nfl div 1 final preview: derry v kerry

a repeat of last year's allianz nfl division one final match-up, defending champions derry will be looking to upset the odds again at croke park on sunday, writes seamus leonard.
both sides started the league with new managers after disappointing campaigns in last summer's championship. kerry went with the tried and trusted by re-appointing former all-ireland winning manager jack o'connor, while derry took a gamble on former player damian cassidy.
both appointments have been successful to date, with cassidy's tenure particularly impressive given his more modest resources.
the oak leaf supremo has rejected the suggestion that the worst thing that could happen to his side would be for them to land the county's seventh nfl title, as history shows that league success has failed to translate to championship glory.
certainly derry have an excellent league record over the last 17 years, with five titles making their way to foyleside since 1992.
kerry top the all-time list with 18, two of which have come this decade. and in contrast to sunday's opponents, the kingdom went on to secure sam maguire later in those years of 2004 and 2006.
both teams have injury concerns ahead of the trip to headquarters. derry will be boosted by the return of midfielder fergal doherty and star attacker paddy bradley. however, it's not all good news for them, as patsy bradley, sean marty lockhart, paul bradley and niall mccusker will not be on the team sheet when cassidy names his side after training tonight.
kerry may have the services of declan o'sullivan after the hamstring injury he sustained in the win over galway was less serious than first feared.
kerry are, however, still sweating over the availability of colm cooper (hamstring), tommy walsh (hamstring), micheál quirke (calf muscle), paul galvin (groin) and padraig reidy (back). marc ó sé (knee) and seamus scanlon (ankle) will definitely not be in the mix.
kerry emerged with a two-point victory when the sides met in bellaghy in march, in a game which marked the competitive debut in a kerry jersey of tadhg kennelly. the former sydney swan has yet to set the gaa world alight, but could prove a major asset in the coming months.
the fact that they have both reached this stage proves that both sides have been in good form this year. kerry have been the more consistent side, as illustrated by their four-point lead at the top of the table. but derry proved last year that anything can happen on any given day, and i wouldn't bet against lightning striking twice.
verdict: derry

cork deserved replay winners

... add colm cooper to the list as well but that was down to excellent, textbook man marking by anthony lynch ... the kerry revival came right from the start of the second-half with darren o’sullivan pointing before his namesake declan, cooper and, to a huge roar of approval from the travelling support, darragh o’se registered consecutive points ... cooper knocked over two short-range frees but they were facing a superior team in fine tuned form ... : d murphy; m s, t o’sullivan, p reidy; t s, a o’mahony, k young; d s, t griffin; p galvin, declan o’sullivan, t kennelly; c cooper, t walsh, b sheehan

kerry revival forces replay

... when they did, colm cooper and tommy walsh failed to take early chances, but the latter eventually got them off the mark before donnacha walsh levelled the scores ... cooper stepped up to take the penalty, but again he shot badly wide and after the yellow-carded spillane was replaced by noel o’leary, donncha o’connor put three points between the teams with another free for cork ... paddy kelly then missed a golden opportunity to hit the net when he shot tamely past diarmuid murphy’s right hand post and cooper finally lost lynch to find his range with a quality point ... sheehan answered it with one from play and then a free, before cooper dug a point out of nowhere when being hounded by lynch and shields ... d murphy; m o’se, t o’sullivan, p reidy; t o’se, t griffin, a o’mahony; t kennelly (0-1), m quirke; darren o’sullivan, donnacha walsh (0-2), p galvin; c cooper (0-3, 1 free), tommy walsh (0-1), declan o’sullivan

cooper a doubt for nfl showdown

... colm cooper is a doubt for kerry's nfl division 1 final clash with derry at croke park on sunday

kerry 2-15 galway 1-11

... two points in the closing stages of the first half, including a routine free for colm cooper, gave kerry edge after a cagey opening 35 minutes

kerry 2-13 donegal 0-11

... first half goals from colm cooper and tommy walsh paved the way for kerry to begin jack o'connor's second term as manager with an impressive nfl division 1 victory over donegal ... cooper (1-03) and walsh (1-02) led the scoring for the victors, while griffin and roper (0-03 each) and doherty (0-02) finished as donegal's top scorers