Kingdom have form and incentive required

IT’S historic and probably unique in terms of a local derby at Croke Park in an All-Ireland context.

Yet, tomorrow’s clash of Cork and Kerry in the Bank of Ireland football championship semi-final is so attractive because of the questions it poses in relation to the contrasting performances in their two earlier meetings in the Munster semi-final and their respective form now.

There’s absolutely no doubt about the fact that the presence of team captain Darragh Ó Sé is critical to Kerry’s prospects of winning at their third attempt. He is playing arguably the best football of his career and while I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest that Kerry could not hope to win without him, it would be improbable. Equally, from a Cork perspective, it would be a massive blow to have to line out with Colin Corkery. Notwithstanding the fact that he is also their captain, he has been just as inspirational.

It was never a certainty that the teams would end up meeting each other again, but it was assumed (incorrectly as it turned out) that Cork would beat Tipperary in the Munster final. They did, in a replay, clearly after underestimating the opposition initially.

Anybody who has monitored Kerry’s campaign will appreciate that significant progress has been made. The return of Donal Daly, the most reliable of Darragh Ó Sé’s midfield partners has helped restore the balance of the team. Additionally, it has obviated the need (as in the Killarney game) to take Seamus Moynihan out of full-back when there was a need to shore up midfield. That in turn has helped to stabilise the defence, even though in each of the last two games the management had to move Tomas Ó Sé into the centre.

Sean O’Sullivan has proved an interesting addition to the half-forward line. And while it’s surprising that an in-form Aodhan MacGearailt has been unable to command a regular place, it’s clear that the management are staying loyal to the players who have brought them this far. John Crowley, outstanding last year, hasn’t been able to get back his place either. His form suffered when early season injuries caused him to miss out on a lot of the training. However, Paidi Ó Sé believes he has turned the corner and expects him to play a role tomorrow.

It would be accepted that the Kerry half-forward line as a unit is much stronger, with Liam Hassett’s experience proving important and Eoin Brosnan playing more confidently. However, the real plus has been the form of young Colin Cooper, whom Mick O’Dwyer has predicted can be as good as Mikey Sheehy. Dara O Cinneide is in good form and Mike Frank Russell will always pose a threat.

It would have been hard at the start of the year to envisage Ciaran O’Sullivan operating at full-back, because he is so much more suited to an outfield role, ideally as an attacking wing-back. But he has settled into the position extremely well and has been performing a vital role all through. It could be argued that overall, the team has also achieved a steady improvement, with Joe Kavanagh for instance, more than justifying his recall at centre-forward and Brendan Jer O’Sullivan having blossomed as a half-forward, who not only puts in a tremendous work-rate but has also been a prolific scorer. Like midfielder Graham Canty, who has come a long way since the day in Killarney, it would appear that the experience with the Irish team in Australia last year has really benefited him.

Colin Corkery of course, remains the key member of the team and his duel with Moynihan has the potential to heavily influence the outcome. And while there is a tendency to suggest that the outcome of the midfield exchanges could be most crucial of all, it’s obvious that what happens in the opposing half-back lines will also be vital.

Based on the way Kerry has developed this season, I believe they are much better equipped to win - and I expect them to triumph. They have the form and the incentive and there can be no excuses this time.