Watch GAA worldwide

Location: Dublin West

If in Ireland you can watch here on RTE.
Ireland only viewing of the Cork v Kerry All-Ireland final live.
Irish Community Images

Best GAA Odds and Free GAA Bets

Paddy Power

BETDAQ

Betfair's
Ladbrokes

SportingBet

William Hill Sports Betting

Worldwide watch final live. GAA football championship final
Cork v Kerry All-Ireland Final watch here

Irish Forums Members Only Article:
You need to post in this Irish Forums topic to see the full article.

Cork v Kerry All-Ireland Final previews

RTE Cork v Kerry
This age-old Munster rivalry will grab the nation's attention for the second time in three years at Croke Park on Sunday, writes Séamus Leonard.

Kerry ran out easy ten-point winners in 2007, but there will be no steamroller involved this time, unless Cork bring it with them.

If the Sam Maguire were awarded to the team who have shown the best consistency this year, then there is no doubt that Graham Canty would be the man walking up the steps of the Hogan Stand.

Cork started their campaign with a routine win over Waterford, before taking two days to see off the Kingdom. It really should have only taken the one game, as Kerry were outplayed on both occasions.

There was a lot made about how difficult Conor Counihan's men found it to overcome Limerick in the Munster final, but the Treatymen are a better side than some give them credit for.

There was the sense at that stage that we had seen Cork win provincial titles in recent years, without that success or form being transferred to the All-Ireland series afterwards.

The unmerciful hiding meted out to Donegal, and the clinical, if not comprehensive, victory over Tyrone have since shown that this Cork outfit is big and ugly enough to end a 19-year wait for All-Ireland success. It is just a simple case of going out and winning another game. Or at least it should be.

Commenting on soccer, novelist and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once said: 'In football everything is complicated by the presence of the other team.'

The Frenchman's musing is particularly pertinent to Cork's situation. Having beaten defending All-Ireland champions Tyrone, the Rebels would be overwhelming favourites to go on and finish the job off, were it not of Kerry on the other side of that pre-match parade.

So Counihan and his backroom team should be working on relieving their side of all anxiety, a tough thing to do in the run-up to the biggest day of their lives.

With this being their sixth All-Ireland final appearance in a row, Kerry will almost certainly be the more relaxed of the two.

The manner of their progression to this stage has been markedly different to that of their opponents, but the apparent internal problems they have endured this summer have proven Frederick Nietzsche's assertion 'that which does not kill us makes us stronger.'

A dismal showing in Munster was followed by uninspiring wins over Longford and Sligo. Their form improved against Antrim, despite both Tomás Ó Sé and Colm Cooper being dropped for drinking in the aftermath of their win over Sligo.

Kerry selector Ger O'Keeffe said this week that he believes the decision to drop the pair, though controversial at the time, had a galvanizing effect on the Kingdom's squad.

They certainly looked the better for it against Dublin, with an early Cooper goal setting the tone for one of the most complete performances ever witnessed at Headquarters. Those heights were not reached against Meath in the semi-final, but such games are rarely ever more than a means to an end.

After much chopping and changing Kerry manager Jack O'Connor finally seems to have found his best XV, though Kieran Donaghy would be a cert to start were it not for his injury problems.

Tommy Walsh came off the bench to good effect against Meath, and the 1-02 he notched that day ensured he would get a starting place in the final. Tadhg Kennelly is just 70 minutes away from winning that All-Ireland medal he returned from Australia early to attain. It may have taken him a while to re-adjust to the game, but he has slowly become one of O'Connor's most important men.

But all the pre-match discussion about players may be futile unless referee Marty Duffy produces a performance worthy of such an important occasion. Diarmuid Kirwan sullied what could have been hurling's finest hour by awarding Kilkenny a penalty that never was against Tipperary.

The plots thicken for titanic All-Ireland final day
By DAMIAN LAWLOR and AENGUS FANNING
TRADITIONALLY, the outcome of the All-Ireland football final always tosses up a multitude of scenarios but the stakes for today's Cork v Kerry game seem impossibly high, higher than for any decider of the recent past.

We have an intriguing set of sub-plots.

Paul Galvin and his ongoing journey towards redemption after slapping a notebook from referee Paddy Russell's hands in last year's championship. After a dark 2008, Galvin now stands one game away from winning Footballer of the Year.

Darragh ó Sé, barring a draw, may play his last game for the county, bringing down the curtain on one of the most illustrious careers the game has ever witnessed. "It's great to be involved at this level at this age, it's nice to be there and hopefully I can contribute well on Sunday," he said last week.

It also presents Nicholas Murphy with one last chance to get one over him. It's hard to remember an occasion when that has happened, but this afternoon he might get to overcome his nemesis on the biggest stage of all.

No matter how hard you try, you can't escape the sense that All-Ireland medals for Tadhg Kennelly and Tommy Walsh today could see them fly back to Australia. Kennelly has openly mooted the possibility of going back to the Sydney Swans -- if his body could stand up to the rigours of the game -- and with an All-Ireland medal in his back pocket he could leave these shores as quickly as he arrived.

Walsh, on the other hand? Well, the Aussies just won't leave last year's Young Footballer of the Year alone. There's every chance of him heading out to St Kilda and giving professional sport a shot for a few years.

New chapters could open for those two, but Aidan O'Mahony will simply be seeking to close the book on a horrible 12 months. After being dogged by the doping affair which was finally put to bed in January, and suffering the disappointment of being dropped from the starting 15, a win this afternoon, and a significant cameo role to go along with it, would extract the sour taste from the year thus far.

On the other side of the fence, we wait with fascination to see where the epic quests of Cork stalwarts Graham Canty and Anthony Lynch leads them.

These two have been in search of a Celtic Cross for almost 10 years now and like Galvin, Canty stands just 70 minutes away from the Player of the Year award. After what they have invested into the red jersey this decade it's hard to know if there are two footballers out there more worthy.

Then there's Alan Quirke. Today is his chance to bury memories of the 2007 final. He admits he still thinks about that day "the odd time".

Both teams had light work-outs over the weekend but the serious work was done far from Croke Park, and far from prying eyes. So meticulous have Jack O'Connor's Kerry been in their build-up that Fitzgerald Stadium has remained off-limits to all-comers, including stars of the past.

Seán Murphy, winner of three All-Ireland medals in the 1950s, admitted he was disappointed last week not to be allowed into a Kerry training session in Killarney. "We only got as far as the gate," he said. "It wouldn't have happened in Eamon O'Sullivan's time."

One of Kerry's all-time greats continued in a judgement worthy of Solomon: "Cork will win, but Kerry could win. This is the best team I've seen out of Cork in 50 years, but whether they have the X factor that it takes to win an All-Ireland, we'll have to find out," said the retired GP. "But if Kerry are fully functional, if there are no doubts about Gooch, and if Darragh ó Sé gets the full 70 minutes, then they could do it."

Kerry go into the game with a clean bill of health and a much stronger bench too, it must be said.

Cork, meanwhile, are still sweating a little on their young defender Ray Carey. If he can't play, the word is Eoin Cadogan, reportedly flying in training all week, will step in at full-back. It's one thing doing that in Pairc Ui Chaoimh, mind, it's another stepping into the cauldron of an All-Ireland final in Croke Park.

The bookies can barely separate them -- Cork are evens, Kerry 11/10 and a draw 15/2 -- so the whole country, and further afield, will tune in today simply because there's so much on the line. And so many individual battles to be won before one group of players are crowned Kings of September.

When the smoke clears Cork will stand tall
In this section »

* Messi's release clause with Barcelona rises to €250m
* High time for United to take leash off Rooney

SEÁN MORAN GAA Correspondent

GAELIC GAMES All-Ireland SFC Final Kerry v Cork: IT WOULD have been hard to imagine after Kerry had ransacked Cork in 2007 that another GAA All-Ireland football final between the counties would, within two years, be a matter of such keen anticipation.

Once again, the occasionally maligned qualifier system has filtered the best teams in the championship through to the last day, and acknowledgement of some one-sided finals this decade doesn’t alter that.

Part of the fascination of tomorrow’s match is the terms of engagement can’t be analysed on a like-for-like basis. On all known form Cork must win. Their strength and pace have powered them through matches on a steady trajectory.

The only pause for breath came in the Munster final against Limerick, and even then they managed to dig out a win from most unpromising circumstances.

All-Ireland champions Tyrone were flung aside, with only Alan O’Connor’s red card just before half-time coming between them and a thrashing. The speed and intensity of Cork’s game left the Ulster champions literally gasping as they absorbed the hits and struggled to piece together their own previously irresistible pressing tactics.

Kerry travelled a different route in all respects. Take away the match against Dublin, effectively a performance in a vacuum, and Jack O’Connor’s side have struggled to look the part.

So why are the bookies taking in so much money on Kerry?

Simply because the psychology of teams is so important and mental factors tilt matches.

This is the fifth occasion on which the counties will have met a few weeks after Cork have beaten their neighbours in the province. Kerry have yet to lose one of these re-matches.

It constitutes enough baggage for an around-the-world cruise.

But does that mean Cork will never beat Kerry in the All-Ireland series? Obviously not.

So the question is – have we reached the tipping point?

The view here is we have.

It was put to me two years ago during the rugby world cup that one of the reasons the All Blacks have done so badly in the competition is an inability to win tight matches. They either steamroll the opposition or lose to them.

Already this decade Kerry have won three All-Irelands by a cumulative 31 points; they have lost three by a cumulative eight. They could, of course, hammer Cork again tomorrow; but how will they do if the match is still there with 10 or so minutes left?

The fragility or otherwise of Cork’s mentality has to be an issue, as does their younger, less experienced team going in against a side playing a sixth All-Ireland final on the trot.

Experience, however, isn’t everything. Jimmy Barry-Murphy said during the week he was more nervous as an older player going into All-Irelands than he had been as a teenager in 1973.

Cork’s under-21 graduates have a successful history against Kerry, and whatever else thwarts them it won’t be the colour of the jersey.

It should also be borne in mind that Conor Counihan has effected a paradigm shift in the team’s attitude. Last year’s semi-final contained football every bit as poor as that which had sent the team crashing in previous years, but somehow they got up off the floor and made Kerry scrap for a win the then champions were glad to get.

Question marks – if Ray Carey can’t play does the rumoured selection of Eoin Cadogan at full back make sense?

Going well in training is one thing, but translating that into an edge-of-the-square All-Ireland performance is another. No matter how confident the player, his confidence in his ability and his actual ability to do a job are separate issues.

Whoever’s there will mark Tommy Walsh according to the selection. That gives benefits to Jack O’Connor’s side in terms of high-ball attacking, but the team has only re-discovered a fast, combination style that was effective against Dublin but relies on Declan O’Sullivan being close to goal.

O’Sullivan’s scoring threat recedes when he moves out, and the tendency to play deep would suit Graham Canty down to the ground, whereas Tadhg Kennelly’s central play was excellent in the Meath semi-final and might be better suited to pinning down the Cork captain.

Kerry have to be concerned at the prospects of Anthony Lynch repeating his Páirc Uí Chaoimh shut-out on Colm Cooper. Lynch is intelligent and feisty, but he looked in trouble whenever Tyrone got ball to Stephen O’Neill.

Which begs the question – will Kerry empower Cooper? And if so, how?

In Munster, Kerry couldn’t buy possession, with Alan Quirke’s kick-outs bombing down on Pearse O’Neill, with Nicholas Murphy and Alan O’Connor pulling wide. Things have been a lot better in Kerry’s centrefield since, but Tyrone have shown how even Darragh Ó Sé on song doesn’t guarantee victory.

Tomás Ó Sé and Paul Galvin are in terrific form processing loose ball, but, as a unit, Cork’s middle eight have been formidable on the breaks.

There may be a suspicion in Kerry that Cork’s full forward can be disrupted. Donncha O’Connor isn’t having his best year, but the collective impact has been good.

Daniel Goulding has a good goal-scoring record against Kerry, whereas Colm O’Neill has combined the brazenness of youth with some good shooting and doesn’t look likely to be inhibited by the occasion.

Kerry will throw everything they can at this in the early stages, but when the smoke clears the belief here is that Cork will still be standing and after that there’s only one winner.

Register

The Irish Community have posted
4 REPLIES TO THIS TOPIC
for logged in members to view.

Irish Forums Message Discussion :: Watch GAA worldwide

Watch GAA worldwide