All-Ireland Final Preview

Sam is headed back to Kerry.

It all comes down to this. Dublin. Kerry. 70 minutes for a lifetime of glory. The buzz from Dunquin to Dublin is second to none. The banter and the predictions are everywhere - who's going to stop The Gooch, Cluxton's kickouts will be the difference, Kerry's experience will see them through and on and on. Today is my favourite day of the year.

In All-Ireland Finals, poise and polish win the day and Kerry have both in droves. Kerry have been to the Final in 9 of the past 12 years. They know what it takes.

Dublin on the other hand are severely overrated. In the Championship they put in just one convincing performance. Against Tyrone they were brilliant. Diarmuid Connolly was unstoppable and the team looked crisp. Then again they beat an ageing Tyrone team in the driving rain. Dublin struggled mightily with Wexford and should have lost to Kildare but for an undeserving free in the final minute. Even Dublin fans know this to be true.

The average Dub supporter has creeping doubts about today and rightfully so. Too many things must fall into place. Where are the Dublin scores going to come from? The half-forward line is weak. How are the Dublin backs going to cope with the Kerry front 6? Why has the Dublin midfield failed to dominate this summer? What the hell happened against Donegal?

Kerry have none of those questions. They've steam-rolled opponents this summer with atypically strong first half performances. Kerry have a better bench for the closing 15 minutes. I think a win for Dublin would be great for the county and good for the GAA. However it just isn't going to happen. Dublin will hit them with everything they've got but it won't be enough. Kerry bend but never break. They are the royalty of football for a reason.

Kerry 0-18 Dublin 1-12