Dara Ó Cinnéide: Once Kerry are cold and dispassionate about their business...

The notion Kildare have nothing to lose in tomorrow’s All- Ireland SFC quarter-final is one I’ve heard bandied about a few times this week.

While I accept at face value what is meant by it, I would reject absolutely the idea a team in the last eight of the All-Ireland Championship has nothing to lose. Every team that has any type of ambition will know this weekend could be their last in Championship 2015 and thus the stakes are higher as everything they’ve prepared for this past year is on the line.

Both sets of players, Kildare’s and Kerry’s, are familiar with the rituals and the emotions attached to this stage of the season so tomorrow’s opener at Croke Park will be played on its merits alone and not on all the chatter that surrounds it.