By Niall McCoy

FORMER Tyrone player Plunkett Kane believes that Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry will feel like a second chance for the Red Hand players.

The match is taking place two weeks later than originally fixed after a series of negotiations eventually led to the Red Hands getting time to try and get on top of a Covid issue in their squad having indicated that they would withdraw if the extension was just one week.

Eventually, with Kerry’s blessing, the GAA relented and the match will go ahead this weekend, and the Coalisland man expects Tyrone to be in really buoyant form heading into it.

“There was a possibility they wouldn’t get to play if Croke Park had said no, so to get the chance is brilliant for them.

“Tyrone having the likes of Cathal McShane back, Conor McKenna back into a bit of form, Darragh Canavan back, means they have serious options.

“Mattie Donnelly is now playing inside. He is very, very dangerous and Darren McCurry is one of the best players in Ulster right now.

“They’ll be going in with confidence and as long as Covid hasn’t impacted too much, Tyrone will be going in in a great frame of mind if they have a fully fit squad available.

“Donegal have had their measure over the last two years but they got over them so mentally they should be in a good place.”

Some have suggested that Tyrone clubs would feel aggrieved that they would be forced to wait a bit longer given that the All-Ireland series has been pushed back, but the Na Fianna man was supportive of the panel’s stance.

“It’s not the same as usual, obviously, given what has happened over the last few weeks,” Kane said.

“Covid is new to everyone. Some players get it and react differently. Inside the camp it’ll depend a lot on how fit the players are, or how badly affected they are.

“I obviously wouldn’t know that just by looking in but by giving them those extra weeks it should help them and they should have most people available, which you need against Kerry.

“It’s been the right call. You train all year for these matches and it’s not too often that you get into an All-Ireland semi-final. To play against Kerry you’d need to be at full strength to give yourself a chance.”

Kane’s clubmates Padraig Hampsey and Michael McKernan are likely to be handed key man-marking roles on Saturday against some of the biggest names in the game. The Clifford brothers, David and Paudie, and Sean O’Shea are just some of the Kingdom players they could come in direct opposition with.

Kane has full confidence in their ability to shut down their threat.

“I know Padraig and Michael so well from inside the club. I grew up with them and played with them all the time.

“Those boys will be chomping at the bit. They’ve the perfect build for football, they’re both good on the ball and they’ve both been in good form this year.

“Padraig had been struggling with injuries but is back to his best and Michael is back in starting again and playing really well. Obviously it’s going to be tough marking David or Paudie Clifford, but those boys don’t do nerves.”

Kane believes that if Tyrone can be ahead at the first water break then they should have enough confidence to actually set up a final date with Mayo.

“I would say they need to get a good start because in the league match everything went against them. Maybe that league match has done Tyrone a favour.

“Kerry’s defence maybe isn’t as strong so if Tyrone get a good start and get their running game going, then that defence is there to be got at. They just need to keep it tight at the back early on.

“McCurry is shooting the lights out. They have Mattie Donnelly, Conor McKenna or Cathal McShane to come in, Darragh Canavan too – there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic.”

FOUR-TIME Kerry All-Ireland winner Seán O’Sullivan believes that there is a fear in the Kingdom of what Tyrone can bring to Saturday’s delayed All-Ireland semi-final if their attack is let off the leash by joint-managers Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher.

O’Sullivan is well aware of the threat of the Red Hand county having started in All-Ireland Championship semi-final defeat in 2003, while he was also on the panel for the 2008 All-Ireland loss to Tyrone.

The Kingdom have readdressed the balance in recent years, but O’Sullivan feels that change in fortunes was due to an over cautious approach from former manager Mickey Harte. He wonders will Logan and Dooher take a different view at Croke Park.

“I think the biggest fear that we have as Kerry supporters is that Tyrone have exceptional forwards,” he said.

“We feared that one day Mickey might let them off the leash, but it didn’t really happen and they seem now to have moved a little bit away from Mickey’s tried and trusted defensive set-up.

“People will look at the Kerry defence and say that we are not the finished article and our fear is that if these Tyrone forwards are given the ammunition, given the licence (to attack), it could be a difficult day out.

“That never really happened under Mickey and now under the new management are they going to allow the forwards to attack more? I believe they will.

“Now they are still playing that system that if you’re slow on the ball, if you’re lethargic, take too much out of it, Tyrone will drop players back and make it very difficult for you.

“Conor McKenna is really leading the charge on that. He may wear number 15 or number 11 but he really sets the example there.

“It was very evident against Monaghan though that they are now not afraid to just let it fly if they turn you over.”

With links in both Antrim and Down, O’Sullivan – who was part of the Declan O’Sullivan’s Kerry u-20 management team this season – keeps a firm eyes on Ulster matters. He has been impressed with Tyrone’s progress this season.

“You’re always going to be keeping a close eye on Tyrone because they’re still one of the top five, six teams in the country.

“At the start of every championship season Tyrone are always mentioned as a front-runner.

“At the outset of the year, when you sat down and tried to predict your winners from the provinces, Kerry would have been the obvious one from Munster. Dublin, it goes without saying, would have been the number one pick in Leinster and Mayo would have been the favourites in Connacht.

“Ulster is the one where you have to do a little bit more research into and this year three or four teams were proper challengers.

“Tyrone got over Donegal in a tight enough affair playing really well and then met Monaghan and that was a game I felt they’d win. I thought they deserved to win it.

“People were saying it was a good, close game, and it was, but I thought Tyrone were much the better side.”

O’Sullivan has also been impressed – and surprised – by the form of Ulster final Man of the Match Mattie Donnelly.

“I didn’t think he had that performance still in him, and that’s not me being disrespectful or insulting,” he said.

“He had such a bad injury with his hamstring and I honestly thought his best days were behind him but obviously not, and I’m delighted to see that because Mattie is a good guy.

“Throw in Darren McCurry and Cathal McShane, if he is fit, and they’re not afraid to leave three inside and pump that ball in there and test defenders.

“If you have Donnelly and McShane in there and McCurry feeding for scraps, then that’s a very dangerous proposition.

“Over the last few years Kerry people would say ‘ah Tyrone have good forwards but they’re not been given the opportunity’ whereas now they have more faith to stay high up the field.”