The word is that Kerry have a free-pass in Sunday’s All-Ireland final.
A young team. 5/1 outsiders. A number of them in their first season of inter-county football. You’d imagine they’ll get the chance again.
All the pressure is on Jim Gavin’s Dubs as they chase a piece of GAA history.
Five All-Irelands in a row. It’s been challenged a few times but it’s never been done. Kilkenny fell at the final hurdle in 2010. Before them, Kerry were the last team to come close.
Close but no cigar. Seamus Derby’s iconic goal dashed Kerry’s dreams as an unfancied Offaly side shocked the nation and pipped the Kingdom at the post.
That was 37 years ago now, but according to former Dublin footballer Charlie Redmond, what happened in Croker all those years ago will have an impact on Sunday’s showpiece.
Speaking at the launch of the Londis Kilmacud Sevens, the Erins Isle club man began the final’s mind games by insisting that the pressure is on Kerry, rather than Dublin.
His reason being that these young players have the legacy of a county to protect. That’s up for debate.
“There’s a huge amount of pressure going to be placed on the Kerry guys,” he began.
“They’re playing to keep that 80s team as the joint best team of all-time. And I’m sure that’s been impressed upon them down in Kerry by their family, by their friends. And even though they might not like it, that will impact on them I’m sure.”
None-the-less, Redmond reckons this Kerry team have every chance of causing a shock of their own.
“I think they’re a great football team, the Kerry team. I think they’ve been coming and getting better and better and better with every game I’ve seen them this season.”
“But Kerry are coming into this game with a huge opportunity. Don’t be mistaken about that. Any team that has the forward division they have has an opportunity and a huge opportunity at that. No Kerry team comes to Croke Park without confidence and attitude. When you get confidence and attitude and the talent they have, they’ve a huge opportunity of winning on Sunday.
As for Dublin’s extensive dominance of inter-county football, Redmond puts it down to an adaptable bunch of players and a brilliant manager.
“Thankfully, we have adapted to it quicker than other teams. We have a very talented young group of players who make it the perfect storm with a manager who is so efficient and so cool.
“The perfect storm won’t last forever though. And while these are great times to be a Dublin supporter. This won’t last forever. This Kerry team – they’ve a lot of minors coming and they’re going to make a huge impact on Gaelic football in the next few years…”
He isn’t having the population or financial arguments, claiming that if people say there’s too much money in Dublin, that they’ll have to beat them and then take their sponsors from them.
“We have a large population in Dublin but not everybody plays Gaelic football,” he says. There are more sports available in Dublin than there is in any other part of the country – basketball, golf, you name it. All you’ve to do is look at the Dublin SFC – there are only 24 teams contesting it. There are more clubs in Cork than Dublin – so there are more players in Cork than Dublin. What we have done, we had a very lean spell from ‘95 to 2011. We were struggling to win Leinsters in that period.
“If people want to say there’s too much money in Dublin because of our sponsors, well then beat us and take our sponsors off us. Dublin is a county, it’s one county and it will always remain one county. Anyone who wants to talk about splitting Dublin, I just laugh at them and walk away from them.”
Former Dublin footballer Charlie Redmond in attendance during the launch of the Londis Senior All-Ireland Football 7s at Kilmacud Crokes GAA Club in Stillorgan, Co Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
