Ex-Dubs star Murphy writes off Kerry and Mayo

Former Dublin forward Vinnie Murphy has written off the All-Ireland chances of both Kerry and Mayo, claiming Mayo in particular don’t have “much in them this year”.

The 1995 All-Ireland winner predicted that Kerry, currently four points clear at the top of the National League, will burn out as the season develops and will “struggle to get outside the Super 8s”.

As for Mayo, Murphy claimed they still lack the forwards to win big and compared their use of veteran Andy Moran to Dublin “still relying on Bernard (Brogan) to get 1-4 or 1-6 for us now”.

Murphy’s comments won’t go down well in either county as they attempt to prevent Dublin from completing a historic five-in-a-row.

Speaking about Mayo, Murphy told Hill 16 Army’s Blue is the Colour podcast: “I know James Horan is back in but still you’re going back with the same group.

“I know two or three have come in but they’re defenders they’re bringing in and the one thing Mayo have never ever lacked is defenders or midfielders, it’s up front they need them.

“Andy Moran has been a fantastic player but it would be a bit like if we were still relying on Bernard to get 1-4 or 1-6 for us now.

“How confident would we be? We still think he’s a great footballer but we’re not reliant on one or two players anymore. But Mayo are and that’s unfortunate for them.”

Mayo have been without Cillian O’Connor so far this season following knee surgery but Murphy questioned the value of the experienced forward.

Murphy said:

He (O’Connor) has constantly failed when it’s come to semi-final, final times. When the chips are really down, he hasn’t done it. In fairness to Andy Moran, he has stood up umpteen times and been the man but he hadn’t really got anyone along with him to deliver.

Murphy wasn’t any more positive about Kerry’s chances despite their thrilling start to the season under new manager Peter Keane. Kerry have won all five of their league games so far, including last month’s memorable one-point defeat of Dublin in Tralee.

But Murphy said: “I think Kerry will struggle to get outside the Super 8s because I think they’ll have gone at it so hard for too long this year that they’ll run into something.”

Murphy also claimed that Kerry have failed to acknowledge Dublin’s brilliance this decade.

He said: “I don’t think Kerry need confidence, I think what Kerry need to realise is that this Dublin team, over the last six or seven years, has actually been better than them. I don’t think they have taken that on board whatsoever.”

Affected Murphy referenced Kerry legend Darran O’Sullivan’s recent comments that the rain at Croke Park during last year’s Super 8s defeat to Galway affected their game-plan. O’Sullivan said that before that game he felt Kerry were capable of winning the All-Ireland.

Murphy said: “These are former Kerry captains coming out (saying this). It was Bryan Sheehan that came out and said we robbed one in 2011. Okay, you could look at it and say it was one against the head with the way it was in the last five minutes.

“But we were right in the game until Kerry took over for five or 10 minutes. It was probably one against the head but he said ‘13 was lucky, ‘15 was lucky and you’re sort of going, ‘Jesus....’

“Then O’Sullivan comes out and says we would have won an All-Ireland only for it was raining, that they couldn’t play in the rain against Galway.

“I have to point out that Galway beat ye (Kerry), we beat Galway comfortably in the semi-finals. And Monaghan drew with ye (Kerry) and got beaten by Tyrone, who Dublin beat comfortably.

“I just couldn’t get over it, that coming from a former Kerry captain. It was very un-Kerry like.”