Kerry selector Ger O'Keeffe insists that the Kingdom are not looking upon the All-Ireland final as an opportunity to avenge their crushing 2003 All-Ireland semi-final loss to Tyrone, and that the big motivation is to become the first team in 15 years to put titles back-to-back. While the public perception seems to be that Kerry will be on a revenge mission when they face Tyrone in the All-Ireland football final, team selector Ger O'Keeffe insists that isn't the case at all. The Austin Stacks clubman, who won five All-Ireland medals during a hugely successful playing career, feels that people are dwelling too much on the 2003 All-Ireland semi-final when the Kingdom suffered a devastating loss to Tyrone. Instead of seeking revenge, he claims the big motivation for Kerry is to become the first team since Cork in 1990 to retain the Sam Maguire. "2003 is dead and buried and it won't mean anything when the ball is thrown in on All-Ireland final day," he says. "It's history now, the same as the 1986 All-Ireland final between Kerry and Tyrone is. This is a different year, a different game and all our preparations have been geared towards this. We are going to do our best to bring home the All-Ireland title, but we know that we will have our work cut out against a very good Tyrone team. "You don't get too many opportunities like this and when you do, you have to try and take them. We were thrilled to win the All-Ireland last year and now the task is to retain it. It would be a fantastic achievement to win it two years running, especially when it's taken into account that all teams are now putting in the same preparations. "It would be as good an achievement as winning three or four in-a-row was in the past." O'Keeffe has no problem in acknowledging that Tyrone were physically stronger and tactically more astute than Kerry when the sides last met in the championship two years ago. "Tyrone were the better team on the day and I don't think you'll find anyone in Kerry who will say otherwise. Tyrone outsmarted Kerry, they put them under pressure and fully deserved their win. A lot was made of the tactics Tyrone used and you have to say they were very effective. In hindsight, Kerry mightn't have been fully prepared for that game and they paid the price." Taking on board the harsh lessons of that defeat, the Kingdom have since adopted a style of football that is not unlike Tyrone's. But will they be ready for what is expected to be another ferocious Tyrone challenge? "Tyrone bring huge intensity to their game and our guys will have to match that if they're to have any chance of winning. Tyrone are an unbelievably resilient team and have an innate ability to survive and to win tight matches. They were outplayed at midfield by Armagh the last day, but still won. That says an awful lot for their resilience and character." While O'Keeffe has great faith in the Kerry players, he is surprised they have been installed as favourites by the bookies. "I cannot understand why we are going into this final as favourites. Maybe it's something got to do with tradition, but the fact of the matter is that Tyrone have beaten all the recognised teams this year and they have had a much tougher passage to the final. "After the campaign they've had, they won't want to finish the year empty-handed and that is a huge incentive for them. I'm sure Mickey Harte has been stressing to the Tyrone players the importance of taking something from the year and those guys won't even be contemplating defeat," he says. While the All-Ireland final will be Tyrone's 10th championship match this year, it will only be Kerry's sixth. They easily accounted for Tipperary in the first round of the Munster championship and had six points to spare over Limerick in the semi-final. Cork threatened to cause an upset in the provincial decider at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, but vital second half scores from Tomas O Se and Declan O'Sullivan saw the Kingdom prevail by three points. Against Mayo in the All-Ireland quarter-final, Kerry looked like running away with victory after Darragh O Se found the net early in the second half. But a failure to score after the 58th minute left the door open for a Mayo comeback and a goal was all that separated the sides at the finish. Like Tyrone, Kerry were pitted against their greatest rivals in the All-Ireland semi-final. Having produced an impressive showing against Galway in the quarter-final, Cork were expected to test Kerry's metal to the limit. But the Kingdom were in a different league and sauntered to a 1-19 to 0-9 victory. O'Keeffe admits that Kerry would have liked a tougher challenge from Cork in the semi-final, but is nevertheless confident they will be ready for Tyrone. "Our preparations have gone as well as we could have hoped and there is a good spirit in the camp. The players have another year of hard training under their belts and I'd like to think they will be ready for whatever challenge Tyrone throws at them. "We have a situation where there is huge competition for starting places and this has resulted in the players pushing themselves harder. It's amazing the effort these fellas have put in over the past two years and the hunger they continue to show. "I'm confident that we'll be in the game right to the end, and after that, it will probably come down to whichever team wants it more." The former defender played senior football for Kerry from 1972 to '83, during which he won All-Ireland medals in 1975, '78, '79, '80 and '81 as well as a clutch of Munster and National League mementos. And while Mick O'Dwyer was Kerry manager for most of that time, Ger was handed his debut by fellow selector Johnny Culloty, who was then the team trainer. In conclusion, Ger says: "I'm really looking forward to this final; it's a fascinating duel and I'm sure it will provide a fitting climax to the championship. We played good football in last year's final against Mayo, but we mightn't get the same space this time. I'm expecting a tactical battle and hopefully we'll fare alright in that regard." Tweet

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