Five factors that could shape Kerry and Donegal's Killarney collision
Anyone who thinks McGuinness won’t start him because of what happened in the Division 1 final doesn’t know the manager or the player. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom Maher
No tree has yet been scaled but the mind games have started. Former Donegal forward Rory Kavanagh was speaking in on Thursday about what Seán Hurson should do to help Michael Murphy.
“I just hope the referee is brave enough to make sure he gets the same protection as every other player on the pitch,” said Kavanagh. “Kerry, for me, when they sense blood, are one of the most physical sides in the country.”
The previous year’s All-Ireland final pairing, never mind Division 1 finalists, facing off so early in the championship brings a concoction of factors. Here are just five.
Jim McGuinness’ reaction to being informed of Murphy’s strike on Dylan Casey was to highlight screening in the game. “Screening is not in the rulebook,” he said. “It's a black card. If you intentionally screen somebody, you're coming across their path. So, I think that's definitely something that probably needs to be stamped out going into the championship because I do see a bad head injury coming from that one.”
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At the time, McGuinness’ remarks could have been brushed off as diversion tactics or whataboutery but two incidents in Kerry’s Munster SFC semi-final win over Clare brought it all back. On X a few days after that game, former Kerry selector Mike Quirke highlighted what he considered the difference between a third-man tackle (black card offence) and “a dribble hand-off” (no foul).
There’s been a lot of noise about ‘screens’ in Gaelic football recently — but we need to be clearer on what we’re actually looking at.
— Mike Quirke (@Mike_Quirke) May 5, 2026
🏐 A screen is a deliberate act to block or hold up a defender - Foul.
🏐 A dribble hand-off can include contact — but that contact comes from… pic.twitter.com/6xe8MVYzxz
The two examples in the Clare game, both committed by Tony Brosnan, and another by former Donegal defender, now selector Neil McGee in an old clash against Tyrone, were cited by Quirke as the latter. Referee Hurson may have a job on his hands determining which is which or if they are all the same.
Anyone who thinks McGuinness won’t start him because of what happened in the Division 1 final doesn’t know the manager or the player. The reception Murphy receives from the home crowd won’t matter the slightest to Donegal’s greatest footballer.
If he isn’t in from the off, it’s either fitness or tactical. Having said that, Murphy is a watched man following the Casey incident. He may well have been better off being sent off there and serving a one-match ban than the scrutiny he is going to be under.
At the same time, that may shed light on what Murphy endures himself – Donegal will point to the 2014 All-Ireland final – but the most recent wrong was on the Glenswilly man’s part.
Following the Munster final win over Cork last Sunday week, Jack O’Connor highlighted the three-week gap between this game and their Round 2 fixture whatever the outcome. It’s quite the break between matches and it will be then where he and McGuinness will hope to have all of their recovering mainstays back in tow.
It isn’t so much the safety net of Round 2B for the losers and the lack of jeopardy as the time each team will have to digest this win and go again that takes a little away from it.
Whatever happens, Kerry could be at home again and Donegal once more on their travels, but their line-ups should be more familiar on June 13/14, six weeks out from an All-Ireland final.
Donegal were smart in denying Kerry quick restarts in March’s Division 1 final. They had learned the cost of not doing so in last July and the placing of their speed merchants around Kerry’s short receivers could be repeated on Saturday.
“Last summer, we desperately wanted to get hands on the ball in the first quarter of that game too and we desperately wanted to put pressure on the Kerry kick-out,” said McGuinness. “It just didn’t work out that way. It worked that way today.”
With Gavin White sidelined, Kerry don't have an out-and-out line-breaker and Cian O'Neill and Co will have to come up with another means of foiling Donegal's speedy press.
It can't simply be to kick it long. Seán O’Brien won a mountain of ball against Cork the last day but is not named to start and Donegal have more experienced breaking ball winners.
This being their fourth meeting in 10 months, Kerry and Donegal are really getting to know it each other, but things have been hot and heavy between them in Killarney down through the years.
In March 2016, both counties were fined €7,500 for losing control of their players in a Division 1 game. Alan Fitzgerald was sent off for reacting to McGee interfering with his fingers and the Donegal defender was left with a bloody nose and subsequently received a retrospective one-match ban. Leo McLoone was also shown a red card in the first half. Kavanagh described it this week “just pure filth”.
Their clash in a league opener in Fitzgerald Stadium wasn’t as rambunctious. Still, three players were sent off – Donegal pair Tony McCleneghan and Nathan Mullins and Gavin Crowley for Kerry. In the 2012 NFL meeting there, Éamon McGee picked up two yellow cards.
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