Derek Kavanagh and Declan O’Sullivan sat side by side today at the Bank of Ireland Football Championship Final press conference relaxed and confident, although thoughts of lifting Sam after the final whistle blows in Croke Park this Sunday must be consuming their minds.

After four months, 55 matches and 33 contenders it’s now time for Kerry and Cork to face each other for the prestige title of All Ireland Champions.

Cork and Kerry share a rivalry that extends back to 1889 when they met for the first time in the Championship but this Sunday’s All Ireland final will be their biggest clash in history. If successful, Cork will celebrate their first All-Ireland football title since 1990 and their seventh in all, while Kerry will take a record 35th title.

Passion and excitement were trademarks of the 2007 Bank of Ireland Football Championship with epic encounters taking place throughout the summer. Dublin retained the Leinster title but were ultimately defeated by Munster Champions Kerry in an eagerly anticipated semi-final meeting. Meath emerged as contenders from Leinster, while Tyrone retained the Ulster title and Sligo captured their first Connacht provincial title for thirty-two years.

It was a great summer to be a fan of the game - it has been a joy to watch, live and breathe this magnificent sport weekend after weekend. This year’s attendance figures have already exceeded the 1 million mark, which signifies the continued popularity of this sport.

2007 marks the 14th year of Bank of Ireland’s sponsorship of the Football Championship. The marketing theme was once again ‘Extraordinary’ in recognition of the extraordinary passion and dedication that both players and fans bring to the game.

To capture the imagination of GAA fans nationwide, Bank of Ireland ran a ‘Top 15 GAA footballers’ competition asking the public to name their top 15 GAA footballers of the last fifteen years. An unprecedented number of entries were received and the winner, who will be announced this week will receive tickets to the final and €15,000!

Kerry captain Declan O'Sullivan
- Photo from SPORTSFILE