Cork at full strength for final
Forwards Deirdre O’Reilly and Ciara O’Sullivan had missed a few training sessions but will be fine for the match on Sunday.
“Deirdre hurt her hand playing in a camogie game for Milford last Saturday week, and Ciara injured her knee in the All-Ireland semi-final against Monaghan,” said Ryan.
“[But] unless something untoward happens in the meantime, everyone should be available for selection for Sunday’s game.”
The Leesiders, bidding to land their seventh All-Ireland title in eight years under Ryan’s management, had five points to spare over the Kingdom in the provincial decider. But the Cork supremo is not attaching significance to the outcome of that encounter.
“We got off to a great start in the Munster final, but Kerry had us in right trouble throughout the second half and actually outscored us by four points in that period.
“They’re a younger group of players and you could say they’re very much a coming team. Any Kerry team coming to Croke Park, especially playing against Cork, always seem to perform at the top of their ability. So we’re expecting a very stiff challenge from Kerry in Sunday’s game.”
In contrast to Cork’s remarkable All-Ireland record since 2005, Kerry have to go all the way back to 1993 for the last time they landed the game’s ultimate prize.
“A team can take off in their first appearance in an All-Ireland final, so I don’t think that this Kerry team will be adversely affected by their relative lack of experience,” he said.
“As well, they can also take heart from the success of the Kerry men’s team in the 1975 All-Ireland final against Dublin. On that occasion, Dublin were a very seasoned and experienced team and were red-hot favourites to win the game.
“In contrast, Kerry had a very young and inexperienced team, yet they managed to defy all the odds and came out on top in the end.”
