Kerry to end down hoodoo at hq
Friday July 30 2010
KERRY don't spook easily but there will be a few restless minds in the Kingdom tonight at the prospect of facing a team they've never beaten in championship football tomorrow.
Okay, so tradition only gets you so far, but a key weapon in Kerry's armoury for any championship game is their inner belief that they are vastly superior to whoever they are opposing.
Tyrone have shown the limitations to this aspect of Kerry's make-up and have proven that, if you compete to the line with Kerry, they can be beaten.
However, I'd be stretching it to develop this scenario for tomorrow's game. The gulf in class between Down and Tyrone was exposed at Casement Park and while Down are definitely a side on the upgrade under James McCartan, I don't think they are advanced enough to overcome Kerry at Croke Park -- even a Kerry team that looks vaguely vulnerable in the absence of Paul Galvin and Tomás Ó Sé.
Kerry seem to play their best football at HQ and they arrive there as Munster champions.
While Down have a much improved attack and a decent midfield, they were completely flattered by a demoralised Sligo team and I expect Kerry to advance, despite their lay-off of almost four weeks.
- Keith Barr
Irish Independent
