Everyone has had their say. Hundreds have aired their views on a massively anticipated replay.
It’s been analyzed to death by now.
Match-ups, team selections, bench personnel – they all matter, as does appetite, hunger, desire, discipline intensity etc.
But the one thing Kerry must do above anything else is LEARN HOW TO WIN AGAIN.
As much as Kerry got right the last day, as well as they played, they must address the Kingdom’s very serious white line fever issue.
It’s now bordering on an epidemic.
This for me is the elephant in the room. It’s going back a number of years against the top teams in big games in Croke Park – in particular, against Dublin.
Kerry just simply implode in the last 10 minutes of every big game.
When victory is within their grasp, their game management and decision making down the home stretch has been pretty appalling.
Against Dublin alone, look at the last seven minutes in the 2011 final and when Kerry were four points up.
What followed was a horror show – self-inflicted footballing suicide that set this Dublin team on their way.
It was the same in the second half collapse in 2013 when they were one point up and in control with only three minutes to go, only to be thumped by seven points. Another shocking implosion.
The 2015 final was another choke effort when Dublin were very poor for most of that game.
Kerry’s decision making and shot selection at times during the last 15 minutes defied logic.
The 2016 semi-final against Dublin was something similar. Kerry were mentally brittle once again, making mistake after mistake, foul after foul.
More recently, in the league final against Mayo earlier this year, Kerry made some terrible schoolboy errors down the home stretch – particularly in bad turnovers when the pressure was on.
Then in the drawn game two weeks ago, Kerry turned over the ball 13 times in total but five times in the final 10 minutes.
That’s unacceptable.
They committed three wreckless challenges, giving away frees, and David Clifford dropped a vital shot short on the 62 minute mark to go two points up.
When Dublin went straight up to equalize from it that was the moment I knew Kerry wouldn’t win.
The most worrying thing was that Kerry didn’t get one shot at goal in the last 10 minutes. An incredible stat.
It’s a massive problem. It’s like Kerry people are afraid to talk about it, but this is a time bomb that Kerry can only defuse with a win today.
Dublin will improve a lot but the Kerry players can become national heroes this evening – there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind now that the miracle can become a reality .
Everything is set up to topple what is a truly magnificent bunch of men from Dublin managed by a brilliant manager, and that remains the case irrespective of what happens.
But to do so, Kerry must learn how to win again – to stop the rot going down the home strait on the big occasion.
Something tells me this bunch are ready to do that.
Conor should stay in same lane
Look at the difference it makes when a referee is fully impartial when Dublin play in a big final.
David Gough was equal to both sides. Dublin didn’t get all the big calls, like they have done in nearly every other final.
So it’s paramount that Conor Lane ensures he carries on the very fair job delivered by Gough two weeks ago.
Where the replay will be won and lost
1. The midfield warzone
Dublin were second best at midfield the last day by a fair distance and that fact won’t be easily altered.
Jack Barry will have come on a tonne. He has huge potential still and alongside the majestic David Moran, Brian Fenton and co still have it all to do.
I’d play James McCarthy at midfield instead of Michael Darragh Macauley.
It’s Dublin’s best pairing – his strength, raw power and pace is what they missed the last day in that area.
But I still think Kerry can achieve parity at least and give a decent platform for their dangerous forwards.
2. The Jack McCaffrey factor
He was head and shoulders the most influential player on the field the last day out.
McCaffrey’s speed is freakish, his skill set is incredible – to score 1-3 from play was awesome and Kerry failed miserably to solve the problem by leaving Gavin White on him for far too long.
The only player to really deal with him well was Paddy Durcan. I would stick Stephen O’Brien on him.
You put him on the back foot as well as doing a splendid man marking job on him – you must ask questions of McCaffrey, and O’Brien can do that.
3. Mannion/O’Callaghan v Clifford/Geaney
This quartet will decide the outcome.
Four of the best finishers in the game could only manage a total of 0-5 points between them last time out. All four will be disappointed with their performance.
But whichever pairings improves the most will decide who lifts Sam today.
Clifford - two points from six shots at goal not what you’d expect from this class act. Geaney - missed two clear goal chances and a bad wide cost Kerry dearly.
Mannion - two points from four shots and in particular a very poor second half before he was withdrawn.
O Callaghan - only got a total of one shot off and was very well marked by Tom O’Sullivan.
I expect fireworks. It just may be from the Kerry duo!
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