been a noticeable uptick since then.
"I'm delighted that the supporters are getting behind the team. It was no secret that Armagh seriously outnumbered us at this stage last year. "I know I got stick for it at the time, but they were a factor in the game. I don't think anybody could dispute that.
"But the Kerry supporters were a factor today, big time. The support travelled in huge numbers and long may it continue.
"These boys are giving everything for the cause and they're playing good football. They deserve to be supported and we're delighted.
"I don't have the language to describe it, but it's working both ways, you know? They're getting energy from the crowd, and the crowd are getting energy from the players. It's a good combination at the moment."
As for the absent trio of Tom O'Sullivan, Diarmuid O'Connor and Paul Geaney, O'Connor sounded a relatively optimistic note about their prospects of making the final.
"Paul, in an emergency could have been put in today, we just would want to make sure he didn't have a reoccurrence of the injury. I think he'll certainly be available to play in the final. Play some part in the final at least.
"Tom is giving himself a big chance of being available. Whether that transpires or not I couldn't tell you, but he's giving himself a chance.
"And Diarmuid is tipping away and hoping to get into the fray, he's done bits and pieces since the Cavan game.