‘KERRY ARE ALWAYS A DANGER...’

DUBLIN’S James McCarthy has admitted he has little interest in giving Kerry’s rising stars any grounds for optimism next weekend. Former minors David Clifford and Sean O’Shea, along with a number of their former underage colleagues, are expected to feature in Sunday’s Allianz League tie at Croke Park. Dublin haven’t lost a League or Championship game since they faced Kerry in last year’s League final and the All-Ireland holders are expected to push hard for revenge. A win would also leave them on the brink of a sixth successive League final, while the game may be seen as a useful opportunity to crush the spirit of those young Kerry players. ‘There’s an element of that I suppose,’ said McCarthy (above). ‘They’re young, they’re brash, they’re going to be coming up and they want to take you on. The few clips I’ve seen, they look very good players and they physically seem ready for it. Sean O’Shea, David Clifford, they’re big lads at six-foot-one, six-foot-two, so it’s a good challenge and a good barometer for the year of where both teams are.’ ‘Thankfully we won the AllIreland last year but the League final was a nice little reminder of what Kerry can do to you and how dangerous a team they always are.’