O'Connor's Kingdom confidence

September 16, 2014

Kerry minor manager Jack O'Connor

Jack O'Connor believes Kerry can get the better of Donegal in Sunday's All-Ireland SFC final.

O'Connor takes charge of the Kingdom minor side that also locks horns with the Tir Chonail men in the curtain-raiser at Croke Park and he is confident that Eamonn Fitzmaurice's charges can find a way past the uncanny organisation of the Ulster champions in the main event:

"I think they can win," he told The Irish Times. "The seniors are in a great position going into the final. The entire spotlight is on Donegal after beating Dublin. I think people are forgetting the intensity of the battle Kerry had with Mayo over two days and extra time. I think Eamonn is in a fantastic position.

"Donegal are favourites and it will be hard for Donegal to replicate the intensity of the performance they put in the last day. Physiologically, it will be very hard for them to get up to that pitch again so I think Kerry have a right good chance.

"I wouldn't go along with the notion that Dublin caved in. I think they just got frustrated and were sucked into a game that really they didn't want to play. They had to force the play and put a lot of bodies forward, leaving themselves open at the back. Tactically, Donegal got it right. They created huge space for players to run into.

"The big lesson for Kerry looking at the game is Ryan McHugh will have to be picked up, nobody was picking him up and he was a free man.

"Kerry will have learned from the mistakes Dublin made tactically in the semi-final. Eamonn is a clever fella. I think he will pick up a good few lessons from the way Dublin set up. I don't think Kerry will leave themselves as short at the back as Dublin did."


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