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Dara Ó Cinnéide after drawn All-Ireland 'I didn't think Kerry had that in them'

Former Kerry player Dara Ó Cinnéide says Kerry will take a huge amount from their drawn All-Ire...



Dara Ó Cinnéide  after drawn A...
Football

Dara Ó Cinnéide after drawn All-Ireland 'I didn't think Kerry had that in them'

Former Kerry player Dara Ó Cinnéide says Kerry will take a huge amount from their drawn All-Ireland Football final with Dublin on Sunday. 

The old cliche goes that an underdog only gets one chance and the favourite generally always wins the second day out.

However, speaking to Off The Ball after the game on Sunday, that finished up 1-16 apiece, the An Ghaeltacht clubman seemed optimistic about what he saw in Kerry and their chances the next day.

"This is a Dublin team for the ages. Before the game there wasn't a whole lot of hope.

"I'm very pleased with the performance of Kerry, very proud of them as a Kerryman watching them. I didn't think they had that performance in them, they can be very proud of it.

"This was a first final for a lot of those lads. Dublin are old hands at this. The self-belief will creep in.

"The much-maligned defensive system Kerry has stood up to an awful lot of scrutiny today.

"The trick now is to kick on, not to be just satisfied with it."

The three-time All-Ireland winner also had massive praise for Dublin.

"I don't think I've enjoyed a day out in Croke Park as much as I did today. It was an absolutely brilliant game.

"Huge respect to Dublin for the last seven or eight minutes and the intensity that they brought to the tackle.

"Turning over great players like David Moran, Paul Geaney and these lads - they don't cough up possession that easily so it was a massive contest, great enjoyment and all the clocks are set at naught again."

Jonny Cooper's sending off before half-time was a defining moment and you can't help but wonder will the Kingdom be as competitive the next day out if they don't have that numerical advantage for over 35 minutes?

Ó Cinnéide was optimistic in this regard though; feeling Kerry matched up well with the Dubs throughout the game.

"Of course, the sending off was a huge factor, an extra man is a huge thing in today's game but there were times in the second half you were asking who actually had the extra man?

"Kerry were quite defensive, they were protecting the D, Paul Murphy at times was the extra man. Stephen O'Brien at times was dropping back.

"That is a factor for the next day but even in a 15 against 15 game, I was quite happy with the way Kerry were playing.

"We all acknowledge Dublin's brilliance - there isn't enough superlatives in the book [to describe them]."

The Dubs stood on the cusp of history and at one stage in the second half were five points up before Killian Spillane's goal with less than 15 minutes left to play kick-started the Kerry fightback.

Dean Rock had the chance to win it with a last gasp free. The Ballymun Kickhams man had already sent 10 over in the contest as he stood up to take a placed ball from the sideline but he sent it wide.

Perhaps the pressure of the five in a row got to the Dubs; they are human after all.

Ó Cinnéide was incredibly impressed with Kerry's attitude and nerve; with many of them featuring in their first-ever All-Ireland final.

"We know how good Dublin are, we don't know yet how good this Kerry team might be.

"Their graph is still on the up. Dublin's graph is consistently brilliantly at a high level but Kerry's is on the way up and after today it didn't flatline - it's certainly encouraging.

"We don't know yet how good these lads are - we found out today if you put them in front of 82,000 people in a big occasion they don't wilt. That was a genuine fear down in Kerry.

"It's hard to think of negatives from the Kerry viewpoint going forward.

"Sean O'Shea was huge.

"Not one easy kick did he have, all the frees he took were either 50's or long-distance frees, in his first all-Ireland, kicking into the Hill in the second half.

"Huge kicks all the way."

The replay is set for 6pm Saturday 14 September.

Jim Gavin is likely to reconsider his selection more so than Kerry boss Peter Keane with players such as Cian O'Sullivan, Eoghan O'Gara and Bernard Brogan not featuring at all on Sunday.

The build-up will also continue as the narrative is likely to focus on the pressure and the drive for five.

Ó Cinnéide is confident that the anti-climax of the draw will not deteriorate the standard of the contest in two weeks time.

"I remember playing in the Kerry team that drew an All-Ireland final in 2000 against Galway - it's very anti-climatic there's no doubt about that.

"You're absolutely shattered afterward, you're exhausted but it is what it is.

"They're so professional in their approach now it's just like re-setting the clocks at naught saying we go again, we take this challenge head-on."

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All Ireland Final Croke Park Football Kerry