Paul Flynn's All-Ireland senior football championship final preview

The significance of Kerry’s win last year is huge. If you look back to 2009, it was the 'startled earwigs’ game where Kerry hammered Dublin and from then Dublin had all the significant wins: 2011, 2015 and ’19 finals.

But for them to come through that game last year, and in the manner that did, with a huge free-kick from Sean O’Shea, you could see the elation and that it was a big milestone for them.

We were the same when we beat Tyrone in 2010 and ’11. When you overcome the benchmark team it gives you great confidence.

But it comes with a caveat. There’s a bit of an asterisk beside it because it was a watered-down version of the Dublin team. This weekend, we’re going to see the real Dublin team, with Stephen Cluxton, Jack McCaffrey and Paul Mannion back. So Kerry will know they’re going to be facing a different animal this season.

James McCarthy, Cluxton and Mick Fitzsimons are all going for nine All-Ireland medals. No other footballer has been able to achieve that, so it's quite significant. If they were to walk up the steps on Sunday there would be a certain level of emotion I would feel, playing right through with them from the start of my career.

The intensity, the commitment, both on and off the pitch, to keep your body in the physical shape to be able to perform, and not just perform but perform to the highest standards. These guys have been doing so well this year and I think it's just incredible to see.

That adds a bit of excitement to the game because we knew in Kerry they enjoy celebrating their own legacy as a proud county. For Dublin to have the only players to have nine All-Irelands would be significant.

But I don’t think it will play on the players’ minds going into the game. Maybe when they get a bit of