The longer this season has gone on, the more I have questioned Kerry's ability to sustain their effort over the full 70 minutes. If you look back through their games this year, there have almost always been problems and that inconsistency may also be their downfall this afternoon.

They were up something like 2-9 to 0-5 by half-time against Cork in the Munster semi-final. They also had a blitz of a start against Armagh in the drawn game, and then they went 0-8 to 0-1 up against Galway in the drawn game a fortnight ago. But in every one of these games their inconsistency very nearly cost them at the end.

I don't know if it is a consequence of complacency, a lack of self-belief or just down to poor concentration. But they do seem to have problems sustaining the effort that they produce at the beginning of a game and if that type of inconsistency bedevils them again this afternoon then I believe they will be in real trouble.

I also said after the drawn game that Galway looked that bit fresher at the end. They have been out in the championship since the end of May but the intensity of their games has been much lower than Kerry's, except for the semi-final against Kildare. I feel that freshness will stand to them this afternoon.

Conversely, the two tough games against Armagh appear to have taken a lot from the Kerry legs. I didn't think they could sustain the tempo or the intensity that they started with the last day simply because they may be feeling that bit tired.

I was also a little bit surprised to see Kerry name the same team. The big talking point is obviously over Maurice Fitzgerald and whether he should start or not. But all summer I have felt that because of his injuries and the fact that he has missed so much training, he has not been able to get to the pace or the fitness levels that are needed for championship football.

The strange thing is that I believe he would have had a major impact in the first game had he been on from the start. If he had been in the full forward line when Kerry were dominant then I think that they would have accumulated a match-winning margin.

But he came on at a time when Kerry had more or less conceded midfield and when they were finding it very difficult to get ball up front. I thought myself that Paidi O Se might have gambled a bit more and actually started him this time in the hope that they could get a midfield advantage early on so that he could engineer, if not score, the vital points himself.

Of course he will make an appearance but what will be crucial to Kerry is the impact he makes. If he is as nondescript as the last day then they can't be relying on his introduction. But, of course if he is as effective as he was when coming on against Armagh, then he can be a major plus.

Galway are putting their best foot forward this time out, and really going for broke by starting Kevin Walsh and Richie Fahy. The substitute power that they had the last day is not available to them now and you have to ask the question who will come on if Walsh is not playing well.

So it's no longer the case of having equal players on the bench to those in the starting 15 and it is a gamble for John O'Mahony to start these two. It's almost like he's indulging in a sort of mind game with O Se, and the naming, on paper, of Paul Clancy at full forward and Padraig Joyce at centre forward is also intriguing.

Clancy had a good game when he went in on Seamus Moynihan the last day. Joyce seemed to thrive once he was spared the marking quality of Moynihan, but I still think that he will start at full forward and Clancy on the wing.

Another big plus about this Galway team is the fabulous work ethic from one to 15. In contrast, Kerry have an awful lot of flair and class but they don't compliment that with the work-rate and urgency that you need at this level.

Galway might not have that flair but they have the work ethic. But coming towards the end of the game the last day, there were some signs of simple selfishness among some of the forwards in failing to give the ball to some of their better placed colleagues.

In the past, their unselfishness would have been something you would have taken for granted but it let them down at the wrong time the last day. But I'm sure they will have worked on that since then.

Replays have a tendency to be very different games. I think this will be a battle of attrition more than an entertaining game and from a Galway perspective, they will be hoping to get more out of Michael Donnellan. He is a fantastic footballer but they will be looking for a more advanced role rather than going as deep as he did the last day.

I think it will be a more balanced and more physical game than the last day. There was a awful lot of looseness in both sides and I expect them to be much tighter this time out.

Overall though, I think the pendulum has swung in Galway's direction after the first game. I would have no doubt about Galway if they were able to score more goals but I still think they are that bit fresher, they have greater work ethic, and their self belief is immense. That should be enough to take them over the winning line this afternoon.

(In conversation with Ian O'Riordan)