VIDEO: Cork ‘prepared for all eventualities’ in Killarney, says Don Davis

You hit Don Davis with an opening question about what he expects from Kerry on Sunday and he volleys it straight back. "Ye’re long enough writing it and I’m long enough playing football to know that Kerry can come with whatever they want to come with," says the Cork football selector.

“They’re not All-Ireland champions for no reason, they’re able to adapt to the opposition. It’s hard to know what they’re going to come with but you have to be prepared for all eventualities.”

Davis says Cork don’t take any notice of criticism of their tactical nous, or lack thereof.

“Not at all. I spoke after the league, and I think we played seven games in the league against various different systems. We’d to adapt several different times during that period of time. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, whether we’re tactically naive or not. For the players and for us as management, it doesn’t matter. You’re in there as a group, we’re looking forward to the match and let’s see who wins on the day in Killarney.”

Davis acknowledges that wearing a selector’s cap means seeing games in “a whole different light and context”, adding: “You can get overly concerned with your opposition and you can give them too much respect.

“We’re more interested in setting our own stall out going forward for Killarney — Munster final against Kerry, that’s the thing you want to be there.

“When things go our way, you’re a tactical genius, let’s face it. But the margins between being a tactical genius and being perceived as having no tactical knowledge at all might be a referee’s decision or an umpire’s decision.

“Go back to Dublin and Donegal in the All-Ireland semi-final last year: Dublin were up six points, missed two goal opportunities, Donegal go down and get a soft goal, the game turns around.

“McGuinness is a tactical genius and Gavin got it all wrong. The margins are tiny.”

Davis sees the group as being in a “much better place” this season to deal with negativity, as compared with 2014.

“The National League this year is going to stand to us going forward. It was a very difficult campaign, four very difficult trips to the north. I think this team has matured.

“You got to imagine, it’s nearly a completely different group and it takes a while for that group to develop, mature and I think we’re in a different place than we were last year.

“Certainly last year I think it did affect the dynamics of the group going forward — this year I don’t see it having any bearing on where we were and where we’ve come from. We took the league as a positive.

“If you’re playing GAA long enough, you are going to get negative comments but you’ve got to take the positive and negative together.

You can’t be getting overly carried away with your positives or you can’t be getting carried away with your negatives. I think we’ve matured as a group.”

Part of that means being relaxed when discussing football, which is no chore to Davis.

“I actually love talking about it. I’m based in Bantry Garda Station, most of the guards in Bantry are Kerry people. So the craic and fun and banter is brilliant. I don’t ever mind things, whether they’re going good or bad for you. I’d read the papers, I’d talk to people. Certainly I wouldn’t fancy the players out there talking about it because if you’re a player, you’re burning energy so I wouldn’t like the players talking to people about it.

But when the ball is thrown in, I’m not going to be influencing the game in terms of energy levels.”