How Kerry or Donegal could win or lose the All-Ireland final

Irish Times

3 days ago

Most of the attention this summer has been on two-pointers – on which counties are scoring them and which counties are not even attempting them. However, a key aspect of the attacking play of both finalists is that they haven't forgotten the score that produces the most impact.
Galway were the most prolific in raising green flags this Championship campaign, with 17 across eight games (2.13 goals per game), but
Kerry
are just behind them with 15 in eight games (1.88 goals per game).
Donegal
are no slouches themselves, third overall for total goals, with 13. That figure is aided by the amount of games they've played, but they are still fifth in goals per game, scoring 1.3.
The counties have come across their goals by very different means. Kerry have scored 15 goals and it will be no surprise to anyone that
David Clifford
has amassed more than half that tally, with eight goals. A concern for the Kingdom is that Clifford is the only man to raise a green flag since May.
A guide to each Kerry championship goal in 2025, with seven goalscorers.
There are two aspects that really stick out in Kerry's overall style of play this summer.
Against Armagh, Kerry were lauded for their kickout defence
as they shut down Ethan Rafferty. Before this, they ruthlessly capitalised on Roscommon's kickout, sourcing three goals directly from winning the midfield battle. The two high kickouts won on the map below show the effectiveness of their press, while they also profit well from breaking balls out the field, thanks to the battling abilities of Joe O'Connor.
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Kerry's have scored two goals from short opposition kickouts, while Donegal focus more on their own restart, with Patton sending the ball long
Kerry's structured unit has been executed perfectly to profit off opposition kickouts this year. It's been one of their biggest strengths, no doubt helped by the addition of Cian O'Neill to Jack O'Connor's backroom team.
Roscommon's kickout goes to an isolated player, who is already surrounded by Kerry players looking to intercept
David Clifford has been their go-to man since his intercounty arrival and he is the focal point of the Kerry attack more than ever this year. He has scored a total of 8-53 this summer. With such a potent inside forward, the Kerry game plan is often about getting the ball in there rapidly.
Clifford cuts out a kickout against Cork and scores a goal directly from the high press
Some of Kerry's goals really emphasise their kick passing skills. Seán O'Shea delivered a well executed sideline ball into Clifford for the first goal against Cavan. There was a lot left for the Fossa man to do as he won the ball on the 20m line, but he broke the tackle and drove hard along the endline before firing into the back of net. 'Get the ball in, it's one on one' seems to be the tactic with Clifford.
Still plenty of work for Clifford to do, but the early ball in affords him the space to create the goal
The opening goal against Clare was even more direct. Tony Brosnan measured a perfect ball into Clifford from around 65m out, spinning the ball right to the corner-forward, who found the net. The second goal that day was also via a direct ball, with Tom O'Sullivan getting his head up to survey the inside options and feeding the ball inside.
Brosnan gets his head up early to find Clifford for Kerry's opening goal in the Munster final
Kerry have utilised the kick pass 19 times in the build-up to their goals. This is in stark contrast to Donegal, who only kicked the ball 10 times in the build up to theirs. One of these was a square pass from Oisín Gallen to Conor O'Donnell inside the 13m line against Meath.
Donegal are effectively kicking the ball half as often as Kerry, with only one of these passes being an aggressive forward kick pass, via Ryan McHugh. This emphasises how much of a 'through-the-hands' team they are.
This aspect of their play is the real hallmark of
Jim McGuinness
's outfit, who are able to give and receive hand passes at full pace going forward. This skill execution at full pace is only an aspect of their style though, as hard running and finishing out support runs is key to it all working.
Shaun Patton's huge kickout and Donegal's willing runners open up space in the scoring zone against Down
Donegal players from all parts of the field run hard during quick attacks, getting ahead of the ball and stretching opposition defences considerably. This is likely to be a key battleground in Sunday's encounter. Kerry have a sturdy central channel but they haven't met the 'sprint repeatability' that Donegal possess through the central channels.
The key to making Patton's kickouts even more successful is runners sprinting ahead of the ball straight away
While Donegal play the ball through the hands a lot, they also have the weapon of Shaun Patton, with unmatched length and trajectory to his kickouts. Kerry dealt well with Niall Morgan's kickouts in the semi-final, but he doesn't have the range of Patton, nor do the Red Hand men have co-ordinated runners off the long kickout like Donegal.
Patton's kickout exceeds Morgan's, flying well into the opposition half, where Donegal back that up with support runners
Kerry have done really well from their kickout press, but they must be wary as Donegal typically favour either short or long kickouts. Kerry will have to adapt their defensive structure on these restarts, which could mean that mid-range gaps may materialise for Patton.
If Kerry push up to stop short kickouts, then the kickout could go over their heads and leave them defending facing their own goal and unstructured, like Meath
It is hard to play against Donegal considering their strength is their lack of reliance on any individual. This is shown below in the variety of goalscorers they've had and also the men providing assists.
Donegal's style of play means that they are not reliant on any one player for goals
Everyone is expected to be able to carry out the basics – run, carry and handpass – at both ends of the field. There is a rapid pace to their attacks, with Donegal possession in the build-up to goals lasting just 20 seconds on average, compared with Kerry's 27 seconds.
While goals are only a small aspect of the play, they highlight three broader strengths of the finalists:
Donegal
1 –
The weapon of Shaun Patton's long kickouts.
2 –
Players finishing out their runs to create gaps and stretch opposition defences.
3 –
Lack of reliance on any individual to score, with trust in the unit.
Kerry
1 –
Sticking to traditional values of aggressive kick passing to the inside forward line (something that hasn't been as prevalent as expected with the new rules)
2 –
Defensive kickout press, which is even more important for stronger teams than their own kickout.
3 –
The brilliance of David Clifford, with the other players knowing this and feeding him ball.