Eugene McKenna played in the 1986 All-Ireland SFC final against Kerry but finished second. In 1995 he co-managed the O'Neill County as they fell to Dublin in the decider. However he reckons that he's travelling to Croke Park for this year's decider to see his native county triumph. Former Tyrone captain and joint team-manager Eugene McKenna scoffs at any suggestion that the fatigue factor will scupper the chances of Mickey Harte's men recapturing the Sam Maguire Cup this month. Instead, the O'Neill County legend reckons that Harte and co. couldn't have mapped out a better run to the national decider if they had sat down at the start of 2005 and had an architect plan their route to the All-Ireland SFC final! "Honestly they couldn't have arranged it any better. Even the draws that they had came at the right times and while maybe one match might have come around a wee bit quickly, all those matches kept them sharp, in a competitive frame of mind and really on their toes. A lot of those matches were tight affairs but they were all ten times better than any number of training sessions." The Augher clubman believes that Kerry's much more direct path to next Sunday's fascinating final may, in contrast, work against them such was the ease with which they progressed out of Munster before re-emphasing their mastery over Cork. "Some people talk about burn out but come the final, it'll be three weeks since their semi-final and that's an ideal length of time in which to prepare for Kerry; one week to recover, one week to work quite hard and then the last week to taper things off." For the former star attacker turned county mentor, this year's All-Ireland title is destined to go Tyrone's way, he fancies. The script ordains it, he suggests. "I think everything's set up for a Tyrone victory. The team has shown a great appetite all year; all the matches have been keeping them on an even keel and it'd be great if they could see the last chapter of the story out with a convincing victory in the final." Eugene believes Tyrone will be good enough to overcome the Kingdom but he's not prepared to say that his native county will definitely prevail. How does he rate the current Kerry team? "I was away for a part of the Summer and, to be honest, didn't see an awful lot of them. But what I did see, impressed me. The Kerry-Cork semi-final was one match I did see but it was really a case of no-contest." Eugene rates Kerry very highly but isn't sure whether they've been made to look even better than they actually are this year by ineffectual opponents. He can't make up his mind, in that regard, as to whether Kerry were really good against Cork or if Billy Morgan's men were just so bad? "That's the 64,000 dollar question. "Cork were very disappointing on the day but I thought they were naieve in many aspects of their play and Kerry had very little trouble in hitting them on the break." Interestingly, Eugene strongly believes that the team that gets out of the blocks and is able to put some clear water between themselves and their opponents may very well go on and take the title. His view is that both teams are probably the best in the business at inviting teams onto them before springing forward and punishing them in clinical fashion. Both sides are at their best, he opines, when they're in front and able to take a glance over the shoulders from a position of strength. "If either team manages to build up a useful cushioned lead early on, they will then have the luxury of being able to defend in numbers and, given the opportunity, to raid forward and pick of the scores that will keep their lead in tact. "I think both teams are much more potent when they're hitting on the break so it'll be very interesting to see what way the game pans out in that respect. "Having said all that, I can't see either team managing to build up any sort of sizeable lead at any stage of the match." The much decorated Ulster SFC medallist says he was unaware that Kerry team-manager had proffered the view that the upcoming final would present an intriguing contrast in styles between 'southern' football and that supposedly brandished up north. Eugene says such a view must have been uttered while he was enjoying his Summer holidays. "I don't know if there's any or much difference in the style of play. "Both teams like to funnel back when not in possession and each and every player is comfortable on the ball so that the driving force behind any moves forward can come from anywhere. Similarly, all the forwards on both teams are well capable of tracking back and becoming an extra defender which means that I'm not so sure the play will be as open or as free-flowing as we would hope or like." Joint-manager of the Tyrone team - along with Art McRory - that came oh so close to beating Dublin the 1995 All-Ireland SFC final, Eugene says he noted with interest the penchant for referees in recent championship matches to give the player in possession the benefit of the doubt when surrounded by maybe three or four players. "I noticed Paddy Russell blew up for the player in possession but I don't know if that was the result of a new directive from Croke Park or just his own decision. "Either way, I think that's a positive type of decision and one that is good for football, especially if it's made on a consistent basis. "The referee's performance in the final will again be very important." Football is a changed game since Eugene was in his element with Tyrone and Ulster back in the late 'seventies and 'eighties. In what specific ways has the game changed in the way it is played at the highest level these days compared to, for instance, in 1986 when Eugene featured on the Tyrone team beaten by Kerry in the All-Ireland SFC final? "The whole thing now is to keep possession and to take absolutely no risk with the ball until it is worked into a scoring position. "It was interesting to see that in the last game against Armagh in particular, they (Armagh) won a far higher percentage of the possession from the kick-outs but Tyrone did better work with the ball when they got it. "Tyrone were more clinical, more efficient. I think back in the 'eighties, a lot more passes were kicked but most team's defenders weren't as comfortable on the ball as fellas nowadays. "Players now are better at retaining possession while every forward these days needs to be able to shoot with both feet because defenders now don't give you as much time on the ball. "Inevitably when a forward beats his man, another defender is quickly at hand to try and stop him from getting in his shot or pass." It's obvious that Eugene has the height of respect for the current Tyrone squad and he quips that if the likes of Canavan, Mulligan and O'Neill had been around in '86, he wouldn't have made the Tyrone team which took on Kerry! He reckons that the creme de la creme of the current O'Neill county squad are "so much stronger and more skilful than we were years ago." At the helm with Tyrone in 1993/94/95 and again in 2000, Eugene believes that Tyrone's pedigree at underage level in modern terms sowed the seeds for their latter day success at senior level. He reckons that the players who will line out against Kerry in the upcoming national final have the necessary experience at all levels to ensure that they don't allow the tension of the occasion to hamstring their efforts to regain the Sam Maguire Cup. "They'll experience a degree or two more nerves because of the pre-match formalities but nowadays players go very little time without getting a touch of ball and each player will settle down in a matter of a few minutes which will allow them give of their best." Eugene expects Kerry to be super confident going into the match. Kerry teams have always had an almost arrogant, cocky swagger about them in Croke Park, he avers. "They'll be a robust team and won't be pushed around though," McKenna adds. And will they be good enough to defeat Ulster's finest? " I would have a bit of concern about our full-back line, especially if Kerry can get the ball in quickly to their full-forwards. "At the other end of the field, I suspect that the Kerry defenders, individually, are as good as what Armagh have but maybe collectively the Kerry defenders will be found wanting." Tyrone to win then? "I think so. "But I feel that they'll need Peter Canavan on board to do so. "If he's fit, I think he should start because even if he doesn't get on the ball, the amount of attraction he attracts provides room for his colleagues to do damage." Tweet

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