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Thousands of Donegal and Kerry supporters are set to bring the capital to a standstill this weekend as both sides face off in the All-Ireland final.
Jack O’Connor’s men hope the Sam Maguire will return to the Kingdom for the 39th time following the clash, with fans counting on sharpshooters David and Paudie Clifford to do the business.
Kerry last won the biggest prize in Gaelic football in 2022 after they thrashed Galway.
The following year, they made it to the final but lost out after being outclassed by the Boys in Blue.
One fan attending the clash is Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae, who is confident the Kingdom will do enough to fend off Donegal.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror yesterday: “All roads lead to Dublin this weekend.
“We’ll be there to take on Donegal and beat them even though the people from Donegal are very nice – we’ll take no hostages on Sunday.”
The Minister of State said supporters will see Kerry at their “flying best” when they line out in Croke Park on Sunday.
Kerry have won the Sam Maguire a record 38 times to date, but Mr Healy-Rae said excitement is still through the roof.
He explained: “The excitement in Kerry at the moment is the same as if Mayo were after winning an All-Ireland and went home with the cup.
“I’d be really hoping we’d have a record crowd there and we’d have a record Kerry attendance, and everybody is looking forward to a great day.”
When asked if he had a prediction for the game, Mr Healy-Rae added, “We won’t be struggling for a few points; we’ll beat them in a respectable fashion.”
But Healy-Rae said even if the Kingdom wins, he won’t have a pint himself.
He explained: “I haven’t had a drink in 10 years, I’ve gotten to the stage where I’m perfectly capable of celebrating without a drink because I’m in the middle of a big, long drought.”
Meanwhile, the bar manager at Courtneys in Killarney said his boozer will be rammed as revellers pour in to watch the game.
When asked what the excitement levels were among Kerry fans, chief pint-puller Ian Deery quipped: “They never get bored of winning, boy.
“It’s absolutely nuts on All-Ireland final day. We have a trad session starting as soon as the game is over – win or lose.
“They’ll either be celebrating like mad or crying into their pints.”
He also reckons David Clifford will be instrumental in the match and reckons he’s in contention for being the best Kerry player ever.
Mr Deery added: “David Clifford is on fire at the moment – you wouldn’t know what he’d do.
“You’d have to flip a coin between him and the Gooch.”
Mr Deery also believes it will be to Kerry’s advantage if they’re losing when they go into the dressing room at half-time.
He continued: “If Kerry are winning at half-time, they’ll shit the pants.
“They’re always better off losing at half time, and when they come back out, they’ll be like lunatics.”
Meanwhile, die-hard Donegal fan Niamh Kelly will be watching the game from the lower Cusack Stand in Croke Park on Sunday and said she hopes the Sam Maguire will be heading north after a 13-year wait.
The 28-year-old, who works as a primary school teacher, will attend the clash with her boyfriend Conor and her dad and hopes it won’t be a repeat of the 2014 final when Kerry thrashed Donegal.
Season-ticket holder Niamh, who has attended every championship game, reckons this time around McGuiness’ men have a 50/50 chance of pulling it off and reckons it could all come down to luck on the day.
She continued: “They’re two absolutely fantastic teams … I think overall Donegal has a better panel and a better bench. I think we have a better range of scorers.
“I’m not taking anything away from the Clifford brothers or Sean O’Shea but I just think with Donegal -we’ve a better spread of scorers.
“You have your backs coming up, you have your midfields – who do you stop there? I would say Donegal are going to edge it – it’s going to be very very close, it’ll be down to the wire.”
She joked: “I’ll have the nails chewed off and my poor boyfriend’s leg will be numb from me grabbing on to him, but I’m already having sleepless nights thinking about it.”
When asked if she believes Donegal’s defence will be able to close the Cliffords down, Niamh said: “At the end of the day, you’re not going to stop them.
“It’s about managing them. David Clifford is having an absolutely phenomenal year, and he’s just getting better.
“I think Donegal’s Brendan McCole is one of the most underrated players in the whole country. You look at all the full forwards he’s marked over the last couple of years, and he never gets any attention for it.
“I do think if they put McCole on Clifford, it’s a good match. But again, you’re more controlling the damage that he’s going to do, I don’t think you’re ever going to stop him.”
Niamh said, win or lose, that she would stay overnight in Dublin on Sunday before heading to Donegal town to welcome the team back.
She added: “Even if it doesn’t go our way on Sunday, we’ll go out and celebrate with them.”
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