Emmet Moloney writes for the 'The Irish Farmers Journal' and is a former sports columnist with 'The Kerryman'.

Cork hammered Kerry in the Munster semi-final but this Sunday’s match is a different kettle of fish altogether. This is Croker, the Kingdom’s patch, and the Rebels know it. Emmet Moloney writes...

There is no point giving out about this year’s All-Ireland football final pairing. We just have to get on with it. So do Cork and Kerry, both of whom would have preferred different opponents.

Oh okay then, this column is going to do a small bit of giving out. Will the match be a sell-out? Doubtful. Neutrals, while hoping against hope that the Rebels are the real deal, have little stomach for another match involving these two. Cork are a football powerhouse, despite not having won the Sam Maguire since 1990 and Kerry, well, what would All-Ireland Sunday be like without Kerry? You’d actually have to go back to 2003 to find out because the Kingdom have been there every year since.

You have to feel a bit sorry for Cork. They beat Kerry in the Munster championships of 2002, 2006 and 2008 only to bump into them again in Croke Park, where they lost every time – heavily in 2002 and 2006. Last year, they managed a draw in the All-Ireland semi-final before losing the replay. In 2007, Cork reached the All-Ireland final and were rolled over by the Kingdom. They have serious scores to settle.

Plenty of people are giving the Rebels a real chance this time. And rightly so on the basis of their form, but for me Kerry are still the favourites. A team that knows how to win, they will be at full strength on Sunday, something they haven’t really been all year.
There is so much history between the sides that you don’t know which to disregard and which bits to pay real attention to. Having suspected that the hurling final might end in a stalemate, it is worth reminding ourselves that no two teams draw games between them as often as Cork and Kerry. They drew the Munster final of 2006, their All-Ireland semi-final of 2008 and their Munster semi-final clash back on 7 June of this year. That’s three draws in four years. Don’t say you weren’t warned!

The fact that Cork have never beaten Kerry in Croker will be rammed down the throats of Rebel supporters by their friendly neighbours. The subtext is clear: when it matters, Kerry can always beat Cork. Why is that?

The main reason is Kerry’s big game temperament. They’ve all done it before. They are bred to win All-Irelands. For God’s sake, the newcomer to the team this year is Tadhg Kennelly, a heretofore professional athlete who has played in the Australian version of the All-Ireland final in front of a mere 110,000 spectators. A man whose availability or otherwise for team selection was what Sydney Swans fans tended to base their side’s chances on. Nice rookie to bring on the team, isn’t he?

Tadhg’s father was the gentleman that was Tim Kennelly, centre-back on Micko’s famous four-in-a-row team. His brother Noel played in All-Ireland finals and collected his medal as recently as 2000. Breeding. Pedigree breeding at that.

Does it matter? Of course it does. Kerry looked beatable all year until their manhood was questioned and they reached Croke Park. The team that wiped Dublin will be the one we see on Sunday. It will be business from the word go.

Cork are stronger than they have been in years, but can they cope with their nemesis at full pelt? The answer lies in Anthony Lynch. A man-of-the-match performance from the Naomh Aban defender and they can win. Lynch is the only man who has consistently tamed The Gooch. He plays him tough and he plays him from the front.

Lynch is a classy footballer who links defence and attack as well as any of the Ó Sés. He is also the man the Rebels look to. He is the type of inspirational defender that lifts a team. A stalwart for many years, they need him at his best on Sunday.
Of course Kerry have other forwards who can win games. Kiaran Donaghy and Declan O’Sullivan jump to mind, but Cooper is the man. The main man. Hold him and you shut down Kerry’s Plan A.

Colm Cooper has been around for a while now and is beginning to play like it. His attitude, once upon a time fresh and innocent, is now that of a veteran. He knows when and how to win the free/penalty and when to stay down or get right back up. It’s a pity he has taken to complaining on the pitch so much because he who doth protest too much doesn’t always get the call from referees. His battle with Lynch will be fascinating. On and off the ball.

Speaking of action off the ball, there could be a lot of it. Much of the talk before the match will centre on Cork’s size. They have big men all over the field. Graham Canty, Nicholas Murphy and the like will all be mentioned, and rightly so. Kerry’s big men (and Paul Galvin) will meet that head on.

You hate to anticipate sendings off but there is huge potential for trouble on Sunday. Cork simply cannot lose again to Kerry and the Kingdom simply cannot lose to the Rebels in a final. Darragh and the rest of the Ó Sés have previous with Cork – as does Nicholas Murphy with Darragh.

Then there is John Miskella. History tells us that getting away with a punch in one match usually means you get ridden in the next, deserved or undeserved. Watch how the ref treats him.

When all is analysed to death, we can’t look past Kerry. Star is fit, Tommy Walsh is raring to go, Tadhg is living the family dream, Darragh, Tomás and Marc would rather die than lose an All-Ireland to Cork and the Gooch always scores an early goal. This is their stage.

I hope I am wrong, but the day that Cork trounced Kerry in the Munster semi-final replay was the worst thing that could happen to this championship. Any time the Kingdom have a chance to regroup and have one of their famous clear-the-air sessions, everyone else has to look out.

Kerry’s 36th All-Ireland title just has an air of inevitability about it.


Colm Cooper ... key to Kerry's Plan A. Or will it be Plan B?

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To catch Emmet's latest column, get 'The Irish Farmers' Journal' every Thursday...