Mike Quirke: If the hope doesn’t kill you, plenty of boys in blue will

It’s the hope that gets you every time. You subconsciously start to build walls after disappointments to protect yourself, and you insist you won’t let the same blind faith seep in and cloud your judgement again.

I drove down the road from Croke Park after the league final back in April and I made my mind up.

That was it - Kerry would not be beating Dublin this year. No chance.