Brian Barry
GAA Editor @BrianGBarry
Kerry vs Galway: All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final talking points
Are the stats pointing to a Kerry victory? Can Galway seize their opportunity like in 1998? Plus more talking points ahead of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final. Watch Kerry vs Galway live on Sky Sports Arena from 2:30pm Sunday.
Last Updated: 24/07/22 2:28pm
Will Kerry end their eight-year wait for an All-Ireland title? Or can Galway claim their first crown since 2001?
The stats pointing to a Kerry victory?
Every time Jack O'Connor has won an All-Ireland title as Kerry manager, it was preceded by a National League crown. And every time he guided the Kingdom to a league success, the Sam Maguire Cup followed later that year.
After claiming springtime honours, will O'Connor's side continue that trend?
Also somewhat promising for Kerry is that each time that Tyrone have won an All-Ireland title in their history, it has been followed by Jack O'Connor leading Kerry up the steps of the Hogan Stand 12 months later.
Mickey Harte's side won in 2003, 2005 and 2008. O'Connor responded with wins in 2004, 2006 and 2009.
After Tyrone's unlikely 2021 triumph, can Kerry produce under O'Connor once again?
Can Galway seize their opportunity like in 1998?
Coming into the 1998 season, there was little championship evidence to suggest Galway were on the cusp of something special.
They had not reached an All-Ireland final since 1983, and had won just a single Connacht title in the previous 10 years.
The Tribesmen were mere spectators as their provincial rivals Mayo competed in successive All-Ireland deciders in '96 and '97. The men in green and red could not get over the line, but John O'Mahony's outfit delivered in 1998.
Pádraic Joyce's charges came into 2022 under similar circumstances. Mayo knocked them out in both 2020 and 2021, as James Horan's side fell at the final hurdle in their bid for the Sam Maguire Cup in consecutive years.
Could Galway once again show their neighbours how it's done on the biggest day in Gaelic football?
Did Kerry create two monsters in the 2021 League?
Kerry's stunning romp through the 2021 National League campaign featured thrashings of Tyrone and Galway.
The Red Hands were hammered 6-15 1-14 in the Division 1 semi-final. In the wake of their All-Ireland win last September, the Ulster team's camp openly reflected on how that drubbing forced a rethink.
Similarly, the Tribesmen faced a long trip home from Tralee after succumbing to a 4-21 to 0-11 defeat. Could it have a similar effect?
This year, Galway have noticeably tightened up at the back.
Their improved defence, strengthened by the addition of Cian O'Neill to their management team, was perhaps spawned from that defeat in May 2021.
If Galway were to win on Sunday, could Kerry be left to rue dishing out heavy beatings to the two teams that eliminated them in the following two championship campaigns?
Kerry's new-found defensive solidity
The Kingdom's attacking riches were no secret coming into 2022. A forward line led by David Clifford, Seán O'Shea, Paudie Clifford and Paul Geaney was always going to ensure their team wouldn't be far away from the All-Ireland title.
But where Jack O'Connor's team have made real strides this year is in defence.
The manner in which Tyrone hit Kerry for 3-14 in last year's All-Ireland semi-final was a concern for the returning manager, and he went about building more solid foundations.
The addition of Paddy Tally has been widely hailed as a key step, and the Munster outfit are getting much more from Jason Foley and Tadhg Morley.
Shane Ryan prevailed in the battle for the starting number one jersey, and it has all come together into a tighter defensive unit.
So far in 2022 across 15 matches, they have conceded just three goals. And only one green flag has been yielded in the four championship games to date.
If they remain water-tight in the All-Ireland final, it could be the foundation for the county's 38th success.
Galway's high turnover in players
From the team that faced Derry in the All-Ireland semi-final, just three players remained from the penultimate round meeting with Dublin in 2018: Shane Walsh, Damien Comer and Johnny Heaney.
Pádraic Joyce has slowly rebuilt his panel, with eight players introduced to the squad from the U20 All-Ireland winning side of 2020.
"I have gone through, someone told me today, 86 or 87 players since I came in so again people might think I am ruthless dropping lads, but I have only ever dropped three fellows as far as I can remember," Joyce outlined.
"The rest have just not stayed involved or could not commit for different reasons and that is fine, you respect people for that because even going back there is only four or five of the squad involved since 2018 when we got to a semi-final before but these things happen.
"Since then we have built a new squad and there is a great mix in it, there are young lads and a great mix of experience and youth."
This young team, free from the baggage of waiting for a big result at Croke Park, are playing with abandon. Nonetheless, they are up against the odds on Sunday afternoon.
Watch Kerry vs Galway in the All-Ireland SFC final live on Sky Sports Arena from 2:30pm Sunday.
