On Sunday last, the Kerry men ended a famine of sorts when winning back Sam Maguire after a gap of eight years. The wait is a lot longer for their female counterparts as it's 29 years since the Kingdom last got their hands on the Brendan Martin Cup.Kerry were All-Ireland champions in the years from 1982 to 1990, a nine-in-row that no other county has yet matched.
Not even the all-conquering Cork in the period from 2005 to 2016. A win for Dublin in 2010 interrupted that sequence.On Sunday next at Croke Park (throw-in 4pm), a Kerry side, under the direction of joint-managers Darragh Long and Declan Quill are back in a TG4 SFC final for the first time in in ten years.
Facing them are the defending champions Meath, who last year stunned the Dubs to claim a maiden title. The Royals won a Division 2 league title en route to claiming the big prize, building on the momentum of being All-Ireland intermediate champions in 2020.Kerry, in many respects, have a similar momentum ahead of Sunday's showdown.
Last April they accounted for Armagh in Division 2 final, and then topped their section in the group phase before getting past Armagh and Mayo in the All-Ireland series.