Ciarán Whelan urges Kildare to ‘make it difficult’ for Dublin

Ciarán Whelan didn’t quite do a Tomás Ó Sé on it, but he is seriously dubious about Kildare’s chances of beating Dublin in Sunday’s Leinster semi-final.

Nothing he has seen of the Lilywhites in their jousts with Laois, not even that rush of scores in the third quarter of the replay last Saturday week, convinces him that they will pull off the shock of the summer so far.

“I think the biggest challenge for Kildare coming into the game, is one mentally. Croke Park is a lonely, lonely place when the Dubs get a run on a team. Their second biggest challenge is they have to keep the game tight in the first 20 minutes. They bring great confidence and belief into the game, based on their last two performances where they dug out a draw and they won.