All Ireland Football Final Preview

By Denis O'Brien

Old Munster foes Kerry and Cork get set to do battle once more on Sunday but this time it will be on the larger stage of an All Ireland Football Final at Croke Park. Probably no two teams in the country know each other as well as these two as they have offered up some great battles in Munster and in the All Ireland series in the last couple of years and over the past number of decades.

Often in Munster competition, Cork have been able to handle the Kingdom but when it comes to playing their rivals in Croke Park, the Rebel's have largely fallen short.

They last met in the final two years ago with Kerry emphatic 10 point winners. Back then Kerry were the more assured and fully deserved their victory.

They would meet again the following year at the semi-final stage and after it looked that Kerry were coasting, Cork under new manager Conor Counihan, battled back to force a reply which the Kingdom eventually won.

After Kerry lost their crown to Tyrone in the final, Jack O' Conner the winning manager of the two previous seasons, returned to steer the Kingdom in the hope of winning a 36th All Ireland title.

However, things didn't go so smoothly for the Kingdom in the early part of summer thanks in large part to the team they face on Sunday.

Kerry met Cork in the Munster semi-final and looked like a beaten team until they managed to find form late in the game and force a replay. The Rebel's had shown plenty of spark in the opener and they made no mistake in the replay when running out deserving eight point winners.

In the series, the Cork attack looked good with Pierce O'Neill, Daniel Goulding and Paul Kerrigan a constant threat. Cork's defense led by Mark Shields, Anthony Lynch and Graeme Canty never gave the likes of Colm Cooper and Tommy Walsh any room to maneuver.

Missing from the Kerry attack in both those games was injured ace full forward, Kieran Donaghy and his presence would have helped.

After that game, Kerry struggled throughout the qualifiers. They looked rudderless without Donaghy upfront while their defense particularly their full back and center back positions became problem areas. Donaghy is doubtful for Sunday.

Tommy Griffen a midfielder by trade, after first being used at center back with Aidan O'Mahoney out of sorts, was then moved to full back and he seems to have steadied matters since in that area. He looked very assured when Kerry's form returned when handing a walloping to Dublin in the All Ireland quarterfinal. In the meantime, Mike McCarty was lured out of retirement to shore up the vacant center back spot and he has given a much needed physical presence since to that position.

Kerry's forwards Colm Cooper, Paul Galvin and Declan O'Sullivan played well against Dublin with Darren O'Sullivan particularly impressive. In the semi-final against Meath the wet conditions may not have helped Kerry's attack but still they did enough to see off a limited Meath side.

Tadgh Kennelly who returned from Ozzie football to play with Kerry this year looked good against Dublin and also played well against Meath in the center forward spot. His battle with Canty at center back could decide the match.

Cork meanwhile have been flying since last beating Kerry in that Munster semi-final replay. Though a lively Limerick made it interesting in the provincial final, Cork were always in control of the game. They pushed on from there with a superb performance when hammering Donegal by 14 points in the quarter-final. That day their forwards were on song as was their efficient attacking backline of John Miskella and Canty, and, an impressive performance returned a remarkable 1-27 on the scoreboard.

Despite being down to fourteen men, Cork proved too strong for champions Tyrone in the semi-final. They rose to the challenge and it's not every team that can put Tyrone away especially in Croke Park.

Cork played with tremendous spirit that day; they completely snuffed out a dangerous Tyrone attack while their forwards were full of running and invention. Daniel Goulding and Paul Kerrigan in attack have really impressed this summer and if Kerry are to win on Sunday they will have to curb their influence.

The midfield battle as ever will be crucial and Cork may have the edge here as Nicholas Murphy and Alan O'Conner have been going well while Kerry's Daragh Ó Sé and Seamus Scanlon have been hit-and-miss.

Cork have looked the team to beat all summer long. They showed their ability when ousting Kerry in Munster, however, the Kingdom since reshaping their defense and arriving in Croke Park have looked as if they have rediscovered their old form.

Cork have the players to beat Kerry, yet you can never rule out the Kingdom on All Ireland Final day as they seem to be able to find that extra gear.

Will it be enough this time though?

Maybe not.