Football

Analysis: Kerry can wobble badly coming down the straight – but Galway have to get them there first.

Galway's Matthew Tierney has been one of the stars of the summer. Picture by Seamus Loughran
Galway's Matthew Tierney has been one of the stars of the summer. Picture by Seamus Loughran Galway's Matthew Tierney has been one of the stars of the summer. Picture by Seamus Loughran

TACTICAL TAKE


Galway have found the net in 12 of the 13 league and championship games they’ve played this season, at an average rate of twice a game - 25 goals in total. If they’re to win this All-Ireland, they need to keep that run going against a team that has conceded just three majors all season. The key is getting Tadhg Morley pulled out of the hole in front of Jason Foley. Dublin did it twice in the semi-final, and scored 1-1 off it. Kerry faced no ball-winning forward of note in this championship until the last half hour against Dublin. Injuries that ruled out Ryan O’Donoghue (Mayo) and Con O’Callaghan (Dublin) had left them untested. Then Paddy Small came in. Dublin kicked five balls at him and scored four points off it. It mean there are still uncertainties over how Jack O’Connor’s team will cope when faced with a rotating trio of Damien Comer, Shane Walsh and Rob Finnerty. Galway were very good at spotting when Derry were exposed in the semi-final and profited heavily. They have to find ways to open up Kerry down the middle. The underdogs being content to play the game out wide will lead to certain defeat.

For Kerry, Gavin White is expected to be included in the team but it still appears that he might miss out come Sunday. With Galway’s half-forward line an area they’d have been targeting, that would be a serious loss. A fully fit White could run riot and prove the key. Kerry’s reputation as masters of attacking football isn’t yet justified. Turned over 35 times by Tyrone last year, they fell similarly flat in the league game against the Red Hands this year. After Dublin got within a point after 46 minutes a fortnight ago, Kerry had 11 attacks. They scored just twice from the first nine, but crucially off both of the last two. They can wobble badly coming down the straight – but Galway have to get them there first.

TOP SCORERS


GALWAY


Shane Walsh 4-48 (1-0 pen, 0-26f, 0-5 45s, 0-1 mark)


Damien Comer 6-20 (0-1 mark)


Rob Finnerty 1-28 (0-4f, 0-1m)


KERRY


David Clifford 6-40 (0-10f, 0-2 mark)


Sean O’Shea 2-44 (0-20f, 0-2 45s, 0-1 line ball)


Paul Geaney 0-23 (0-3f, 0-3 mark)

REFEREE: Sean Hurson (Tyrone)


On a huge day for the Tyrone whistler, he’ll hope the symmetry ends at Galway having been involved the last time a referee from the north took charge of an All-Ireland final. The last man was Antrim’s John Gough, who did the Tribe’s 1983 final with Dublin, a game that went down in infamy after he sent off Dublin trio Brian Mullins, Ray Hazley and Kieran Duff as well as Galway’s Tomás Tierney. While Pat McEnaney (Monaghan) and Joe McQuillan (Cavan) have done multiple finals since, Hurson is the first from the six counties in the 39 years since Gough. He has steadily climbed the ranks and in a season where the GAA have moved towards replacing the stalwarts of the last decade and elevating a new batch of referees, the Galbally clubman has leapfrogged them all. His biggest career appointments outside this year’s All-Ireland club final have actually involved Kerry and Galway. He refereed a tight Mayo win in the 2020 Connacht final against the Tribe, and had taken charge of their 2018 Super 8s win over Kildare, as well as Kerry’s hammering of Mayo at the same stage the following year. Hasn’t refereed a game beyond the All-Ireland quarter-final stage yet but is felt to be a steady presence on the whistle.

WHERE TO WATCH


RTÉ2, coverage from 2pm


Sky Sports Arena, coverage from 2.30pm

BOOKIE BUSTERS


Paudie Clifford RTÉ man of the match @ 10/1


First score a Kerry goal @ 18/1


Galway over 16.5 points @ 11/10

BUILD-UP IN QUOTES


“I got as much satisfaction out of some of the school All-Irelands that we won down in South Kerry as I ever did out of winning any senior All-Ireland with Kerry, and that’s a fact. When your young fella [Eanna] scores the match-winning goal in the Hogan Cup final [for Colaiste Na Sceilge] in 2009, it doesn’t come any better than that.”


A relaxed Jack O’Connor in this morning’s Irish News, taking his latest run at the Kerry hotseat in his stride

“Usually when you change to a sweeper system like they have, that doesn't happen in a season. It needs to be tested, and I don't think it has been tested. Dublin without Con (O'Callaghan) are one thing, Dublin with Con are a completely different thing and I don't think that system was tested to its most the last day. I don't think they had the danger behind Tadhg Morley that would have been there if Con was present. So I think that's an opportunity for Galway with Damien Comer in the form he's in at the minute. That could bring trouble for Kerry.”


Former Galway forward Gary Sice on where he feels his county can get joy

“I think getting over a tight game against Mayo in Tralee, and I think the big one was actually Armagh away. There was a great bond in that win, tough place to go. They were really going for us, we were missing a few bodies and I thought we played quite well that day and just to come out of there really kind of helped us psychologically.”


Tadhg Morley on the early-season battles that helped strengthen Kerry’s resolve

“Everyone is visiting the house and they’re always on the phone to Dad. You would hear him talking and you would be in the other room listening. He’d saying stuff like, ‘They’d a good game the last day or whatever’. He’s really enjoying it and he absolutely loves football. He goes to every game, be it a challenge match in Derry, he’d go up. It doesn’t matter, he’d go to anything. He just loves it and it’s great to get out of the house, enjoy it and do something you love.”


Galway’s Matthew Tierney on his father, Matt senior, a once-brilliant prospect who was left badly injured by a car accident on his way home from the 1988 Sigerson Cup final