All-Ireland MFC Final replay/Kerry v Roscommon: One may question all they know about football after witnessing last Sunday's thrilling game in which the sides shared 30 points. Roscommon are an intriguingly stubborn pack of footballers but Kerry in a replay must, surely, still be favourites.
Some doubts rankle though. Like why an astonishing mass of Roscommon people made it to Croke Park. How did they source so many tickets? The momentum has been building since this band of brothers battled past Galway in the Connacht semi-final.
Mayo were felled next in the final. A trip to the midlands followed as they learned how to win as favourites, against Tipperary. A vital experience of Croke Park, to ruthlessly overcome a fancied Meath, washed away any fear of the green and gold.
As team adviser Dermot Early senior noted immediately after last week's mind-blowing affair: "the journey continues".
It is easy to state Roscommon have blown their chance but remember this is a serious Kerry outfit, who threatened to devour their opponents the last day by strolling into an initial five-point lead.
The Kerry defence is not afraid to earn a yellow card by dragging a dangerous attack to earth. But the midfield, no make that the team, is built around a force of nature named Tommy Walsh. We will be writing about him for 10 years.
Walsh's immaculate fielding and distribution opens the road for Paddy Curran - now recovered from a facial injury sustained during his eight-point concerto - and his fellow forwards, who can all find the posts in their sleep. A point scorer from the draw even makes way as Patrick Curtain comes in for Daniel O'Shea.
Manager John Kennedy also switched Garry O'Driscoll to centre forward with David Moran moving back alongside Walsh in a Kerins O'Rahilly club partnership.
Subtle movements in what has developed into a tactical war.
So what will be the Roscommon's response?
As usual manager Fergal O'Donnell did not announce a team but word has filtered through from out west. The two early substitutions the last day, when Kerry were running riot, Niall Carty and Keith Waldron are in from the start.
Both were early summer regulars but a cartilage injury (Waldron) and broken jaw (Carty) meant they struggled to regain starting berths.
Full back Mark McLoughlin makes way for Carty and Waldron is in for midfielder Kevin Higgins, although Donal Shine is expected to be given the initial job of curtailing Walsh with Waldron at wing forward.
Shine is a crucial scoring cog in the Roscommon attack so if Walsh is lording it at midfield or they need Shine closer to goal plan B (something Mayo never planned for Kieran Donaghy) could be to introduce the sturdy Colin Canny.
Or, Kerry could just come out and blow them away. They possess the tools to do so with the fearsome full-forward line of Curran, Eoin Kennedy and Garry Sayers.
Roscommon require so many particulars to click into gear: Walsh must be curtailed; Conor Devaney and Shine need to repeat the 11-point spread from last week; David O'Gara must also feature on the scoreboard. There can be no margin for error.
And yet, there is a near certainty that Kerry will have to fight for every inch to retain the Tommy Markham Cup for the first time since 1994.
Motivation? As last week proved, if it comes down to hunger a cigarette paper will separate them. The Kerry captain, Curran, can relay to his team-mates the feeling of losing an All-Ireland final as he was present two years ago against Tyrone.
So who will prevail?
Oh to hell, Roscomm . . . no wait, it must be Kerry. By a score.
KERRY: T Mac an tSaoir; B Russell, M Moloney, D Ó Sé; S Enright, A Greaney, B Costello; T Walsh, D Moran; P Curtin, G O'Driscoll, J Buckley; G Sayers, P Curran (capt), E Kennedy.
ROSCOMMON (probable): M Miley; P Gleeson, N Carty, S Ormsby; P Domican, D Flynn (capt), C Garvey; D Keenan, D Shine; C Devaney, J McKeague, K Waldron; P Garvey, F Cregg, D O'Gara.
Referee: P Hughes (Armagh).
