Don't underestimate Kerry hunger

FIRST things first. In the absence of Darragh Ó Sé and with Seamus Moynihan not being fit enough to start, Kerry's task against Mayo in tomorrow's All-Ireland football decider will be considerably more difficult.

However, nobody is suggesting that it will be impossible.

And being in a position to call on Moynihan leaves the management in a stronger position than they were after Ó Sé was injured in the semi-final against Derry.

Kerry's qualification was not unexpected, given the form they displayed in the concluding rounds of the League and the quality of their play in the final. But Mayo's name wouldn't have been on the lips of too many pundits early in the year, only that John Maughan saw signs of fatigue in their play before they took on Galway in the Connacht semi-final, who were confidently expected to beat them.

Looking at the campaign overall, Fermanagh and Westmeath, in that order, were the two big success stories. Armagh gave what would be regarded as the best display of all in the Ulster final, except they couldn't repeat that form against Fermanagh.

Tyrone, meanwhile, never quite reached the highs of last season - for a variety of reasons - and among the other contenders, Limerick were arguably the unluckiest of all not to make it to Croke Park.

Of the six games Kerry played, the toughest were the two they got from Liam Kearns' team, in the draw at the Gaelic Grounds - where Darragh Ó Sé saved Kerry at the finish - and in the replay in Fitzgerald Stadium, where late first-half goals from Mike Frank Russell (penalty) and Eoin Brosnan prevented Limerick from forging a deserved victory.

Mayo, meanwhile, got their biggest scare from Fermanagh in the drawn All-Ireland semi-final, with Maughan admitting his team was lucky to make the final. But no team can hope to be successful without the element of luck. Páidí Ó Sé will tell you Westmeath enjoyed the rub of the relic in all of their games in Leinster. In sharp contrast, Jack O'Connor and his co-selectors have contended with a variety of problems, the worst of which sees them denied the services of the county's best midfielder since Jack O'Shea.

Measuring the seriousness of Darragh Ó Sé's loss against what Eoin Brosnan has to offer as William Kirby's partner may worry Kerry fans. The perception is it's a weak partnership, but I would be very surprised to see them over-shadowed - even against a player of Ronan McGarrity's quality.

Hunger is the buzzword used these days to describe the way teams approach big games. Theoretically, Kerry could not hope to match Mayo in this regard, but that would be to underestimate the impact of the last three Kerry defeats in Croke Park.

And if there was any lesson be learned from Cork's victory in the hurling final, their hurt in defeat last season was a powerful motivation.

The calm and confident manner in which Mayo have progressed since beating New York in Gaelic Park (on the same day that Kerry won the League final) indicates they are at least as strongly placed to win as they were against Meath in 1996.

Kieran McDonald's role will be crucial - and he will test the defensive qualities of Eamonn Fitzmaurice over the 70 minutes. But he is not capable of winning the match on his own. He can only provide the service for the inside players. The rest will be up to the likes of the Mortimers, and the way the Kerry full-back trio stand up to the challenge.

One of many interesting Kerry statistics is that Michael McCarthy and Tom O'Sullivan - along with goalkeeper Diarmuid Murphy - are the only ones to have played from start to finish in all of the championship games. It's testimony to the quality of their play and, likewise, to the huge success that Murphy has been in goal in his first season.

From the outset, Jack O'Connor decided to restore Moynihan to the half-back line and stick with McCarthy as first-choice full-back. Nobody doubts he was right. O'Sullivan has been very consistent and since regaining his place, Marc Ó Sé has also been very dependable, both on the wing and in the corner.

The same consistency hasn't been achieved at the other end of the field. Dara Ó Cinnéide has played a major role, but Mike Frank Russell's form has been up and down and it sees John Crowley - who could be considered in the same category - preferred to him.

Without going into detail about the relative strengths of other lines in the two teams, suffice to say that the one which performs most consistently around the half-back/midfield area will be better placed to forge victory.

And I expect Moynihan to have a big say for Kerry when he comes on, as he certainly will.

From my perspective, both attacks have considerable potential, but I have more regard for the Kerry full-back trio. And it's where I think the outcome could be decided ultimately.

For that reason, I give them a narrow vote.