In talking about the Kerry defence you have to start with full back Seamus Moynihan who remains the spiritual leader of the team. Before the semi-final with Cork it was felt Colin Corkery had outwitted him on numerous occasions. On the day, however, Moynihan nailed that one to the mast , even if Corkery made it a little easier by being so distracted. But the Armagh defence also has its own equally capable leader in Kieran McGeeney. He inspires from a centre-back position that may be a little easier than

The next best defender for Kerry is Michael McCarthy, whose contribution is nearly always under-rated. He's a very tight marker and sticks to his man, and his battle with Steven McDonnell will be very interesting to watch. Marc Ó Sé in the other corner has done well with his speed and agility, and similarly with Tomás Ó Sé at wing back.

Measuring it on a straight head-to-head, and especially the half backs, I think the Armagh defence is that bit tighter. The Kerry defenders conceded a fair few goal chances against Galway that just weren't taken, and against Cork they also lost a bit of discipline. Tomás Ó Sé, John Seehan and Tom O'Sullivan when he came on all got involved and that's something they'll need to avoid on Sunday.

Kerry's defenders also have a tendency to give away a lot of frees. But they tend not to be in scoring positions, so they'd be cute enough in that regard. In general, Kerry move the ball with greater pace out of defence.

Both goalkeepers are very experienced and are proven shot-stoppers. Declan O'Keeffe goes for the longer kick-outs, whereas Benny Tierney goes for more placing as part of a pre-arranged routine.

The strange thing about the Armagh defence as a whole is that they seem to lack pace, and they certainly looked vulnerable against Sligo, but they seem to overcome it. Even against Dublin on the wide Croke Park pitch their lack of pace wasn't a great problem, and by playing so well as a unit any inadequacies that they have are covered up.

With the half forwards sometimes funnelling back and McGeeney sitting in front of the full-back line they are able to close down the spaces, and that will be their aim on Sunday, and especially in closing down Mike Frank Russell and Colm Cooper.

It has been suggested that the two McNultys, Enda and Justin, will pick up Kerry's two danger men, Cooper and Russell. Armagh also have an advantage in that they also have similarly physical defenders on the bench like Kieran Hughes and John Donaldson, more than Kerry, whose overall defence is more built on pace. And therein lies the conundrum for Sunday.