The road to the All-Ireland final

Head-to-Head

Darragh Ó Sé v Nicholas Murphy

(Analysis by John O'Keeffe)

"Overall I think Nicholas Murphy has been the country's top midfielder this year, definitely the man in form. He's coming into this final with his confidence well up after excellent displays against Sligo and Meath, and is looking fitter and more mobile than ever before. He's also been making some excellent forward runs on top of his overall midfield displays.

"Darragh Ó Sé, in contrast, has a small question mark over his form. In previous clashes with Cork he has definitely won out over Murphy, especially in Croke Park, and that proved the launching pad for Kerry's convincing wins.But Ó Sé hasn't had a great season so far, falling a little short of the high standards that has made his the best midfielder in the country over the past decade. At 32 there's a lot of football in his legs. He also had the injury problem against Dublin, and that's not the kind of performance you want to carry into an All-Ireland final.

"What Ó Sé does have in his favour is the All-Ireland experience. He still tends to make some very important catches at key stages of the game. In other words, when the game is in the balance he usually comes up trumps.

"There's no doubt over the 70 minutes Murphy is capable of inflicting real damage on the Kerry midfield, but overall I think they will break even. That's why their partners on Sunday, Seamus Scanlon for Ó Sé and Derek Kavanagh for Murphy, are also so important. They'll need to match their partners work-rate, and also pick up the breaking ball.

"So it's the whole midfield package that will decide it, who will settle first, and who can perform at their optimum on the All-Ireland stage. We know Ó Sé can do that."

Outsider's view

Monaghan manager Seamus McEnaney: "I think Kerry will win by between three and six points. I can't see them beaten. I felt Kerry were vulnerable for one game in 2007, and that was our game. They had a six week lay-off, their eye was off the ball slightly. We needed to capitalise on their vulnerability.

"Another reason why I feel Kerry will win is the route Cork have taken to the final. They have beaten Tipperary, Sligo, Louth and a Meath team that didn't play well on the day. When you look at Kerry beating a highly motivated Monaghan team, and Dublin, it has been more competitive for them.

"Cork-Kerry games tend to take on lives of their own, but I think Kerry have too much class this time around. Yes, Cork have made progress over the last two or three years, definitely, but Kerry have too much class, and they have a serious depth of talent, they can bring in subs that make a difference.

"Mike Frank Russell didn't play against Dublin at all, and he would be playing on every other team in the country. Then you have Seán O'Sullivan, Darren O'Sullivan, a serious depth of talent."

Seven Wonders of Kerry

Normally the major awards are handed out after the All-Ireland final, but Kerry forward Colm "Gooch" Cooper has already secured one notable honour by topping the list of the "Seven Wonders of Kerry", as decided by listeners of Radio Kerry.

The month-long search for the "Seven Wonders of Kerry" attracted over 3,000 voters by phone, email, and text to the station's daily current affairs programme, Kerry Today. All the Kingdom's natural beauty spots were included, plus its history, people and traditions. The "Gooch" was the only footballer to make the shortlist, and in the end topped the list with 17 per cent of the votes. Coming in second with 15 per cent was Dingle's famous dolphin, Fungi. The bottlenose dolphin first appeared in Dingle Harbour in 1984 and 23 years on, is clearly one of the county's most popular and beloved attractions.

The final list of the "Seven Wonders of Kerry", as voted by listeners to Radio Kerry, was: 1. Colm "Gooch" Cooper 2. Fungi 3. Valentia Island 4. Skellig Michael 5. Dingle Peninsula and Slea Head 6. Ardfert Cathedral 7. The Conor Pass.

Manager watch

There can be no disputing Cork's edge in experience on the sideline next Sunday. Although he played and was later manager for an All-Ireland club football final with Dr Crokes, Kerry's Pat O'Shea has never been on the ultimate stage before at county level.

Cork's Billy Morgan, in contrast, is facing into his seventh All-Ireland final as manager, having been in charge in 1987 (losing to Meath), 1988 (drawing with and then losing to Meath), 1989 (beating Mayo), 1990 (beating Meath) and 1993 (losing to Derry). He also played in two All-Ireland finals, losing to Meath in 1967 and winning against Galway in 1973.

Ticket watch

The GAA yesterday stated that a small number of tickets for Sunday's All-Ireland Football final between Kerry and Cork have been reported as not reaching their destination, and that these tickets are now presumed stolen.

Under the new security ticket system being used for the finals, these tickets will be nullified and will not be accepted by the computer scanning system now in operation for Croke Park.

Supporters should note that holders of tickets which have been reported as lost or stolen will not therefore gain admission and that tickets should be sourced from a known and reliable source only.

The GAA has been in contact with a number of unofficial ticketing websites to advise of this policy and confirm that holders of long term tickets who place their tickets for sale on such forums will have the remainder of their contracts bought out by the GAA, and their term agreements annulled.