No pressure on Dublin against experienced Kerry, insists Ger Brennan

The old rivals face off with a place in the championshop decider on the line. 

TRUE BLUE: Dublin manager Ger Brennan during the Dublin GAA Media Event at Parnell Park on Monday. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile

Dublin manager Ger Brennan has claimed “all the pressure is on” Kerry in Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC semi-final.

A last-four game for Dublin will never be a shot to nothing but he insists they are enjoying the underdogs status ahead of the clash.

"It is probably an unique position,” said Brennan at Dublin’s semi-final press event in Parnell Park on Monday. “In 2023, the All-Ireland final, Dublin were probably the favourites going into it. On this occasion, Kerry are certainly the stand-out favourites and all the pressure is on them, in terms of their manager and all the experience of their coaching staff.

“We are a fledging management group in a lot of ways, with a new squad and a new panel. There is not a whole lot of pressure on us going into this match. We are just trying to ensure that we give ourselves a chance to be there or thereabouts going down the home stretch.

“It is going to be tight either way, and hopefully we will come out the right side of it and I will be chatting to ye (journalists) again next week.” Expanding on his point, Brennan referenced Jack O’Connor’s track record. “Jack O’Connor, has he won five All-Irelands? He’s in his third stint with Kerry. He’s up there with Mick O’Dwyer.

“Cian O’Neill has won multiple All-Irelands with Kerry. He was involved with Galway in two All-Irelands too. Then you have Kieran Donaghy who has gone back in having been above with Armagh.

“The experience that they have and the medals and silverware they have brought about as a management team, it just takes a lot of pressure off us. We’re only finding our feet and similarly Kerry are defending champions. They’re the first champions of the new rules because they are the aristocrats of Gaelic games and Dublin are pushing hard in the roll of honour.

“We’ve a bit to go yet (Kerry’s 39 All-Irelands to Dublin’s 31). We certainly will push hard again this weekend. It’s a nice space to be in. We’re fairly relaxed with the whole thing. We will give it a go at the weekend but Kerry have so much firepower and knowhow and Shane Murphy has been incredible to the Kerry team this year.” 

On a number of occasions, Brennan mentioned “super” goalkeeper Murphy who has impressed him taking over from injured Shane Ryan in this year’s championship.

“Watching back the league final this year where Donegal did particularly well on Shane Murphy in goal, I think he's really stepped it up since that performance as well. His range of kicking, his option taking, he's quite calm and collected.

“For a guy who I think he may have won a junior All-Ireland with Kerry in 2015, he came onto the panel in 2017, and in many ways he's been a bridesmaid for a long, long time but he stuck at it and now he's the one at the altar and making things happen. So let's try and do something to try and sort him out as well because he's giving Kerry a massive platform.” 

Brennan says he has more than David Clifford to occupy his mind when he assesses the Kerry team. “People have been saying to me friends and that, ‘What are you going to do with David Clifford?’. and I say, ‘Well what about Dylan Geaney, what about Paul Geaney, what about Paudie Clifford, Joe O'Connor, Diarmuid O'Connor, those lads driving through.’ Gavin White started his first game, I know he came on in the Armagh game towards the end, but started his first game against Tyrone.

“So there's so many threats all over the field, we'll do our best to find match-ups for as many of them as we can.” 

Nathan Doran’s ankle issue is long-term and rules him out of this weekend, while Brennan reported Seán MacMahon, who did well marking David Clifford in the Division 1 meeting in February, nicked his hamstring against Galway last Sunday week. “He did well on him (Clifford) and we hope he's going to do well on him Sunday as well,” added Brennan.

Eoin Murchan is back on the field following a hamstring injury and could be considered for selection.