All about making things happen, so it's Kerry for me

IT’S probably as well not to dwell too long on sideshows ahead of tomorrow’s All-Ireland football final, but one of the many ironies ahead of the game is that the distractions so often associated with Dublin appear to have transferred themselves neatly on to Kerry.

During the week we had Tralee Town Council scrambling furiously after being berated for not showing enough support for their county team, texts into radio shows wondering why the blanket coverage of Kerry football all week, heroes of old being asked once again to reminisce about the fabled rivalry of yesteryear and even a bit of romantic guff about the team winning an All-Ireland for the Gooch.

I’m not for one moment challenging the bona fide nature of all of the above but Pat Gilroy’s inaugural final as manager of the Dublin team could scarcely be more inconspicuous whereas Kerry has undoubtedly been a bit giddier than usual. Managing the hype and expectation has proven beyond many Dublin managers before him so Gilroy has to be saluted for keeping the bandwagon off the fast lane.