Cooper: retaining Sam is very difficult
April 10, 2014
Colm Cooper leads out Kerry. INPHO
Colm Cooper has warned Dublin that it will be extremely difficult to put All-Ireland titles back-to-back.
The injured Kerry captain was part of the last team to win a two-in-a-row of Sam Maguires in 2006 and 2007, and insists Jim Gavin's men face a massive challenge to emulate that feat.
"It is very hard," said Cooper, who was speaking for the first time since suffering a season-ending cruciate injury in Dr. Crokes' All-Ireland club semi-final defeat to Castlebar Mitchels.
"In 2004 we won and came back in 2005 but an excellent Tyrone team beat us. You can think you are a good team or a great team or whatever, but there is always someone coming along - always someone waiting for you.
"There is always a team getting towards the peak of their powers and we met an excellent Tyrone team that time in 2005.
"I think for the Kerry players that time, they had a bee in their bonnet about back to back All-Irelands because nobody had done it since Cork in '89-90.
"So that tells you how hard it is to do. At the time we felt we had an excellent Kerry team and it would have been very disappointing if we didn't try and break that mould. That was the challenge to us.
"The Dubs have it this year, it will be tough for them, no question about that. I have no doubt they will come across a few obstacles, but they have an extremely strong squad so if anybody can do it I think they are in a good position to do it."
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