Who’s going to win the final…
“If I was a betting man, I think it’ll be close, but I think Donegal will win. I just think they’re going to physically squeeze the living daylights out of Kerry. In saying that, you wouldn’t back against Kerry.
“The only thing I’ll say, Kerry in big matches since 2009 haven’t been particularly great, particularly in tight matches. Now, they’ve done incredible and it’s down to Fitzmaurice. They’re probably punching slightly above their weight. Donegal are the same.”
Jim McGuinness…
“He is different. I do believe he is special. He said one incredible thing to me. He said he was a very, very bad loser but he knows where he stands with his team to such extent that he’s a good loser. Because no matter what happens with that Donegal team, they empty the tank and give their all on every single given situation.
“A lot of managers who have gone would love to say that. If you look at the Mark McHugh situation – I thought he handled that brilliantly. Mark is gone and his brother is in. Would he do what Mickey Harte did with Stephen O’Neill and bring him back (for the final)? There’s not a chance.
“Eamon McGee said it: it’s Jimmy’s way or the highway. I think he’s very fair and very honest and I would have taken that there’s no messing and if you cross the line you’re gone. The way they were beaten by Mayo last year, to come back and do what he has done with this team with only a couple of changes has just been incredible.”
Eamon Fitzmaurice…
“The Kerry players think the reason they are where they are is because they have the best young manager in the game. They rate him that highly and I think he’s brilliant.
“I’ve had a good lot of chats with Darragh Ó Sé regularly. He’s (Fitzmaurice) very close to the Ó Sé family. Tomás and Darragh are his best friends. And to drop Marc the way he did for a reason, Marc gave a performance after that he hadn’t given in a while. That said a lot. He has balls. He’s steely. He doesn’t mind making the hard calls.
“Look what he’s done with Donaghy. Discarded him for the last year and a half, if you like. Then when the situation was right, brought him back in. So there’s a ruthless little streak but he’s a very good person and I think people forgot, what he achieved with the Hogan Cup last year – I thought it was one of the greatest achievements over the last number of years.”
Dublin’s semi-final defeat…
“I have to say Dublin were very naive. I thought McManamon should have started, I really did, particularly against Donegal. I thought starting young Costello was tough on him. And as well as that young (Jack) McCaffrey being started in the game when his confidence was low, maybe look at bringing him in instead. But listen, they’re calls managers make.
“But I mean, where did the half-back line go? I’m so shocked that Dublin allowed themselves to be dragged all over the field. But they they had met no one that had tested them and that was asking questions of them on the line. And that’s what McGuinness did.”
Where the game will be won and lost…
“It’s going to be tight. Kerry have some great players, I mean their bench has been very good. They’ve made some changes when they’ve had to. I think it’s going to be a very different final. I can’t wait for it.
“If you say where it will be won and lost, I just think physically, I don’t think Donaghy will get away with what he got away with. I think (the) McGees will be ready for him physically. Look what they did with O’Gara, that’s going to a problem.
And then you’ve (James) O’Donoghue. I think there’s probably no better team in the country to probably stop his influence. ”
