Remarkably, Tyrone and Kerry did not lock horns in the championship arena until the 1986 All-Ireland final. They have since met eight times in the GAA's showpiece competition. Overall, Kerry lead 5-4 and won the last encounter convincingly, beating the Red Hands 2-18 to 0-12 in the 2023 quarter-finals.

All four of Tyrone’s All-Ireland titles involved victories over Kerry with semi-final wins in 2003 and 2021 and in the memorable finals of 2005 and 2008. Tyrone are also a rising force having won three All-Ireland U20 titles in the last four years while, just last weekend, their minors beat Kerry in the All-Ireland final.

One of the big rivalries from the noughties gets another outing today as Kerry and Tyrone go head-to-head for a place in football’s showpiece.