To a lot of people the only Sundays in September that matter are the first and third when the All Ireland Hurling and Gaelic Football Finals are played. Two weeks ago in the hurling final Kilkenny edged Tipperary by 4 points although despite the low margin it seemed like there was a wider gap in the game. Kilkenny put in one of the best performances in recent times to inflict revenge on a young and hungry Tipperary team who are an odds on bet to dominate for a few years (although Kilkenny will have something to say about that!).
This Sunday is the turn of the footballers when Kerry and Dublin meet in a mouth watering clash. When Kerry met Cork in the Munster Final this year, the game was that high of a calibre that everyone thought the All Ireland Final would be a repeat of this. However this year was a refreshing year in which the backdoor system saw all provincial winners make the semi finals and personally I think this is the way it should be. Connacht champions Mayo put an end to Corks challenge of 2 in a row. At this stage Dublin put on one of the best displays of fluent attacking football combined with a massive work ethic to beat a Tyrone team that many had tipped as this years surprise package. Kerry won their quarter final by 13 points against Limerick but didn't really get out of second or third gear and with these performances everyone seen the two teams that should make the final and this is what happened.
There is a lot of history between these teams and if asked at the start of the year I am sure a lot of people would have picked this as their dream final. Both teams have a high work ethic and great forward lines. Dublin can be a little defensive at times and with this then they try to break quick. Kerry on the other hand play their usual brand of attractive and somewhat traditional football with their long kick passing game. This will be an interesting clash of styles and I am expecting a very fast paced game.
When these teams last met in the Championship in the 2009 Quarter Final everyone heavily tipped Dublin due to the form there were in. However a relentless Kerry turned up that day and won the game by a massive margin of 17 points. Dublin have been known over the years to crack under pressure, they are like the England nation soccer team in that every year the media exert huge expectations onto them. However this year has not been as bad as previous years and I believe this is one of the reasons Dublin have reached the final this year. Despite throwing away a massive lead against Cork and losing the League final this year there is a steely determination and self belief in this crop of players that has not been there in recent years. This was epitomised in their semi final win with 14 men against a very defensive Donegal team.
The problem Dublin faces is that Kerry have a habit of starting games at an electric pace and blowing teams away early. If this is the case on Sunday it won't be long before the massive Dublin support get on their players backs and then they might crack under the huge pressure. So it is imperative that Dublin make a good start not just for themselves but for the neutrals watching as well as we want a close nail biting game.
Kerry have the best forward line in the country. Their six forwards all compliment each other with their skill, work ethic and passing and running games. If one or two forwards don't play well the others step up to the mark. This can not be said about Dublin. If the Brogans have a bad game I can't see any of the other forwards stepping to the plate. Diarmuid Connolly did against Tyrone but in every other game he has been quiet.
With all this I will go with the bookies and tip Kerry to win yet another All Ireland title. There is nothing more they would like than to beat Dublin in an All Ireland Final in Dublin's back yard. I think they will have too much fire power for the Dublin back line to handle and if they curb the threat of the Brogan brothers I believe they could win this game by a bigger margin than a lot of people would expect, especially if they make one of their blistering starts. If Dublin succeed in getting enough men behind the ball and stop Kerry's running game (which consists of short passing to the half way line and then long balls in front of their forward line) then I think Kerry will go to plan B and put the ball on top of Donaghy and get the forwards to play of him. Donaghy is due a big game this year and there is no better time than the All Ireland Final.
Finally, I am going to put my neck on the line and pick Kerry by 5 points or more with Kieran Donaghy receiving the man of the match award. If this happens don't worry I won't say I told you so!!
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