Most GAA supporters long for a return of All-Ireland hurling and football finals to the month of September, but it’s not going to happen in the immediate future. GAA president Jarlath Burns says the best we can hope for is the football final on the first Sunday in August. Supporters might prefer a later date, but they are voting with their feet and when you see full houses at both football semi-finals then it looks like the date doesn’t matter. No doubt this new interest has a lot to do with the new rules and the new format the GAA adopted this year.
The Association dropped the round robin system for the top 16 counties and introduced a simple old fashion knock out system where counties were out if they lost two games. This format brought us many great games and some shock results and made for a most enjoyable preamble to the big day on Sunday next when Kerry, bidding for their 40th title, will play Mayo, who are hoping for their fourth win. We all know about Mayo’s woeful record in All-Ireland finals losing 11 since 1951, but if luck goes their way they could possibly end that barren spell on Sunday. It would be some achievement for new manager Andy Moran in his first year in charge. It’s a pity that Louth didn’t provide a stiffer test for Mayo in the semi-final, as we still don’t know how good they are. Kerry got a proper test from Dublin and no doubt they got the benefit of some dodge refereeing calls, but they survived.
David Clifford is Kerry’s star man, but his brother Paudie is the player who calls the shots. Against Donegal in last year’s final the elder Clifford positioned him just inside the Donegal half in a spot we used to call “the forty” and controlled the game. He did the same against Dublin a few weeks back, where he had 70 possessions; he is like the conductor of an orchestra. Surely Mayo won’t allow Paudie as much space on Sunday.
Kerry have five other useful forwards, while Mayo have two excellent forwards in Ryan O’Donoghue and new comer Kobe McDonald. Win or lose on Sunday Kobe is due to join Aussie Rules club St Kilda very soon, but will he have that All-Ireland medal in his luggage as he heads on Down Under? As manager of Kerry Jack O’Connor has won the Sam Maguire Cup five times, but he has never won Sam back to back. And of course Kerry have another target this year, a 40th senior title. It will be close and I give a hesitant vote to my native Kerry, but as a Kerryman I certainly wouldn’t begrudge Mayo a long overdue final win.
COLORS SORTED
To avoid a clash of colors there was a toss last week to decide which will be worn on Sunday. Kerry won the toss and they will wear their traditional green and gold strip. And Mayo are very happy with their alternative white strip as that was the color they wore in 1951 when they last won the Sam Maguire Cup. Back in the fifties there were no second strips, but when Mayo faced Meath in the 1951 final there was a clash of colors and they wore the white of Connacht. That’s how counties got round a clash of colors back then. But no doubt on Sunday the Mayo supporters will still be singing ‘The Green and Red of Mayo.’ The referee on Sunday will Monaghan’s Martin McNally. He is from the Corduff club and Sunday’s game will be his 32nd senior inter-county championship game since making his debut at that level in 2018, but his first senior All-Ireland final.
