Kerry carry weight of history into All-Ireland final clash with fearless Donegal
Not even one is good enough and that's why the bulk of their current team have to get their hands on a second Celtic Cross.
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David Clifford and Kerry carry the weight of history into All-Ireland final clash vs Donegal on Sunday
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Michael Murphy and Donegal will be looking to win their first All-Ireland since 2012
There is massive expectation down there — they went all the way in 2022 but Dublin took
The expectation is massive for
Of course,
But it doesn't always happen that way when you get there.
We saw it in the hurling final last week when Cork totally collapsed in the second half, and I know all about it.
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My Meath side hammered Kerry 2-14 to 0-5 in the 2001 All-Ireland semi-final.
And Donegal did something similar to Meath two weeks ago.
But I can say from experience, it's not good going into a final where you feel you're nearly invincible.
I know beating that Kerry team of 24 years ago and beating the current Meath side are different things, but we definitely went into the 2001 final in the wrong frame of mind.
We didn't have the attitude we probably should have had and we paid the price against Galway.
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They taught us a real lesson and won by nine, so you probably want to be tested a bit coming into the biggest day.
It's an All-Ireland final — the last game of the season — and you want to put in your best display.
Kerry and Donegal battle for Sam Maguire in GAA All-Ireland football final
That doesn't happen for everybody, the Cork hurlers know it and no one knows more about it than me.
Coming into the 1996 All-Ireland final against Mayo, I was having a brilliant season.
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I was named man of the match three times that summer and probably had one of my best games in a Meath jersey against Tyrone in the semi-final when I scored 1-4.
It's 70 minutes but when you're out there, it goes by in a flash and can so easily pass you by.
I listened to a lot of the hype about myself, I was in line for Footballer of the Year and different stuff.
But when it came to the crunch, it was a disastrous two finals personally.
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I got a point in the drawn game and didn't score in the replay.
Thankfully, we won but I was so disappointed in my performances.
If you feel the time has run away and you're chasing the game, it's very hard to get it back and that's when you make mistakes.
That's why with all the pressure on David Clifford, I want to see him playing well today.
He got 1-9 against Tyrone in the semi-final and has scored 8-53 in eight Championship games this season.
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Those numbers are off the charts and every neutral wants to see him perform again today.
If he doesn't, Donegal have a massive chance of winning just the third All-Ireland in the county's history.
Jim McGuinness will have something up his sleeve to try to stop Clifford, or at least limit the damage, but what that will be is anyone's guess.
Brendan McCole is one of the best man-markers around but Clifford can mock the best of them.
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He took Tyrone's Pádraig Hampsey to the cleaners but Donegal definitely won't let that happen and will have a plan to shut down the Kerry attack.
Those around David Clifford haven't got a lot of the credit they deserve.
His brother Paudie is such a fine playmaker and we all know what Seán O'Shea can do — he's kicked 11 two-pointers in this Championship, having missed games through injury too.
They could have beaten Tyrone by a lot more had they taken their chances and I think Paul Geaney can have a massive influence off the bench.
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He was playing the best football of his career until he suffered concussion and a shoulder injury in the group-stage win over Cork.
But he hasn't featured since, missing the defeat to Meath, after which the vultures started to circle in Kerry.
But that 1-22 to 0-16 loss was the kick in the backside they needed.
They were waiting in the long grass and had not been tested at all up until then, but that defeat kick-started their season.
They regrouped and took out Cavan with ease before dethroning Armagh with a masterful display and cruising past Tyrone, setting up a clash with a fourth Ulster team in a row in today's final.
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MURPHY'S MOMENT?
But what Kerry have in Clifford and his sidekicks, Donegal have in Michael Murphy.
To hit the form he has after two years in retirement has been phenomenal and it's hard not to think Donegal would have beaten Galway in their semi-final last year if he was there.
When they're in trouble, he pulls them out of it. The man is a 35-year-old playing like he's 25.
He got a bang two weeks ago but the word is he's OK — and every Donegal person will be praying that he is.
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At the same time, Oisín Gallen, Conor O'Donnell, Shane O'Donnell and Ciarán Thompson are all flying in their firing line as well and they had 12 different scorers against Meath.
But the midfield battle will be key. We can talk about Clifford versus Murphy all we want, but Joe O'Connor's showdown with Michael Langan will be every bit as important.
Kerry's midfield has been Jack O'Connor's problem child since Jack Barry went travelling and David Moran retired, but his namesake Joe has been incredible and has solved the puzzle.
Named at No 10 again today, he will be everywhere.
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Langan has been equally impressive for Donegal and the attacking threat he brings is so dangerous considering he's chipped in with 1-25.
Both teams have shown during the season that they can perform under pressure and there is that calmness about them when they get into sticky situations.
O'Connor and McGuinness are two cool customers on the line and seem to make the right decisions when they need to.
It's the final everybody wanted to see between the best teams, as far as I'm concerned.
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It's a toss of a coin really but for me, the Clifford factor is probably just swaying me on the Kerry side. If he gets going, there's not a man in the country that'll stop him.
It's a massive occasion for both teams and I'm just slightly on the side of Kerry. I've stuck with them from the start
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