The case of two seismic semi finals.
Anyone expecting an All-Ireland final in the mould of recent Kerry-Dublin encounters may be disappointed come Sunday.
Sixty years after the counties were involved in the famous 1955 final, and 30 years after Páidí O Sé’s renowned All-Ireland speech, fans are hoping for a decider that will at least hit the heights of their 2013 semi-final.
Two years ago Éamonn Fitzmaurice and Jim Gavin were both in their first full years as Kerry and Dublin managers. Both were seen as fresh characters with new ideas but both men’s footballing philosophy has undergone quite a change since then.
Everything we now know about the Kerryman and his Dublin counterpart, especially over the last 18 months, would suggest that Sunday will not be the scorefest we were treated to on September 1st two years ago.
And it’s all because of two seismic All-Ireland semi finals that have been burned deep into both men’s psyches.
Two years ago Fitzmaurice faced Dublin with a side that played ‘the Kerry’ way. Six backs marking six forwards with Declan O’Sullivan as the roving number 14 and Colm Cooper at his devastating best at centre-forward.
No sweeper, no defensive system and the firm idea that ‘our forwards will outscore your forwards’.
And for a while it worked, but Dublin, with better subs and a fitter, faster team, eventually strangled Kerry down the middle and scored 2-2 in a devastating final few minutes to secure a famous win.
Colm Cooper’s first half performance is widely lauded, but the Dr Crokes man was a mere observer in a frenetic second half, when he was starved of possession and Dublin ran hard at the Kerry backline.
The loss was a huge sore point for a Kerry team and management that had victory within their grasp but their gung-ho approach cost them, much like in the final minutes of the 2011 All-Ireland final.
Once again Dublin performed a smash and grab with goals in the final minutes. For that to happen once is unfortunate, but twice… Kerry have been forewarned ahead of Sunday’s rematch.
Dublin went on to win a second Sam Maguire in three years but looming on the horizon was a powerful Donegal side, who had a surprise of their own for Jim Gavin 12 months later.
No one saw Donegal’s 2014 All-Ireland semi-final win coming against a team that was being hailed as one of the best of all time. No-one except Jim McGuinness, who had identified Dublin’s free-running style as a chink in their armour.
Their game plan involved sucking Dublin up the field, especially their exciting half-back line, and inviting them on in one of the greatest ‘rope-a-dope’ routines Gaelic football has seen.
Gavin was shellshocked on the sideline. His philosophy of all-out attack had seen Dublin cruise through Leinster, scoring a combined 9-88, but they could find no way past the Donegal blanket defence.
Gavin and his backroom team were taught the harsh lesson Kerry had absorbed 12 months earlier: all out attack is not always the best option. And sometimes defence is the best form of defence.
Gavin, much like Fitzmaurice, would vow that it would not happen again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Fkh4wUUfc
The Kerry boss was a keen observer of that All-Ireland semi-final and he had three weeks to absorb the lessons dished out to Dublin – he moulded his Kerry side to retain their defensive shape and play a counter-attacking style alien to Kerry GAA fans.
Fitzmaurice was not going to allow his side be punished like Dublin were. There would be no forays up the field, while not conceding goals was high on his priority list.
It resulted in a horrible game that would rank down there with the 2003 final between Tyrone and Armagh as one of the worst in the last 30 years.
But Kerry didn’t care. By remaining defensively disciplined and taking the chances that came their way, they ground out a win that had been beyond them when playing their more traditional game.
Every Kerry fan leaving Croke Park must surely have had a thought: what if we had gone defensive in 2011 or 2013?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp8mWFiMj5k
Dublin did not play ultra-conservative against Mayo in either game this year, but it was noticeable in both matches how they used a sweeper to negate Aidan O’Shea. The half-back line set up attacks with clever interplay inside their own half but James McCarthy was the only wing-back to score in the game.
Gone are the deep raids by Jack McCaffrey and McCarthy, and if they do attack, there is a man, or two, to cover.
Dublin were not going to let Aidan O’Shea cause havoc inside 30 metres, while you would imagine that Philly McMahon will not be crossing the half-way line to score 1-2 this time against Kerry.
Dublin will not be as defensive as they were in the infamous clash with Derry in the league, but that experiment proved they could play a blanket defence and still win.
James O’Donoghue sacrificed his game in last year’s final, being outscored by his marker, and perhaps another act of selflessness will be required on Sunday
Kildare were wide open and Kerry profited. Tyrone tried to close the space but Kerry still found holes with patience and foot passing. Tyrone cut Kerry apart for several goal chances but failed to take any apart from winning the successful penalty.
Kerry’s defence has been porous on the two occasions this season, in that Tyrone game and the first time out against Cork.
But too much ball has been played since the heady days of July in Killarney for the Kingdom to entertain a naive approach on Sunday.
With 2013 still on their mind, Kerry’s first aim will be to shut down the space, while the lessons learned in year’s Donegal defeat are still fresh in Dublin memories too.
In 2013 it was a case of whose forwards could score more. On Sunday it may well be a case of whose defenders concede least.
