Kerry manager Peter Keane: 'We didn't come to make up numbers'
Monday 2 September 2019 10:50, UK
Kerry manager Peter Keane said that his side didn't come to Croke Park to make up the numbers ahead of their All-Ireland final draw with Dublin.
The Kingdom were rank outsiders for the decider, but put in a powerful display to push the Sky Blues all the way.
"We didn't come up today to make up the numbers, and we're not going to come up next Saturday week to make up the numbers either," Keane said at full-time.
"Did we think we had a chance coming here today? Sure of course. If you have two dogs in any race one of the dogs might get a heart attack and the other one could walk home. You have a chance every time you are out there.
"We had chances. Equally Dublin will think they had chances. A draw is a draw and we'll go back at it again in a couple of weeks.
"It's like any draw, you take it and you go away, prepare for the next day."
Kerry missed four goal chances and played the second half with a one-man advantage, but Keane denied that they missed their shot.
"I wouldn't say it is an opportunity missed," he continued.
"At the end of the day we weren't in an All-Ireland final since 2015. We have a young team. What are they going to get only experience out of the game? There is a learning curve. I said all along that we were on a crash course of a learning curve and this is only helping it.
"That experience will stand to us."
Focus will now switch to the replay in 13 days' time, as they gear up for another shot at taking down Dublin.
"There's lots of areas that we might need to improve on," noted Keane.
"But ultimately the Dublin guys are inside their dressing room thinking the same.
"It's going to be a 0-0 to 0-0 start again on Saturday week."
Watch Dublin vs Kerry in the All-Ireland final replay live on Sky Sports on Saturday, September 14.
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