Kerry 1-20 Tyrone 0-17: ‘It got away from us’ – Malachy O’Rourke on Red Hands’ All-Ireland exit

Defeat brings the curtain down on O’Rourke’s first year in charge of Tyrone.

He led Monaghan to two Ulster titles and Glen to an All-Ireland Club triumph, and while there were no trophies for the Red Hands in 2025, he says he “will take a lot of positives” out of his first championship after returning to inter-county management.

“We’ve had four championship victories. We went to Ballybofey and won [against Donegal] and beat Dublin in Croke Park, and the boys have put a lot of effort in and we have improved.

“To get into the last four you’re going to be playing the top teams and Kerry are one of the top teams, so any weaknesses you have will be exposed than in the other games.

“There’s been a lot of positives but a game like that shows the level you have to get to if you want to be challenging for the top honours and that’s what we’ll learn from today.”

O’Rourke added that there has been “no talk” of retirements yet among the more experienced members of his panel.

“I would love that they would be there to help guide [the younger players],” he said.

“There’s a big vacuum there between under-20s and senior and it’s a big gap, it just doesn’t happen overnight. It’s not just a case of people stepping up, there’s a lot of work to be done and there’s a big transition to be made.

“The more experienced players that are about to guide them, so much the better.”