DARRAGH Ó SÉ WEEKLY COLUMN: DARRAGH O'SEsays the standard of fare in the Armagh-Derry game left a lot to be desired and both teams could learn a lot from the All-Ireland champions' more direct style

IT WASN’T easy to drive to Thurles on Sunday, to sit down and watch the boys and then to get up at the final whistle, pull the cap down and head to the car. A whole new experience. And as for watching the game while a stream of texts keeps coming in? When did that begin? Am I really so old that people weren’t texting all through a game when I began. Lads, lads does anybody actually watch the game anymore?

What made it easier was that I thought Kerry were very impressive. Great shape physically, strong and sharp. Tipp were always going to huff and puff for a while and make a go of it to a certain point but ultimately Kerry had more than they normally have so early in the year.

Being honest, Kerry expected to beat Tipperary but it was the fashion in which they won the game which pleased me. I often found if we were playing Tipp we would often tail off when we sensed we had done enough. On Sunday Kerry finished very strongly. They kept coming and playing good football. Impressive.

From Kerry’s point of view, Jack’s one fear will be injury. He has so many fellas hitting good form, short of one or two backs.

Tom O’Sullivan had a bad day at the office the last day but summer starts for Tom when he plays against Cork and I’d have no worries about him in there that day. Mike McCarthy is a freak of nature to come back so late and perform so well this early in the championship. A great boost for Kerry. From now on it’s a case of keeping everyone ticking over, resting fellas who start to look tired.

Tipp funnelled back but the beauty of the Kerry performance was that, when they had to, Kerry could kick from distance. In that way it reminded me of the All-Ireland final last year when Graham Canty began dropping off Tadhg Kennelly. Tadhg was able to throw two or three points over the bar from 40 metres which kept Canty honest. Blanket defence and dropping bodies behind the ball is all very well but if your man is out there slinging over points you are more inclined to push out on him again.

By contrast I thought the match in Celtic Park cried out for a bit of positive attacking thinking. It was a poor game. Plenty of men funnelled back. Not too many ideas about what to do about it.

Derry have good footballers, a midfield that is as good as what is in the country, a few very good forwards. And they are recycling everything? Passing it sideways? Why? Derry hardly kicked it at all. Armagh kicked the ball a little bit more and when they did it came off. They got the ball behind the Derry defence a couple of times. You could see the trouble coming when they did.

We talk about referees but to be fair when you look at the Derry game, they were going over and back, over and back with the ball in the middle-third of the pitch. The sending off of Eoin Bradley was probably going to come.

At that stage if I had been in that situation watching the ball being passed around inside the ‘45’ I would have had a cut myself just to stop the passing and get something moving.

Very often in that situation, when you are passing over and back like that, the referee will give the benefit of the doubt against you and to the other team – just hoping to kick-start the game again. Sometimes in that situation you are as well to kick a wide – it’s nearly as good as a score to remind people why they are on the pitch.

Derry had chances but they were too sluggish on the ball in the build-up. You have to get it out as fast as you can. Players and teams will still get bodies back but if you get the ball in faster and more accurately, the guys receiving it inside will do damage. The Daniel Gouldings, the Colm O’Neills, the form guys with quick hands and quick thinking, you get it to them and they can carve things open easily.

Armagh and Derry didn’t seem to trust themselves. Stevie McDonnell and Paddy Bradley can catch ball above their heads as well as anyone. You don’t have to have a Kieran Donaghy in there, most quality forwards have good timing, they can win ball if it goes in quick enough and fast enough.

The way the game has gone the last few years that is the key change. A lot of good 30- to 40-yard passes are being played the minute a player gets the ball. You are taking out the solo and the hop. The minute you get the ball you have your head up straight away and are looking to get it downfield.

Armagh realised that to some extent. Kerry did it all day. Derry and Tipp and Wicklow and Carlow struggled with it. Of the four you would expect Derry and Tipp to make the most progress when the qualifiers come around unless Wicklow get a run in Leinster.

It’s important for Tipp to build on what they have done and not to drop the heads. John Evans has done a pile of good work there. He was saying afterwards they haven’t thought about the back door, but realistically they probably have. To build on the league campaign (even though they were relegated, they got a few good results) they have to be involved late in the summer this year. They have to get over a couple of early rounds in the qualifiers.

It’s no good for them to be playing games down in Clonmel. They need to be playing games in venues like Thurles, the Gaelic Grounds etc. Big venues. And eventually a plum draw. They need a minimum of two wins under their belt. No reason why they can’t get them. They are big and awkward to play. They tend to foul a bit too much at the back which better teams will punish but they can work on that.

Derry are a little similar. Too slow in executing what they need to do. Too indirect. They will be desperate for a good run.

The contrast with Kerry must be worrying to Damian Cassidy. The pace of the Kerry attack and the pace of the ball they were kicking and the accuracy they were kicking it with were very impressive for this time of year.

For a team so long on the go I was impressed to by the freshness in Kerry’s style. Young Barry John Keane continues to impress. He’s been excellent every time I’ve seen him, confident in everything he does. He came in and brought some dash on Sunday. Darren O’Sullivan will come into his best form. Bryan Sheehan has kept himself very well over the winter. He looked in great shape. He is a huge addition to have.

When Donaghy and the Gooch are going well Kerry are a pleasure to watch. They know each other so well. Some of the scores Gooch got he came out very far for the ball. Instead of firing in potshots he would pinch it in 20 yards to Donaghy, peel off and take the ball back, having come 15 yards closer.

In the Derry game I noticed sometimes the boys weren’t inclined to pass the ball because they didn’t think they would get it back. There are no fears like that in the Kerry attack. Same with Cork. Both teams are in form and have good forwards. This is a year when it suits Kerry for Cork to be favourites. Cork won’t like being out there at such short odds. As such, I already think Cork v Kerry in Killarney will be the game of the championship and last Sunday set it up perfectly.

The refereeing business will settle down soon. We’ll come back to it again. I thought in Thurles, though, that David Coldrick played things as sensibly as he could. You could see early on that in relation to the handpass thing he wanted a very obvious one to make his point. He blew Donaghy early on and that was that.

You have to have sympathy for them. The GAA talks all the time about improving the game. I see no evidence of them doing that. Tell us where? The facts are that teams always gear themselves towards the known habits of the top half-dozen referees.

Pat McEnaney is probably the top man and Pat lets the game flow, lets fellas throw themselves around but doesn’t take nonsense. Don’t lift your arm to punch or your leg to kick etc. It’s Pat that produces good games, not the rule book. Meanwhile you have some referees who, as the famous uncle says, aren’t happy unless they get a Garda escort from the field at the end of the game.

Everybody comes to terms with those realities and then a sidewinder like last week’s gets thrown in. It’s not fair on the referees, they have enough to be looking out for. The GAA should move on, forget about it and concentrate on bigger issues.