Confident Cork's momentum looks unstoppable

GAELIC GAMES:Cork have the better combination of players and their greatest asset will be their ability to sustain their high-intensity game, writes JOHN O'KEEFFE

THERE’S STILL nothing like a Munster football final in Killarney to set the pulse racing – and particularly this one. Neither Cork nor Kerry will be thinking about the back door here. They’ll very definitely want to win, will be 100 per cent intent on victory, and Kerry even more so given they’re playing on their home patch.

In some ways there’s always extra pressure on Kerry players to perform in Fitzgerald Stadium, especially in the local derby against Cork. I always felt it when playing there, that you were under very strict scrutiny, but what all that means is there’ll be no problem whatsoever motivating the Kerry players.

That will suit the likes of Marc Ó Sé, Tom O’Sullivan, Eoin Brosnan and Aidan O’Mahony who have been in this situation many times before, and know the importance of delivering a big performance. For the less experienced players like Shane Enright and Kieran O’Leary it’s possibly a bigger ask, and maybe more pressure they could do without. Either way I don’t think Kerry’s hunger will be questioned here. They’ll have all the desire and incentive they need to win.

The big problem for Kerry is that Cork have rarely been better prepared for a Munster final. We all know about the resources they now boast, but I think as well they will relish the opportunity to test themselves against Kerry. Their confidence is sky high, on the back of three successive national titles – back-to-back leagues, and of course the All-Ireland. This Cork team has also shown massive consistency, and clearly knows how to win, particularly in a close finish. You have to credit Conor Counihan for establishing all that, as he knows how to make the most of these resources.

They’ve brought back Graham Canty and, even though he hasn’t played much this year, he has the ability to do the man-marking job on Kieran Donaghy. That’s the big challenge for Cork, because Kerry’s obvious strength here is their attack. We’re seeing Colm Cooper at perhaps the height of his powers, showing great leadership as captain as well, so there’s no doubting his temperament for the day. We can expect some real moments of magic from him and whether it’s Jamie O’Sullivan or Michael Shields who pick him up it’s going to be a difficult job.

Looking at the 70-minute game, much will hinge on the so-called middle third and who wins the breaking ball. David Moran is a big loss for Kerry in this area, and he was blossoming into a fine ball-winner before the cruciate injury. What Kerry need to do instead is alter their kick-outs, sort of Stephen Cluxton-style, in order to keep it away from Cork’s big men around midfield, the likes of Aidan Walsh, Alan O’Connor and Pearse O’Neill. They can’t simply drive out the long, speculative ball, because Cork will win that hands-down. It puts some pressure on Brendan Kealy in the Kerry goal; he hasn’t been the most consistent and doesn’t inspire great confidence either, but then it was always going to be hard to replace such an imposing goalkeeper as Diarmuid Murphy.

What Kerry need to do instead is intentionally create a battle for breaking ball. It could be scrappy at times, but a lot will depend on who is more willing to put their body on the line, because there will be a tough contest to win breaking ball.

Paul Galvin is an obvious loss for Kerry in this regard, and so too is Tomás Ó Sé, but Kerry might still get away with about 35 or 40 per cent of the possession. Donaghy may be forced to come out the field a bit more, which is not a bad ploy, allowing Declan O’Sullivan to link up more with Cooper, while Darran O’Sullivan will also be dangerous when running at Cork.

But Kerry must also contain the Cork forwards running at them, at great pace, and often when passing off the shoulder. There’s a huge task for Eoin Brosnan at centre back, to hold down the middle, and he’ll have to curtail his own running forward. It may be that Aidan O’Mahony will slip into centre back because Kerry were certainly exposed there against both Tipperary and Limerick. Kerry’s half forwards will need to be more defensive too, and so too will the likes of Bryan Sheehan, even though that’s a foreign role for him.

Cork’s greatest asset will be their ability to sustain their high-intensity game for the 70 minutes. We saw that in the league final against Dublin, especially in the way they used their substitutes, and they have a very strong bench in the likes of Nicholas Murphy, Fintan Gould and Fiachra Lynch. I really think Kerry could struggle to match that intensity. Cork forwards Daniel Goulding and Donncha O’Connor are growing in confidence all the time too and playing with the bit of swagger that comes with being All-Ireland champions.

It’s been 16 years since Cork beat Kerry in Killarney, but this represents their best chance in the years since. Overall I just think they have the better combination of players throughout the field. Kerry will almost certainly require goals if they are to win, and that means a big performance from Donaghy as well as Cooper.

But in some ways they’ll be playing for pride as well, and that guarantees a close contest that really could go either way. But there’s a momentum about this Cork train right now that looks unstoppable, whether that’s in Killarney or anywhere else.