Crokes banking on experience to trump pace of beasts from East

But for selector Niall 'Botty' O'Callaghan, a win this weekend would be the "best" of any county title the club have won in that glorious run of success that has also seen them claim an All-Ireland club title.

Perhaps part of this thinking comes from some of the figures they have lost since their St Patrick's Day defeat to Corofin earlier this year. Manager Pat O'Shea stepped down, while Eoin Brosnan left the playing group after 22 years of senior football. Colm 'Gooch' Cooper hasn't been involved either.

This will also be the fourth weekend on the bounce that Crokes have been in championship action as they take on a brilliant East Kerry divisional side led by David Clifford.

"It's the old dog on the road against the new young buck coming up," O'Callaghan says of tomorrow's showdown.

"And it promises to be a great game. From our point of view, if we can get over the line on Sunday it will probably be the best of the last ten years. I think so, with the injuries we've had, the trials and tribulations, and the serious job (new manager) Edmund O'Sullivan (has done) in terms of keeping it seamless, because you have an experienced dressing-room and if it's not right the players will tell you it's not right."

East Kerry are back in a county final for the first time since 1999, when they completed a three-in-a-row of titles. Their starting side in the semi-final win over St Brendan's pulled from six clubs (Spa, Glenflesk, Firies, Listry, Fossa and Gneeveguilla) dotted around the Killarney area.

And in that game they hit 1-18 to follow up on the 1-23 they scored in their quarter-final win over Dingle. David Clifford scored 1-15 in those two games, while his brother Paudie has also been in top form.

"There's a lot of hype with them and it's justifiable (because) they're producing the goods. They got caught last year and I don't think they'll ever be caught like that again. David Clifford has taken his game to a new level. What can you say about Paudie Clifford? If you're picking a team of the championship, he's definitely one of those.

"You've two teams in the county final and there's only one starter on the Kerry team. It says a lot about the talent around this county that these fellas are chomping at the bit, and it sets it up great for Kerry for the future.

"But from a Crokes point of view, East Kerry bring pace. They've all played with Kerry at some level, and they have Kerry U-21 and minor (titles). And the killing thing about it is Vince Cooper is the local GDA and he'd be an ex-Crokes player, but he does a phenomenal job and he impacts on all the clubs in East Kerry.

"The talent in East Kerry is just phenomenal, and they've a huge pick. The one thing I'd give them is they've pace, huge pace everywhere on the field. And we're talking about an East Kerry team without Dara Moynihan.

"We have to hope our experience will negate their pace. That the likes of Johnny Buckley will just dominate the middle of the field like he does.

"That's going to be a huge area for us. It's going to be a hard job to slow them down, but from a Crokes point of view, if a team wants to go for a shoot-out with us we'll always back ourselves in a shoot-out.

"For the purists, it will be a fabulous game of football."