RTÉ Sport analyst Peter Canavan has warned that Kerry must avoid falling into the same trap that Tyrone did during their hugely unsuccessful Sam Maguire defence in 2022.
The Red Hands had a mediocre league campaign last year with their Division 1 safety not assured ahead of their final round game against the Kingdom.
They won that fixture and were expected to be a much stronger force in the championship, but they had their hands easily prised off the cup following heavy defeats to Derry and Armagh, after opening up with an Ulster preliminary round win over Fermanagh.
Kerry are tracking Tyrone's 2022 campaign with their first five league games resulting in just four points - Tyrone had three at that stage - and Canavan said that there’s no guarantee that everything will sort itself out in time for the summer after their latest defeat to the Red Hands in Omagh on Sunday.
"It’s a difficult one because a lot of people will be saying that they’ve got time on their hands," Canavan told 2FM’s Game On.
"[They’ll say] they’ll get to the Munster final and there’s a good chance they’ll win Munster so they’ll be seeded number one in their group for the round robin and that’s when the real Kerry will stand up.
"The danger is a wee bit like Tyrone last year. After they won it, everyone was saying exactly the same thing – they have plenty of time and it’ll come. It didn’t.
"I still believe that the quality is there, they have another couple of players to get back into the fold and it is the start of March after all.
"I know Jack O’Connor was concerned, he wasn’t that happy with how the game panned out. Of course he sets his team out to win – maybe a wee bit disappointed that he’s not getting more out of the fringe players... but I certainly wouldn't be writing them off, definitely not."
The league may not be a priority for Kerry, but Ciarán Whelan isn't writing the Kingdom off after their loss to Tyrone. #AllianzLeagues #allianzleaguesunday #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/KkOwsmbO71
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) March 5, 2023
Tyrone’s three-point win at the weekend was their fourth in five games against the Kingdom, and it seems the sight of the green and gold jersey is enough to light the fire inside them.
Canavan, however, feels that the Kerry factor was overstated and that their dire situation pre-match was the real accelerant to their improvement.
"I think some people are maybe overplaying the Kerry side of it, the Kerry element.
"The bottom line was Tyrone were bottom of Division 1 and regardless of who they were playing yesterday, it was a home game and it was imperative that Tyrone came out of there with two points.
"The fact that it was Kerry, All-Ireland champions, and Tyrone have been on the receiving end to a few drubbings from Kerry, if you’re not to the pitch of the game, if every player isn’t playing close to their true potential, then Tyrone were going to be in trouble.
"I think that was why we got a response from so many Tyrone players. They were animated yesterday like they weren't in any other game. It gave you an idea of how important it was.
"We’re a proud county and we don’t want to end up being relegated. I’m not saying we’re out of the woods yet but if we had lost yesterday I think we were as good as relegated."
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