Juliet Murphy: Unearthing staying power could get Kerry over the line against Meath

Eight-time All-Ireland winner Juliet Murphy believes Kerry have a golden opportunity to end their long championship drought against favourites and current holders Meath in Sunday's Croke Park final.

Kerry are in their first TG4 All-Ireland final in a decade but face a tough task against a strong Meath side who made the national breakthrough last year and are seeking a second title in a row.

Speaking on RTÉ's Saturday Sport alongside Mayo All-Star Fiona McHale, who was involved against Kerry in the semi-final, ex-Cork star Murphy said the Kingdom do have the attributes needed to reclaim the crown for the first time in 29 years.

"I do think Kerry have a great chance of winning this game," she said, adding that they will need to maintain belief in their athletic and ball carrying ability going forward to pull off an upset.

"If they can do that, we'll be in for a cracker of a game."

She also tipped Kerry to come out on top if they can stay in touch with Meath late into the game.

"I think there's just something about them this year, the way they're going about their business," she said.

"If they're there in the last 8-9 minutes of the game I think they're well capable of closing it out.

"They're in peak physical condition and have done a lot of work over the lockdown and Covid."

Meath are renowend for their defensive structure which has served them well and from her experience of facing Kerry with Mayo, McHale feels the Munster county has added a string to their bow in that facet of the game.

"The teams who have actually done well against Meath this year are actually the teams that have probably tried to mirror them a little bit," she said.

"Not to the extent that they play themselves but are a little bit more defensive-minded and we