Kerry's improved team can take it

If you were to look at the record of the Kerry and Kildare in the championship you would have to come to the conclusion that Kildare have had the more difficult passage so far and that they should be stronger as a result. Kerry beat an unimpressive Cork team in the Munster semifinal and then were not all that impressive against Tipperary in the final.

Kildare's record, on the other hand, shows that they beat Dublin after a replay, overcame Laois without much trouble and played quite well, with some reservations about their midfield, to beat Meath in the Leinster final. There have been mutterings in some quarters, of course, that Kerry won "a soft" All-Ireland last year. Added to that is the fact that they had a very low-profile National League, whereas Kildare have had a much more serious build-up.

Kerry, however, now look a much better-balanced team than they did last year, especially in attack. Maurice Fitzgerald has much stronger support from players like John Crowley, Michael Francis Russell and Pa Laide than he did last year, and that augurs well for them. Dara O Cinneide is also playing a much more influential role. Yet they have not met anyone as strong as Kildare so far this season and this match is going to be much more competitive than anything they have experienced since last year's final.

The big question for Kildare is whether the winning of their first Leinster title since 1956 is the end of their dream or whether they can go all out for the big one.

A lot of hard work has been done, and Mick O'Dwyer, in particular, would dearly like to beat Kerry, especially with his own son on the Kildare team. You could not have a better man on the sideline in all these circumstances. His experience and his ability to motivate players is worth an extra man to Kildare. And he knows the Kerry game and the attitude of the players. As far as the Kerry team is concerned it would seem to me that their full-back line has been the weak link to date.

The likelihood is that Karl O'Dwyer will drop back out the field in a roving role and I expect Eamon Fitmaurice to be given the job of picking him up. Martin Lynch is the Kildare forward who will take most marking, and Barry O'Shea and Stephen Stack are going to have to be very alert if they are to be able to cope with him and the other Kildare forwards coming in behind him.

Lynch is a very hard man to mark and fouls on him are likely to lead to scores. Kerry will, therefore, have to cut out Lynch's efforts without conceding frees. The same, of course, applies at the other end of the field where Maurice Fitzgerald's expertise as a free-taker is well known.

Some of the other Kildare players in attack will have to improve their scoring averages. Eddie McCormack missed three chances out of four from good scoring positions against Meath. The Kildare midfield of Niall Buckley and Willie McCreery were disappointing against Meath. They are, however, a very strong pair, and I expect that the winning of the breaking ball at midfield will be crucial.

Fitzgerald has not been at his best this year so far, but I expect him to show enormous improvement, because he works very hard in training. The likelihood is that Kildare will deploy Brian Lacey to "police" him and this promises to be a fascinating contrast of attitudes and styles. Lacey's handling of Tommy Dowd in the Leinster final was something which will have given his team confidence.

Kerry have a better potential for taking scores when the opportunities present themselves. Kildare will use the short passing game out of defence in an attempt to draw Kerry forward and then depend on players like Buckley to deliver the long kick to Lynch, Padraig Graven and Declan Kerrigan. If Kildare can manage to hold their own in the first 15 minutes or so they will gain in confidence and could make a bold bid for victory, but Kerry's experience at this level makes them favourites, and I think they will win. (In an interview with Sean Kilfeather)