On The Edge Sports Podcast
A weekly Sports podcast focusing more on opinion and chat than research and stats.
On The Edge Sports Podcast
Dublin v Kerry All Ireland Semi Final 2026 Preview
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We preview this weekends big semi final between Dublin v Kerry in Croke Park.
Check out our other extra episode this week which previews Mayo v Louth
Host: Brendan Tierney ///// Guest: Darren Kearns
So, welcome to our second All Ireland Football Championship semi-final preview. This time we're doing Dublin and Kerry. And Darren is here joining me again. And don't forget, if you've watched this one, we have our second one out in the same time on our social media as well. Why will Dublin beat Kerry? I think that's a bigger question than the other way around. Okay. Like, what is their forwards? You know, or what's their positives, I should say. So like I was kind of reading over something, like their forwards. If three forwards in the top 10 scores in the championship, again, courtesy Gaelic Statsman, go and check them out on social media. Conn has got 425, Crumber Costello's got 34, and Paddy Small, which I kind of had forgotten about. 224 and 223 from play. Again, if my stats are right. Good clipping. Yeah. And you forget like that even Costello's got that much.
SPEAKER_00You know, there's a few games he's kind of hasn't got into it. Like so he's been on the periphery of it, but he's still clipping over points, you know. And look at it's Will them Dublin players get that much room?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Okay. Let's be positive on the Dublin. Yeah, would you let's get that? Given the positive, given the positive. Would that be like Khan like has got and and I had my notes in some another bit, like 1-5, 1-7, 1-something, like, and he missed a couple of games.
SPEAKER_00And he's not 100% fit.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, God like. Like, is he the man more deserving to play the year if they go on to win? Because he's carried them when they maybe aren't in the best, whereas Carrier obviously on a high. So, like, is it those forwards that'll you do you think that there's a higher chance they ain't going to be getting big scores all of the mana?
SPEAKER_00I feel like the OS conundrum. But I will give them, I'll give them their dues. Like, and look at their that that that is serious scoring from a full forward line. It really is. Like, you know, and again, Khan, I don't think is operating at full tilt. Um, something similar to what he done the last day. Look at he's win a ball, he's win a dirty ball, but he's kind of closer to goal. Whereas in previous years he's been out around the middle third, so I think he's been minded a little bit. And the likes of Scully and these boys out the middle third then have to really up their game. And Scully is doing it in spades, like. Yeah, he is, of course, yeah. And even Basquel, who was you know a corner forward by trade, who was out in that half forward line now as well. And he's getting dirty. I thought he's been amazing the last year. He has, yeah. He never left the game on any every there was never three minutes he wasn't doing something like it. And then they're getting the ball into Conn, who's either getting his own scores or getting fouled for Costello to kick the ball over the bar, or either of them boys are winning the ball and laying it off to Patty Small, who is always showing and always coming on the loop, and he has a serious boot on him as well. And he's left footed predominantly, but like I would be if the Gaelic Stratzman can tell us how many he's kicked with his right foot. Because I think in every game he definitely has clipped one or two over with his right foot, which is you know it's a good feat as well. Because you know, if as a defender you're saying, right, keep him on his keep him on his right, because he has to turn back on his left at some stage, and then when he just kicks it over with his right, it gives you second guessing the next time. Now, obviously, we'll t we'll touch on Kerry's full back line in a few minutes, but you know, that's that is a major positive for the dubs.
SPEAKER_02Yes, and another positive maybe we're kind of debate is Sean McMahon marked David Clifford in the league, and he only got three points. Now I know it's different. Well, you're we're just trying to pick something. Is there something? Yeah, and he did go off with a little bit of a tightness in his leg. By all accounts, I think he's okay. Owen Merchant is back as well. Yeah, like you know, do you think anyone can keep Clifford a bit quieter?
SPEAKER_00To be honest, I keep watching teams trying to do it and Clifford just keeps coming up with the answers and kicking double figures in most games. So, like I had asked the question before like, what's a positive return for Mark and David Clifford? Like, is it keep him to eight points? Keep him to one five, like is that positive?
SPEAKER_02Was it uh Devlin for Tyrone in the second half? Yeah, Devlin with Donald Belly. So if you're trying to be finding a blue if you're trying to find a blueprint, you go, let's have what did he do. What did he do? What did he do? I I'm not sure. Did he get three on him? I think maybe I might be wrong, but he he got uh sorry, he got two fisted points, so he's like, I can't rent, but I was fisted over him.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I'd say Joe Brennan would be 100% looking at that and saying, What did Devlin do different to what the other cornerbacks done over the weeks previous? Now, look at it, don't get me wrong, go back to what he done against Armagh in Killarney two or three weeks previous to that. Like, you know, he had the run of the game himself after he got that goal, but up until that, Armagh were nullifying what he was doing because they weren't letting the ball get into him. So, like, no more than anything else, it's game over when he gets the ball.
SPEAKER_02Nine times out of ten, like do you know what it it really is. Must be some crack trying to mark him.
SPEAKER_00Oh, like don't envy any back trying to mark him. You know what I mean? But because he's so rangey and he's so big and he's so athletic at the same time, you know, and he's super super.
SPEAKER_02Even if you're nearly blocking him, he doesn't hit it that way. He hits it up and up.
SPEAKER_00So look at McMahon will have a I I would have no doubt McMahon will pick him up again at the weekend. Um, he'll have his hands full, he really will. But look at McMahon is a teak tough defender. He really is. He's like he's going to be all there and he's going to be in his face, but he is going to need the other dubs coming in and help him out. And I know you mentioned that Merchant is back training, you know, throwing shocked to go straight in. Like, oh, I can't see how we go straight in. But you know, if you did need him and somebody pulls up because dubs have gone off with a couple of injuries over the last few games because there are a lot of games on the trot.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, true. Well, they have extra times, yeah, and they're all tough games. So yeah, but look, this week we'll answer a lot of those questions. I can see Joe Brennan said that uh Kerry have all the pressure, and he kind of referenced that. Well, they have the dream team management. Like it was a lovely little oh sure, you'd have to win it. You know, deflect, deflect, deflect. Yeah, but like they're like yeah, I wonder, do Kerry feel the pressure like you know what I mean? Or that just ingrained under the double, but the dream team management is unreal. Like Keeno Neal has been involved with teams in multiple All Ireland finals and wins, and then you have um Oh my god, uh Star Donna.
SPEAKER_00Star Donnie, yeah, as well.
SPEAKER_02Like, and then of course Jack O'Connor, the king of them all.
SPEAKER_00So like there's but it like obviously Kerry playing double on Sunday showpiece event, right? There's been 140 All-Irelands, they've won 70 between them. Yeah, yeah. That's half the All-Irelands that's ever taken place, with Kerry with 39 and the Dubs with 31. Like, this is the event that you all want. Like, you know, like this is so, and then a few weeks ago, nobody could see this ever happening because the dubs had gone back and they were in transition and they were changing up. But when people were saying that if you're looking at the last time they played each other in championship, 2023 all Ireland final, the dubs won by two points. The six forwards that are going to start for the dubs on Sunday played that day. Yeah, right. The only one that's missing is Paul Mannion, who got mad of the match that day. Now I know he's a big loss, but Kieran Kakenny is going to take his place.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but I they're very top-heavy in the experience and the medal winners up the front. Yes. And it's just as you trickle back then, right down to the man in the goal.
SPEAKER_00Like uh speaking of the man on the goal, I would have been a bit of a critic over the last 12 months since he came in. Like, obviously, huge boots to fill, the best keeper that ever laced up and clucked him. Like you know, well, now look at less said about that the better. But coming from over the last few weeks has turned into a different animal, and I think he got no more than anything else, no more than Shane Murphy down there. He got dropped for one of the games, and a Sullivan went in and didn't set the world alight. But he came back in the next day, and it was like the management had decided, okay, you're going to be number one, this is what we want you to do. Do not do anything that you're not comfortable in doing. Because I think some of the short kick outs he was being forced to do or being asked to do. I don't think he was fully comfortable doing it. So, as a keeper, if you're not comfortable doing the kick, even though if you're being told this is the right thing to do, and it goes wrong, you have egg on your face and you just become deflated, and the next kick out goes over the sideline or goes straight to an opposition, and all of a sudden you can't get back into your rhythm. The last couple of games he's just been kicking long. He's been finding fellows over the top, he's been finding runners, he's really, really improved his game. So it's like they went back to the drawing board. Now, I don't know, is it anything to do with the fact that Jarr is back with them? Was he gone? Isn't it hard?
SPEAKER_02Well, I mean you'll never know until you ask about once the season's over, someone might tell you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but but like if like their season kind of turned around when he came back, and that's no disrespect to Dean Rock or anything like that. It can't be too much of a coincidence again. You know what I mean? Like, and they really have upped it. So I'll give I'll give comfort his Jews. I will say that he is he's one of the keepers that has turned his own season around, as well as the dubs turning their whole season around, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and and like they have had two big wins against Goldman. Like, even if Donegal had kind of run kind of maybe on a lower trajectory after losing to to Cork, uh, but still took them to extra time, like Dunegal or no mugs. Galway, look, I suppose ins and outs of everything, but Galway, like they got six points ahead. Yeah, you know, and whatever about Anathon Refts or not, Dublin kept going. And they played a nice way. So so that should frank them. I like I do I personally I I just yeah, I carry your favourites for a reason. Yeah. But like we're trying to pick here what's the positives like. So that's two big wins, two confidence boosts, any young lad, because you never know till the end of the season finish to go, well, that was the two games that made those young fellows the back. You know, and every team has to come out of the out of the side sometimes. Of course, yeah, yeah. Yeah. So it'll be interesting to see will those two games bring them on, or as I said, maybe they're false dons. They could be false dons. Only time will tell.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, like like we'll say that obviously Kerry are favourites for a reason, but for 20 minutes in Kalerney, Armag had Kerry's making. Kerry ran away with the game. They will do that to you. Once they get a run on you, they will do that to you.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00The last day against Tyrone, like from watching it from the outside looking in, I thought Kerry were better than Tyrone in more aspects on the pitch than not, but they couldn't get away from them. And Tyrone really dug in. So I would say the likes of the dubs will be taken huge, huge grit from watching what Tyrone had done and sticking in there and just saying if we can stick in the game, if we're still in the game with 10-15 minutes to go, you just don't want what can happen. Because injuries could occur, black cards, red cards, you know. You just stay in the game. That's going to be their aim for 50-55 minutes, and after that, then see what happens.
SPEAKER_02Like you know, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I suppose we're going on to like if we're trying to find negatives, like it is that inexperience in defence. Yeah, now they've come through some big games, but again, you are really up against you know the the creme de la creme in the forward department.
SPEAKER_00You are you are, of course, like but uh again, it's all about matchups, yeah. Um, how they're gonna get their matchups. Like, I would I would envisage that Charlie McMara, who finded the season for the Dogs, I would say he's gonna tag potty. So if you think back to what Potty done against Donegal last year in the All-Irland final, like he ran the show with I don't know, 70 odd possessions or something like that. But every team has seemed uh right, okay. This is not gonna happen again. So like I would say McMahor will tag him from the start, something similar to what Hesher will probably do with Mulroy, because if you let Potty get the ball, he he will make the team tick. In defence then, if we're mentioning the McMahon is going to pick up Clifford. Now you have Paul Geeney at Dylan Geeney, right? I wouldn't be surprised if Sean O'Sea starts instead of Paul Geeney. Yeah, he didn't maybe get into the last day as a bigger one. Right, like I would say after another two weeks training, he's only coming back. Um, I think that Paul could get sacrificed to get this guy into the team. Now, it may or may not happen.
SPEAKER_02But I would who would you shuffle in the front then? Well, I would say in the front, obviously.
SPEAKER_00I would say that he would start at 14 and come out of it. Okay, and he'd fit more room inside. Leave leave more space inside for Dylan and David and let Potty move away and let Sean tick into that 11 spot. May or may not happen, but it'll be interesting just to see obviously Dave Byrne then pick up Dylan Geeney. Yeah, right. David Burns no more guys. And he's not.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so we're kind of going to wh where is this inexperience? Yeah, where is it? Yeah, exactly. When you the season has grown.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, when you when you break it down, because like obviously they've got Lee Ganon back in there, all Ireland winner. He's been playing the last couple of games at wing back, you know, and again, look at it, it's it's when you break it down and you go, okay, this is a team in transition, it's actually a team that has a lot, a lot of experience.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. I mean, if you're looking for other negatives and say, like they did lose to Louds and Westmead, you know, when they were kind of on form. So they're two form teams. You could argue, well, they beat Galway and Donny Gall, who we'll know after this weekend now for sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They actually that was a bad marker for them when that's that's where we should have gone. But like Would would you read Anthony into those Louds and Westmead losses? Is it too far gone now? Is it too far away?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think I think what happened in them games, I think is just like different seasons. But you're talking about a you're talking about a tight season, a short season, but like that seems like so so long ago. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you know what I mean? Like when Westmead got across them in the line, Westmead were just, I think, like Westmead were winning that lesser final. Yeah, that was their big goal. It really was. Loud had a marker to put down after getting bet by ten points in a few weeks previous to that. So again, it's them small little things that can get the so-called lesser teams across the line, which W will be hanging on to for Sunday. Because they're going to be saying, Okay, we lost to teams that we probably should have been beaten on paper, but nothing has ever won on paper.
SPEAKER_02No, and again, that's where we could be here for hours talking waffle, and we still couldn't. You could, of course. Like even Wicklow gives them a close game. Kavan had a load of wides, you know. Could that have been close? Like, I mean, you still think that they were good they would have had to, or wouldn't lose if they needed to.
SPEAKER_00And like you're talking about matchups when you go down the far side of the field. So the guys that we mentioned there with a cot with Conn and Coslo and Patty Small. So like Jason Foley is going to pick up Conn, who usually picks him up. I don't think there's any forward in the country like Smarkin Jason Foley because he is just a machine and he will outpace you, he will outpower you. Um he'll he could meet his match with another two weeks of training for Conn, like you know, and he's a man mountain himself, like so. It'll be a serious, serious battle just to see how that turns out. Then you have Dylan Casey who probably pick up uh Costello on that side, and then like look at there's rumors that Thomas Sullivan is back.
SPEAKER_02Did I read that today that uh that he he is back for the training?
SPEAKER_00He was in the 26th the last day. He was a late call up to the 26th because O'Bugley got injured. Yeah, and obviously Gavin White, one of your favourite players. Yeah, so he started and but Thomas Sullivan was on the bench. So if you're talking that you have Thomas Sullivan there, probably not going to get into the starting lineup, but imagine unleashing him with 21.
SPEAKER_02Someone's having a bad day, it's like in you go.
SPEAKER_00Tag tag that forward and go forward and kick your spinners at the outside of the line.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, maybe Obi-Oglake might be back, maybe Sean Shea will be on the bench, you could have three stars on the bench, and should there's more if we start looking through them.
SPEAKER_00Of course there is, and then obviously then so like you're we're talking about comfort kick-outs going long, okay, and then p kick finding fellas on the run, finding fellas over the top, you go to the opposite side and you see what Murphy is doing for Kerry in the last few games. He's doing very something something very similar, right? But he has if you watch watch the game closely on Sunday and you'll see the speed that both keepers get out of the T with the ball, and it's definitely information being given from the sideline because before the ball hits the ground or the ball stop net at the back, they have the ball in the T and they are ready to go. But it's the guys out the field that know this. So obviously you have the four Giants from Kerry round that middle turn, right? Okay, and like picking them out is easy enough done because they're going to win most balls than not. But you have O'Caffey Byrne there who will contest them balls with them and smash it back down. He's going to be looking at the breaks, but it's going to be the guys that the both keepers have to find on the run. And I think that that's where Kerry will get most joy. Because if you give Gavin White that ball in Acres.
SPEAKER_02Of course he is, yeah. Off he goes, yeah.
SPEAKER_00And there's no catching him because at that stage, then, because I think the Kerry defenders or midfielders are so smart that we are not there to kick the ball over the bear. Let's find the guys that are going to do it. So you obviously have the superstar inside, then you have the two Gaines, or you have Shawnee or Shea, or you have Potty lining up there, and let them kick the ball over the bear. We've the hard work done, right? Yeah, true.
SPEAKER_02We don't all need to be up there.
SPEAKER_00You know what I mean? So that's when the likes of if Jammer O'Connor or Marco Shea or any of these boys fill in inside, they're only going in as a distraction to get some space for the likes of Clifford on the loop. So you'd imagine that the dub's defenders are probably going to cheat off that a small bit and try and double up on Clifford. The odd time that the ball does go in because you see where Joe O'Connor got his goal in the All-Inland final last year when nobody tagged his run because they were too worried about what the two Cliffords were doing, he ends up putting the ball in the back of the net. He's done it, he'd done it against Armagh as well. So these guys can shoot, yeah, they can score, but it's only if there's no other option.
SPEAKER_02And sometimes carry players come into the forum in the semis and final. Like a Joe O'Connor maybe hasn't been you know to like know. And like just kind of referencing back to the Galway game. So like obviously Dublin won loads of the Galway kickouts. Yeah, I forget exactly, but half, roughly. But like just to think of this like Shane Murphy's so good, Tyrone only won three of the carry kickouts. So if Dublin, if their percentage winning kickouts drops that much, yeah, you surely think it's game over. Like you have to think. And then if you're kind of and again, this is just trying to go positives, negatives. Like they did get a lot of rough decisions. Uh, will we see if they got hammered on Sunday? Go, well, should they if they hadn't had the luck on that day? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe that's so I'm always trying to go, but where's the false dawn? I go, no, no, they've shut us all up now, they did it. Yeah, you know. So it'll be an interesting one to see. Shane Murphy Shane Murphy uh definitely will be something they haven't faced that I can see so far. Obviously, Kerry, now I know we've crossed over like the positives in obviously well I've written here, they're forwards in the midfield, they're goalie and their management. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And again, we've kind of crossed over that already, like you know, but again, it's the bench. Um, is there any uh like is there like we all know the forwards, there's no point repeating it again. Like, you know, all the all the positives I should say. Uh is there where would you see it? Was it was it Darren McCurry?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, look at you see what he done the last day. So I suppose what he done the last day was, and I think if you're looking at from the outside looking in, right, and it's easy saying it when you're watching the game and you're not in the thick of the action, but I think Kerry had decided if we don't concede a goal here, we're going to win the game, right? So let them kick their points. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, and uh they nearly got caught, okay. They were close to getting caught, and if they had got pipped, they would have been like, why didn't somebody push out of McCurry when he was kicking them to or when he was getting on the loop and he was kicking the ball over the bar? But I would say that the shout had come, don't concede a goal. Right? And that's from the outside looking in, that's what I think kind of happened. And look at who are we to disagree with Jack O'Connor or with any of them boys? We love chatting about it anyway, right?
SPEAKER_02Do you know what I mean? Well, I they they faced nothing either when you look back through like Bascell, Small, Connie Callahan, and um Cormacosta with the shooting boots if he gets them on. Do you know what I mean? So so so it'll be it's it look, I love the intrigue of it all, like you know, as I said.
SPEAKER_00And then you have the likes of young Guyden coming on, who came on the last two ahead, right? Who again look at we're talking, we've mentioned Innocence of Youth with the likes of Kobe and Dara Byrne and these boys and Dara McDonald for loud. Like, he's another one. Let him off the leash. Do you know it it's it's just don't restrict him in any way, shape, or form. Let him do what he has to do, and more often than not, he'll come up with a result. So again, as we said, if Dublin are in the game with 10-15 minutes to go, and you're unleashing this guy who Kerry have never faced, now obviously they're going to tag him and they're gonna say, right, okay, he needs to be picked up. But he could be the one that they could say could fly under the radar. McMahon or the McMeniman, I should say. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Well, you know, if he's half as good as that, he'll not be doing too bad. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And again, like, could we could you argue Kerry like Donegal? Okay, it was a half with 14, but they absolutely embarrassed them down in Canarney. They did, yeah. I suppose if you're a jar running, you're going, okay, where's is it the McCurry moment? Is it the Donegal? Do you know it's like there is there any like we've mentioned the defence, but it would to call the game, I suppose we could go around in circles, but who do you think will win?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, look at it. I just I just think that Kerry's firepower will get them across the line. In the fact that I don't think it's going to be a shootout. I think it's going to be it's because that's what the dubs will want. The dubs will want to go on up, down, yeah, you know, like like just go at it hammer and tongs. Whereas I think Kerry are going to be too smart for that, and they're going to play the game on their own terms and get a high percentage of their shots over the bear, which I think will get them across the line. Because if it goes into uh you know a shooting contest, then that just takes out you know, your tactics go out the window, then nobody knows who's going to come out on top in that situation. So I just think the Kerry's know how, and I think that their defence will restrict the dub's forward line enough to get Kerry across the line. That's what I think. And I've taught a lot of stuff and have been wrong on numerous occasions.
SPEAKER_02I I don't know anyone that's got them all right, that's that's that's all I've got. But I look as we always say it's all a bit of crack. Uh it's great chatting about it, and as I said, you know, we love the GA.
SPEAKER_00But this is this is the time of year that GA people love. So, you know, you have a weekend of two alternate semi-finals, and both games are going to be crackers in their own right.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, even if someone ends up running away with one or not, you know there'll be 40-50 minutes. Yeah, I definitely feel there'll be a red card in the Kerry double one. Yeah, I think there'll be two like on oh, we're not letting them get one overs, and someone might just lose the headline.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, I wouldn't be a bit surprised. Like, like Joe Brennan was Teague Tough himself. Yeah. You know, he he really, really, really faced up guys when he was playing in defence for the dubs. So like you can see that he's putting his mannerisms on that Dublin team. Like, there's a few guys that are really learning from him. So there's going to be a bit of Argy Bargie. There's going to be some guy could flick, trip, do something wrong, and then you could have the ref having to make a decision. So, in that instance, we've said it before, we don't know what directive is coming down from Crow Park, but the refs, more often than not, in the last three or four weeks, have been going with the worst decision possible. And as in not the wrong decision, no, but the worst outcome for them. Give it a black and a penalty, or give a red card, and nobody can come back to me afterwards and says, Well, that should have been a penalty and a black, or that should have been a red. Whereas they're just saying, bang, deal with it afterwards. Like, you know. Yeah, so you're going for Kerry. I'll go for Kerry, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Going for Kerry. Okay, well, sure, we'll be back uh after the semifinals. We're going to be doing our live show. We'll announce each other on social media soon. It's probably on the Thursday night before the All Ireland because the World Cup semi finals are on then. But uh we'll all be back then and we'll see who who got all the predictions right or wrong. Time will tell. Darren, thanks as always for joining me, and thanks to you at home for watching.