1. Are Kerry vulnerable?
We suggested last week that Kildare would view Cork as vulnerable opponents following Munster final replay defeat for the Rebels.
The Lilywhites have built up a nice head of steam through the qualifiers and can have a real cut off the Kingdom on Sunday.
Cork’s psychological state of mind was obviously a factor at Semple Stadium last Saturday but Kildare still inflicted an eight-point defeat on a team that Kerry beat by five.
Following that line of form, the suggestion is that there will be little to separate Sunday’s opponents at GAA HQ.
Kerry took their time in finding their feet against Galway in last year’s quarter-final but will need to hit the ground running against a Kildare side with growing momentum.
2. Gooch on the bench again
Colm ‘Gooch’ Cooper has to content himself with a place on the Kerry substitute’s list once again.
He made a big impact with some quick thinking after coming on against Cork and while boss Eamonn Fitzmaurice has opted for one change, it’s Stephen O’Brien who’s come in to replace Johnny Buckley.
Cooper is sure to see game time at some point and perhaps Fitzmaurice has a master plan in mind to use the Dr. Crokes genius more in the All-Ireland series and as the stakes get higher.
Once again, Fitzmaurice has gone with a hard-working and powerful half-forward line to compliment midfielders Anthony Maher and David Moran.
But when the pace slows and Kerry need some creativity to unlock Kildare, Cooper is the man to come in and get the job done.
3. Kerry’s quarter-final record…
…is quite remarkable. In their previous 14 All-Ireland senior football quarter-finals, the Kingdom have suffered just two defeats.
In 2010, they lost a quarter-final for the first time since the inception of the qualifiers, losing to Down.
Two years later, eventual winners Donegal dumped Kerry out of the championship but Kerry have won their two quarter-finals since then, against Cavan and Galway.
This is rarely a juncture of the competition where Kerry slip up but they’ve never met Kildare before in a last eight tie, which brings a new dimension and a touch of novelty to the fixture.
Kerry have claimed some big scalps in the quarter-finals through the years, including Dublin (three times), Mayo, Armagh and Monaghan.
4. And Kildare’s last eight record…
Kildare first progressed to the All-Ireland quarter-finals in 2008 and it sparked a run of five last-eight ties in as many years.
Kildare have won just one of those five quarter-finals, beating Meath in 2010 before losing the All-Ireland semi-final to Down when Benny Coulter scored a controversial goal for the winners (from 1 minute 23 seconds):
Kildare lost against Cork in 2008 and 2012, and suffered defeats against Tyrone (2009) and Donegal in 2011, after extra-time.
Despite the fact that the Lilywhites will play in Division 3 of the Allianz League next year following successive relegations, boss Jason Ryan has still managed to steer the county into the last eight for the first time since 2012.
And that’s no mean feat when you take into account that they were decimated by Dublin in the Leinster semi-final.
5. Recent history
Not a huge amount to speak of. The last championship meeting between Kerry and Kildare was back in 2002, when the Kingdom won a round 4 qualifier.
But four years earlier, Kildare scored a landmark victory against Kerry when Mick O’Dwyer masterminded an All-Ireland semi-final success against his native county.
Kildare are coming into Sunday’s tie on the back of three successive victories against Offaly, Longford and Cork but Kerry are battle-hardened too.
They survived a potentially tricky Munster semi-final against Tipperary with relative ease and two tough games with Cork will serve to ensure that Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s charges are in no danger of being ‘undercooked’ ahead of their summer bow at Croke Park.
A feature of Kerry’s displays in championship games under Fitzmaurice has been their ability to get the job done no matter what the circumstances and they’re tipped to do likewise this weekend.
I Connell ya hoor ya
Another fully loaded week of cliches.
Bit like Shay Given saying he’s ready to put gloves on.
“We’re ready to put our bodies on the line, insists O’Connell”
We really don’t expect you to go that far but what ever turns you on Guys :-)
Bored of hearing quotes from the Lads such as this, theyve been saying this for the past ten years under o’Sullivan and under Kidney,one match after another they dont perform,one great season with the makings of some of the best players in the world in all this time is beyond shocking. The run of failures is never ending it seems and with so many they out weigh the little wins they get here and there,theyre always on the back foot and it seems they can never do the basics and win a feckin match like the fantastic sporting professionals they all are,everytime you give a little grace to the idea that they will finally come together and do what we all know theyre capable of, it all blows up in your face, 10years of it is way too long to be spouting the same story with the same results
Get your boots and show everyone how its done
Already have and continue to do so with or without boots.
I already have and continue to do so with or without boots.
Such pointless and stupid comments don’t keen to be said twice.
The word you were looking for is need. And as unfortunate as it is the double post would be due to the journal app failing to register the comment and, by the looks of it, the app is having some sort of issue. My apologies for the pointless and stupid reply as it was only as frivolous as the stupid reply already written but im sure some people can fill in those small gaps themselves.
O Connell, try running with the ball for more than five steps this game.