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All Ireland Football Final preview: Cork v Kerry

Munster giants clash for Sam Maguire on GAA's 125th anniversary year

By
DECLAN O'KELLY
,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Friday, September 18, 2009, 4:33 PM
Updated Friday, September 18, 2009, 6:46 PM
Read more: Cork GAA, Gaelic Football, Gaelic Hurling, Gaelic Sports, Sports, Ireland

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The All Ireland final is a repeat of this year's Munster final between Cork and Kerry

The All Ireland Final between Cork and Kerry on September 20, 2008 will be a game based on evening up the scores and avenging tough defeats

For Cork, though they overcame Kerry in this year’s Munster Final, this team has not reached the Holy Grail of taking the Same Maguire cup Leeside yet, and the closest they came was in 2007 when they were sent home sour-pussed after a ten point defeat to none other than Kerry.

For Kerry, Cork abused them in this year’s Munster final, and though it might have been a blessing in disguise as they went on a voyage of self-discovery in the qualifiers, that defeat to the men in the red jerseys will still rankle.

So, what team is favorite? Kerry stuttered and stumbled around in the qualifiers, getting past Longford, Sligo, and Antrim until they came to Croke Park and put Dublin football back several years by deboning the Dubs in a performance that was as a clinical as it was physical. In doing so, they firmly establish themselves as one of the favorites for the All Ireland. Of course they followed this up with an underwhelming win over Meath in the semi final, but who remembers semifinals when one is taking baby shots in the Sam Maguire?

For Cork, their Munster title ensured that they would be taking the express train to the top and not making Saturday stops in obscure parts of the country. They dispatched Donegal in the quarter final, but just when you thought Tyrone were going to set up a grudge match of their own with Kerry, Cork went and beat them with some aplomb, refreshing their credentials as top All Ireland Contenders as the team that beat the team that always beat Kerry!

It must not be forgotten that it Cork win on Sunday, they will have beaten Tyrone and twice vanquished Kerry, the teams who are the owners of the last five All Ireland titles combined. That is the hard way to the top folks, that is really earning your medal.

Of course then there is the subplot to this suspense-filled scenario. If Tadhg Kennelly is part of the winning team for Kerry on Sunday, he will make history as being the first man to even win an All Ireland Football medal and an AFL Aussie Rules Grand Final medal.

In 2005, when playing for the swans, Kennelly became the first Irish man to win a Grand Final down under, and then returned home to follow his brother and father’s footsteps and win an All Ireland medal. 

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All Ireland Football Final preview: Cork v Kerry | Irish Sport | IrishCentral


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