1. Killarney’s appeal as a venue
“There is a magic atmosphere there. When you arrive in the town on Sunday morning, you’ve supporters from both sides mixing and see the craic.
“People will go to Killarney from Cork who mightn’t even be GAA supporters but still go. Killarney is small enough, there are popular GAA watering holes. Although one of them is gone now as Jimmy O’Brien has retired, it’s a pity.”
2. Cork’s record in Killarney without a championship win since 1995
“I didn’t realize that. We were unlucky a few times. We drew a few times down there. It was a bad decision by the referee one year. We should have had a penalty and then they went up the field and scored two late points.
“Going back to the eighties, nineties, we beat them down there in ’87 in a replay, we beat them there in ’89, we beat them in ’93 and ’95. It’s great to beat them anywhere, but it’s sweeter in Killarney.”
3. Kerry dropping Kieran Donaghy
“It looks to me like they are looking to add pace to the forward line. The likes of Eoin Cadogan and Michael Shields are well suited and well capable of playing against big men and have always held their own.
“I would think that Kerry are looking for pace in their forward line to offset Shields and Eoin strength. That’s what I read into it.”
INPHO/James Crombie
4. Where do Kerry stand?
“Kerry started poorly enough in the league but they had new management, were bringing in new players and finished strongly in the league. When I heard of Gooch on the 40 first, I said the further he is from goal the better for us. But looking at him against Tipperary he ran the show.
“They have a strong midfield that have come through. Johnny Buckley I would know from UCC and he is a fine player and Anthony Maher has improved. But I wonder if their defence has been tested yet
“When the two O Se’s go, Aidan O’Mahony, Paul Galvin, the Gooch – when those players go, do they have the players to fill their boots? We have had those questions before about other Kerry teams and they’ve always come back in some way.”
5. Where do Cork stand?
“When they beat Kildare in the quarter final last year I couldn’t see anybody beating them. Then they came up against Donegal and didn’t handle the defence system.
“So since then they have tried different systems themselves in the league and hopefully they have come up with something. I still think they have the players. The whole thing is going to show where Cork and Kerry are at this moment.”
5. Morgan’s UCC graduates on Cork team Ken O’Halloran and Thomas Clancy
“I rate Ken very highly. He was with me in UCC but he also won an All-Ireland U21 medal. Alan Quirke is a very good goalie but just back from the Lebanon.
“Ken has done nothing wrong and has held his place. He is a very good goalkeeper, has a very good kick out and I think he is there on merit.
“One thing I found about Tom Clancy with UCC he was a very quick learner and very willing. At the start of this year there were a few challenging for his position but he came on in every training session very eager to learn and I am delighted for him.”
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6. The addition of Brian Hurley to the Cork attack
“He is an excellent player. He can move off both feet, he can kick off his right or left. He has pace as well. I think eventually he will be one of Cork’s forwards. Whether it will be this year or not, I don’t know, but I hope it is.”
7. Modern goalkeepers taking frees
“It surprises me that they have to be brought up to take ‘45’s; that they haven’t any player from half-back up to take them. What does surprise me from a refereeing point of view is the time it takes for a goalkeeper to come up, take a free and get back.”
“Look at the Kerry-Dublin All-Ireland final a few years ago, there was a minute to go when they got the free and by the time Cluxton hit it and walked back there was no added time for it.
“Of course I’d send him up. He’s scoring about nine out of ten. It’s very important that they have a good kick-out now. In my day I could hardly get it as far as the ’21’ – I wouldn’t get in the team now!”
