Kieran Donaghy: 'Unbelievable' David Moran key to Kerry

Sky Sports pundit Kieran Donaghy feels that David Moran is central to Kerry's hopes of progressing through the Super 8s.

Last Sunday, Kerry hit Mayo with a perfect storm in Killarney to underline their All-Ireland credentials. The Kingdom dominated the game all over the field, suffocating the Connacht side.

Much of their ascendancy stemmed from their dominance in the midfield, and Moran's aerial prowess set the tone for the Munster kingpins.

"It was a big game for David. His grandmother was after passing away that morning and his head would have been a bit scatty going into it," said Sky Sports pundit 'Star'.

"So I'd say the game was actually a bit of a relief to him.

"He was really good, his kick-passing was unbelievable.

"He'll go for the hard pass, the pass that can open somebody up, which is good because a lot of fellas now don't have the stomach to try and pull off the pass, they'll go for the safer one, the 'mind possession' one.

"Whereas if he sees a pass on, he'll go for it and he'll take the groans from the crowd if he kicks it out over the sideline but nine times out of 10, he's pretty on point with it. And Kerry need that because our inside line need early ball kicked ins and Dave is the best man for that. There was a lot of ball kicked around the middle of the field.

"He's had a niggling knee injury over the last year or so, so I was delighted he was out there looking fresh, feeling good, feeling healthy, on a sunny day in Killarney and I'm sure making his Mom proud and delivering a good performance in the circumstances."

Donaghy opined that if Peter Keane's charges are to continue their hot streak, they will need to force more teams to play on their own terms.

"I think if Kerry are to do well this summer, they will probably be pressing most teams and making teams try and kick it long and letting Dave and whoever else is out there compete for breaks," he continued. "It's probably a better way to go than letting teams have it short.

"I think Mayo have a lot to do why [Kerry] dominated the skies the last day. Mayo put it out there; they didn't have much of a plan and that's going to be different against Donegal because they do have plans, they've loads of plans.

"[Shaun] Patton is probably up there behind [Stephen] Cluxton at the moment, if you're going with All-Star talk.

"They've got a great understanding of situational kick-outs, Donegal. They know when to do the right thing and they look very well-organised.

"Patton is bringing it to another level."

While the losing team on Sunday will still be in the mix to progress to an All-Ireland semi-final, Donaghy is of the opinion that any team serious about competing for Sam Maguire will need to win all three games in the Super 8s.

"It's round robin but if you want to win an All-Ireland, you've got to be winning all the games," he opined.

"You've got to come out of the Super 8s with a bit of confidence in your squad, players playing well and getting ready to go into a big do-or-die semi-final.

"If you start losing games in the middle and not performing well, it just puts doubt into a team where they don't need doubt.

"Kerry will know that Mayo under-performed the last day, Kerry will know they played well [too]. If I was there in that dressing room, I would want the challenge of a Donegal because you know they are very good and they're not going to give you possessions like Mayo did the last day.

"They will mind the ball better, they hold onto it and work it through the hands into certain areas. They'll be a serious test for Kerry and if Kerry can come out of that, they'll be in a good place."

Sky Sports' live GAA coverage continues on Saturday, with Tyrone vs Cork and Dublin vs Roscommon in the Super 8s.

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