David Moran will take over the captaincy from Donaghy on Sunday.
Advertisement
So this sets up what should be a cracking All Ireland Final and with Ticket prices now being sold for incredible kinds of money, you get the feeling that this one could really live up to everyone’s expectations.
Kerry have won 37 All-Ireland titles and could bring home number 38 on Monday, but there’s a shade more energy and goal in this Dublin side and they have the pace and ability to land decisive blows. Barney Rock, Bernard Brogan, Denis “Ogie” Moran and John McCarthy all played their parts back then and tomorrow, like their fathers did, they’ll watch their sons from the stands.
There were three sequences of play when they strung the guts of 70 passes together over a timeframe of over three minutes to suck the life out of the game and drain the energy from Mayo.
For the footballing purists out there it’s the two teams you want in the final as both are laced with fantastically gifted footballers and their natural instinct is to play the game the way it’s meant to be played.
It isn’t just Kerry and Dublin that have grabbed our attention ahead of the biggest day on the GAA calendar. Will Fitzmaurice do like he did previous year and keep the half backs in place and invite Dublin on?
Fitzmaurice has sprung the first surprise by dropping captain Kieran Donaghy [Picture: Inpho].
Still Brian Fenton has been in great form for Dublin at midfield, making more plays (32) than anyone else in the Mayo replay.
Kerry largely shut down Stephen Cluxton’s kickouts in 2011 and 2013 and they will force Cluxton to kick long, unlike Mayo on both days. Michael Dara Macauley has also found form at the right time.
It’s 15/8 for a penalty to be awarded and given the attacking nature of these teams, there is a strong chance that one may be given at some stage.
When it comes to All-Ireland finals, Kerry are always looking for an edge to fuel their tank and drive their machine forward. He was only able to get off two shots. Kerry’s defence will therefore need to up their physicality if they are not going to be exposed. And Kerry’s overall attack/shot ratio was far more efficient when Kerry were trying to probe their way around a massed defence, as opposed to trying to bomb their way through it with Donaghy.
On the Dublin front, the big news is that Cian O’Sullivan has been named to start at centre back.
For me this is the key area, especially if Cian O’Sullivan doesn’t start because Kerry have a great line in Stephen O’Brien, Donnchadh Walsh and Johnny Buckley. With Diarmuid Connolly, Paul Flynn and Ciarán Kilkenny likely to be selected, Dublin will have no shortage of ball carriers.
Advertisement
“There is something special about Dublin-Kerry, the Hill 16 factor and so on”.
