Kerry Selector Diarmuid Murphy is eagerly looking forward to the highly anticipated clash with Dublin, which is the pinnacle of the football calendar. The match will take place at Croke Park this Sunday at 3.30pm.
Murphy acknowledges the historical rivalry between the two teams, noting that until last year, it was largely one-sided in Dublin's favor. However, Kerry managed to secure a significant victory over Dublin in the semi-final stage last year, marking a turning point in the competition.
"I suppose it wasn't much of a rivalry up until last year because Dublin won all the games, so it was fairly one sided," said the former goalkeeper."We were lucky enough to get through it last year and it was a good win for us at the time and it was great to kick on to win the All-Ireland afterwards.
"But Dublin have certainly had the upper hand since we played in the quarter final in '09. Since then last year was the first time that Kerry beat Dublin since that game and there've been many games in between, so it's been fairly one way traffic really
'I think the standards have never been higher' - @Kerry_Official selector Diarmuid Murphy talks about goalkeepers and another lively adventure with Jack O'Connor's team in 2023 #GAA
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Last year's win was a crucial moment for Kerry as it led them to claim another All-Ireland title. Despite their success, Murphy acknowledges that Dublin remains a formidable opponent, boasting many talented players from their memorable 2019 All-Ireland final.
"Dublin still have a fantastic team and still have a lot of the players. I was actually just looking at the teams the other day of the 2019 All-Ireland final, and most of them are there and most of our fellas as well as it turns out.
Looking ahead to the upcoming match, Murphy is excited about the next chapter in the rivalry between Kerry and Dublin. He knows that Sunday's game will be tough, but his current side Kerry are determined to give their best effort and replicate last year's success against the their old rivals
“So, they had a fantastic team that time, it was a brilliant team and they're still there a lot of those players and still playing to a very high level. It'll be another chapter in the rivalry, of course, on Sunday, but it's going to be a tough one for us."
The All-Ireland final takes place at 3.30 on Sunday
