By Eamonn Fitzgerald

Dingle and Dr Crokes go head-to-head in the final of the Kerry SFC in Austin Stack Park at 2.30pm on Sunday - and that will be old time as the clock changes to winter mode.

Who will win the prestigious Bishop Moynihan Trophy, which comes with the added honour of having the call on the Kerry captaincy next year?

If Dingle win, will long-time servant Paul Geaney stay one more year? Or maybe Tom O’Sullivan will lead Kerry, or even the in-form Dylan Geaney. A win for Dr Crokes opens the door for Tony Brosnan, Gavin White or Shane Murphy.

The other big incentive is that since both teams are clubs, the winners will represent Kerry in the Munster Club Championship which could possibly lead to the ultimate glory of winning the All-Ireland Club Championship. However, Dingle or Dr Crokes must be kings of the Kingdom first and foremost.

The two best club teams in Kerry have made it through to the final, both knocking out divisional teams in the semis. Dingle were the most impressive in those penultimate games, eliminating East Kerry, the dominant team of the past few years. The odds favoured East Kerry in their semi-final and it looked like they were pulling away with a four-point lead, but Dingle staged a magnificent comeback with Dylan Geaney in particular lofting over some great long-range points.

Gavin H Curran pulled off a magnificent full-length save to put David Clifford’s well-struck penalty out for a 45. Dingle lorded it in extra time and East Kerry had no answer to the powerful drive for victory from the men from Daingean Uí Chúis.

UNBEATEN CROKES

Dr Crokes have been the form team this season. They went on an unbeaten run and won all 11 games to capture the County League Division 1 title. They followed that up with a club final victory over Dingle, and now they are bidding for their third senior trophy of the season.

(Dingle were very understrength in the league with no fewer than five players tied up with Kerry, but now they are at full strength with Tom O’Sullivan back to full fitness.)

They had five points to spare over St Brendan's Board in the semi-final, but that was like the curate's egg (good in patches). They were magnificent in the first half and led by three points at half-time after playing into the strong breeze. However, they lost their way for much of the second half before finishing well with veterans Kieran O'Leary and Brian Looney adding points.

That first quarter after the break showed chinks in the Crokes armour as they struggled to gain any real momentum. If they lose their way in a similar fashion on Sunday, Dingle will punish that lethargy and go on to win.

However, Pat O’Shea is as shrewd a strategist and tactician as you will find anywhere. After all, he coached an All-Ireland-winning Kerry team. His gameplan is well thought out and one of its great strengths is that it’s all built on teamwork. His team plan has no place for egos or so-called prima donnas. Each player knows exactly what he is supposed to do and at all times supports the teammate in possession. If a Dr Crokes player has possession or is contesting for possession, he knows instinctively that he will have other Crokes players as backup. The work ethic is the sine qua non and, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who gets the score or who succeeds in breaking out of defence. Telepathy is unreal and in any particular game when a player is not fitting in, Crokes have a fine bench of replacements.

KEATING TO START

One Crokes player called ashore with a hamstring injury in the 37th minute of their semi-final was Charlie Keating, their powerful young midfielder. That made him very doubtful for the final with just two weeks to rehab. The good news for the Killarney side is that Keating will start as he has fully recovered.

Both managers will be able to play with a full deck and I don’t expect any changes from the starting 15 of both clubs in their semi-finals.

The availability of Keating to partner the high-fielding Mark O’Shea makes for a great contest at midfield where Dingle are also very strong. Barry Dan O’Sullivan is a Kerry panelist while his partner Billy O’Connor is battle-hardened from his exploits in rugby.

Forwards score goals and goals win matches. That is the long-held formula for success, but it is not that clear-cut in the modern game. Have you noticed in the big games including the All-Ireland that the full forward line is no longer the main provider of scores? In reality, 13, 14 and 15 can be on short time heading for redundancy.

Invariably teams depend on their half back lines to score and that even goes to mobile full back lines. Enter Tom O’Sullivan, the former All-Star. He’s good for a few points in most games and, for Crokes, Evan Looney also drives forward to score in most games. Wing-back Brian Looney is also a proven scorer.

Paul Geaney is a key man for Dingle. He averages 1-4 per game and is equally at home in all six regular forward positions. Most likely he will be at 11 or 14 where he will be marked by the experienced Gavin White or Fionn Fitzgerald.

Dylan Geaney may well be the biggest thorn in the side of Dr Crokes defence. He was magnificent in the semi-final win, scoring six points and five of those were from play well out from goal. Long-range points are one of the attractions of football games and Geaney has that arrow in his quiver.

Tony Brosnan has been Crokes' leading scorer, although he was well-curtailed in the semi-final when he was double-marked. It looks like Tom O’Sullivan will pick him up. So, will it be Tom O’Sullivan striding downfield to score or Brosnan jinking around two defenders for trademark points?

Two other in-form players for Crokes are Gavin O’Shea and Brian Looney who seem to pop up just about anywhere they are needed. Dingle may move over Tom Leo O'Sullivan from wing back to curb O’Shea. Flaherty and Gavin O’Shea are free spirits with great engines and huge work rates. They will be popping up all over the field and will not be confined to the designated areas for wearers of the number 11 geansaís.

Dingle should assert supremacy at midfield with their two big men, O’Connor and O’Sullivan, and that may well be the axis for setting up the scores. Pádraig Corcoran will probably start with a full forward line of two Geaneys, Dylan and Paul, and maybe even Conor for an all-Geaney full forward line. That’s a formidable task facing Evan Looney, the experienced Fionn Fitzgerald, and young Maidchí Lynch, playing in his first county senior final.

FROM THE BENCH

The respective benches will be crucial. Expect both managers to use up to five subs, not to run the bench, but to get fresh legs for the final furlong. The timing of the substitutions is crucial.

There are so many if and buts, such as injuries to key players, strength and adaptability of bench options, weather with a strong wind blowing upfield to the Mitchels End or downfield to the Scoreboard End, and most difficult dubious calls by the referee leading to a 14-man team. Those and much more will make for an eagerly awaited final.

Dingle have not won this title since 1948, while Crokes have won 13. Will they be stuck on the unlucky 13 with Austin Stacks?

Wasn’t there a splendid film Into the West starring Gabriel Byrne, Colm Meaney, that great Dub supporter, and the delightful David Kelly who brought a horse from Tír na nÓg to the impoverished chisellers of inner-city Dublin, who rode out into the west in glory?

Looks like a good reenactment for Dingle on Sunday. They may spring a surprise and carry the coveted cup back west, bridging the 76-year gap. They have been waiting a mighty long time.

Kerry SFC Final Match Details

Dr Crokes v Dingle, Sunday 2.30pm, Austin Stack Park (Also Live on Clubber)