Dublin v Kerry - GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Semi-Final
Preview: Kerry v Dublin
Sunday, March 1
Allianz Football League Division I Round 3Kerry v Dublin, Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney, 2pm (Live on TG4)
The results in the first two rounds of the Allianz League can be so misleading they can generally be discarded when it comes to the serious business of assessing the credentials of potential All-Ireland contenders.
September may still be a long way away, but after two rounds of the League and a subsequent three-week break, things inevitably start to take a bit more shape around the changing of the seasons.
Spring is most certainly just around the corner and we can also say with a degree of certainty that Kerry and Dublin will be in the shake-up when there is a lot more than two Allianz League points at stake further down the line.
Dublin and Kerry didn't meet in the championship last year but the manner in which each side dealt with the very particular challenge presented by Donegal has led to comparisons between their style of play and the approach of each manager.
Dublin, the reigning All-Ireland champions, chose to go at Donegal with the swashbuckling all-out attacking strategy they have trademarked under Jim Gavin and were sucker-punched on the counter so often in their All-Ireland semi-final meeting it was almost surreal.
By contrast, Kerry manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice eschewed the one-size-fits-all approach and played Donegal at their own game in the final, beating Jim McGuinness's side with a defensive strategy often at odds with Kerry's very proud tradition. Kerry may have gotten some stick, but they also got their hands on the Sam Maguire for the first time since 2009.
Following their classic encounters in the 2013 All-Ireland semi-final and the 2011 final, Dublin-Kerry is now a rivalry with a contemporary context and neither will want to cede an inch in Fitzgerald Stadium, even if each side will be short many of the personnel they would prefer to go into battle with and there are still patches of snow clinging to the highest peaks of the McGillycuddy Reeks.
Kerry captain Kieran Donaghy is recalled by Éamonn Fitzmaurice, who usually takes his time before phasing players who have been involved with their clubs in the early months of the year back into his side. Donaghy missed much of last season through injury but was in superb form for Austin Stacks in their run to the All-Ireland semi-final, and is the only member of the Kerry and Munster club champions called into the squad for now.
With a host of front-line forwards unavailable through injury - Colm Cooper (knee) Donnchadh Walsh (groin), James O'Donoghue (shoulder surgery) and Darran O'Sullivan (hamstring) - Donaghy will add some real quality to the Kerry attack, where he replaces Tommy Walsh who started the win over Derry three weeks ago.
Elsewhere, Anthony Maher comes in to midfield as an indirect replacement for Barry John Keane, the big Duagh man having missed the first two rounds of the competition because of work commitments.
James O'Donoghue doesn't expect to see action in the Allianz League because of a shoulder problem, but the Legion man would still love to have a crack off the Dubs, having launched his star into the stratosphere with 2-3 against them in that storied 2013 semi-final.
"The Dublin game in Killarney will be a great game to look forward to and it's sickening to miss it," said O'Donoghue. "You'd have to think that Kerry and Dublin are going to be two heavyweights most years. You're always looking forward to a Kerry-Dublin fixture.
"Two good teams. Open, attacking, excellent players on both teams. You love those games. I'm sure they're going to be really entertaining hard-fought games. Doesn't matter who is the reigning champions or not."
Dublin are still without Paul Flynn, who is recovering from a groin operation, while Cian O'Sullivan is very close to a return from a hip injury and could feature if he passes a fitness test. James McCarthy is also close to a return from an injury-enforced lay-off. Gavin may also use the game to give Stephen Cluxton, Michael Darragh Macauley and Bernard Brogan their first starts of the campaign.
Dublin also have a very significant contingent of St Vincent's players, who were pre-occupied with club duties until they were beaten by Slaughtneil in the All-Ireland semi-final two weeks ago, and it will be interesting to see how Jim Gavin manages their reintegration to the panel. One would imagine that he will be in no major rush to get Diarmuid Connolly back into his side given the dynamic attacker has been on the road now with club and county for two years without much of a break.
Ger Brennan's case is slightly more complicated, however. Dublin missed his presence massively at centre-back last year - Brennan didn't kick a ball in a sky blue jersey last year between club commitments and a subsequent injury - and his absence was never felt more than in the All-Ireland semi-final loss to Donegal, when Jim McGuinness's side exploited huge holes in the centre of the Dublin defence normally expertly guarded by the Vincent's skipper.
However, Brennan is unlikely to waltz straight back in given he is nursing a slight ankle injury and because of just how well Ballymun Kickhams' John Small has performed at the centre of their defence in the O'Byrne Cup and the opening rounds of the Allianz League.
With Dublin opening the defence of their Leinster U21 title against Laois on Wednesday week, Gavin may also opt to give Cormac Costello, David Byrne (Naomh Olaf), Eric Lowndes, Shane Carthy and Conor McHugh, all of whom have featured in the earlier rounds, the weekend off.
Both sides have two points from their opening games, Dublin beating Donegal and losing to Cork and Kerry opening with a defeat to Mayo before outclassing Derry in Celtic Park.
Dublin have an excellent Allianz League record against Kerry in recent times, winning four (2014, 2013, 2011, 2010), drawing one (2009) and losing one (2012) of their last six meetings. While Jim Gavin won't lose too much sleep if they can't build on that impressive record, the prospect of some of their established players returning for the trip to the Kingdom might just tip the scales in their favour.
The Kerry County Board are expecting a large crowd and the game is an all-ticket affair. As usual, there is a EUR5 discount on pre-purchased tickets.
KERRY: Brendan Kealy; Pa Kilkenny, Mark Griffin, Fionn Fitzgerald; Jonathan Lyne, Jack Sherwood, Paul Murphy; Anthony Maher, David Moran; Michael Geaney, Bryan Sheehan, Johnny Buckley; Stephen O'Brien, Kieran Donaghy (captain), Paul Geaney.
DUBLIN: TBC
Preview: Brian Murphy