Kerry will succumb to Cork's hunger
I don't believe Kerry have anything left to prove. Yet by highlighting that very aspect we might just be stumbling on one of the secrets of their success – Kerry are always out to prove themselves.
For me, the three Ó Sé's are living examples of Kerry's greatness.
Darragh personifies this insatiable hunger that marks great teams. He always wants to prove he's better than his opponent.
His attitude, in turn, rubs off on other players who seem prepared to dig deep when it really matters. And like all great teams they arrive in All- Ireland finals with the enthusiasm of a debutant but with the cuteness of an old pro.
You can be sure that Kerry players are telling one another this week that they don't get the credit they deserve, that their All-Irelands were considered ‘handy'.
But Kerry's greatest strength has always been their attitude to defeat – it simply spurs them on. So, can Kerry add another chapter to their story of success since 1997?
Well, forgive me if I've appeared to build them up before knocking them, but I think that it might just be beyond them this time. For once, Cork go into the Croke Park version of their provincial rivalry with some of the cards stacked in their favour.
They have strength and power throughout their spine, they are a more confident team and have just enough up front to get across the line.
Narrowing
It's worth reminding ourselves that this Cork team defeated Kerry last year and could have sneaked a victory again this summer. Billy Morgan walked off the field in Killarney with a smile on his face; this was a man who sees a narrowing gap.
I'm not sure whether it was by accident or design that they arrived at their game plan against Meath but once they got a grip of midfield they ran the ball at an unsuspecting opposition causing huge problems for the Royals. While everyone was waiting for Michael Cussen to battle it out with Darren Fay in the square, the big man was out in midfield winning breaks!
Now, ‘running the ball' could be playing into Kerry's hands because they have the best tacklers around. Yet, if it is done at pace with adequate support, it can be very difficult to counter.
If Cork dither, or if the man looking for the ball is in any way static, Kerry will devour them. Cork have the fitness and physique to test Kerry's hunger.
You could have said the same about Dublin, but I believe Dublin did have the chances to win that game but failed to convert them. Equally, were Cork to spurn similar chances next Sunday, they will lose.
I'm going out on a limb here because Kerry are favourites and correctly so. Yet I have a strong feeling that Cork can end their famine. They will need things to go their way given that it's going to be a suffocating, tense dog-fight.
Sleepless
While they are, by far, the dominant party in Munster, Kerry are still spooked by Cork and there will be a lot of sleepless nights in the Kingdom given the prospect of losing an All-Ireland to the old enemy.
Kerry don't have to prove to me that they are a great side and failure to Cork would not alter my opinion.
In the final analysis, I think hunger will be the arbiter and there are none hungrier than Morgan and Cork.
