Five questions for Kerry to answer...

Can they get their defence in order?

Of all the issues Kerry will face this year, this has to be the biggest of the lot.

Going on the last twelve months – since they last played the Banner as a matter of fact – there have been big question marks over Kerry’s defensive play. In game after game last summer the Kingdom conceded multiple goal-scoring opportunities, eventually that was going to catch up with them and against Mayo in last year’s All Ireland semi-final it finally did.

This year’s league saw similar issues emerge. In the game with Galway in Austin Stack Park Kerry were lucky to get away with conceding just a single goal despite giving up multiple chances. Even with a new batch of players old habits die hard or so it seems.

The assessment of most observers is that the issue is more structural than anything else. Even in a defence that sometimes malfunctions it’s often hard to pick out too many individuals playing below par – there’s some really talented players in Kerry’s roster of defenders.

In the couple of months since the league concluded we’ve got to imagine getting go top of these issues has been Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s greatest priority. It’ll be interesting to see what solutions he comes up with. We’ll get our first glimpse in Fitzgerald Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Perhaps he’ll get the half-forward line tracking back a bit more?

Maybe he’ll leave a midfielder sitting deeper on a more consistent basis? Maybe he might even take a leaf out of the Paddy Tally play-book? That last one seems unlikely, but whatever happens it should be fascinating.

Can they integrate the young guns efficiently?

Outside of those defensive issues this is the next biggest issue for the Kerry management team this summer. As much as people will be itching to see as many of these young players on the pitch as possible for as long as possible, it’s up to Fitzmaurice and co to judge how best to integrate these guys and that assessment will probably have to be taken on a case by case basis.

Some guys will be ready to rock straight away – we’d put Seán O’Shea and David Clifford

(pictured below) in that category – but others might need to be fed into the mix more gradually, with appearances off the bench to begin with at least.

The Super 8s – assuming Kerry make them – will be brilliant for the development of these younger players, with pressure on the panel more players will have to be used than in previous years most likely. There’s a huge oppor tunity for these guys, all they have to do is grab it.

Can Kerry find the right midfield mix?

This is a not insignificant issue, but it’s one the probably hinges more on fitness and availability than anything else. If David Moran is fully fit and back to his best then there’s no question he’s Kerry’s top midfield option and with Jack Barry alongside him that should be a formidable pairing.

The midfield issue probably does fold into the debate over Kerry’s defensive issues as well. Is there a case for Anthony Maher to make a return to the starting fifteen on the basis that he provides great defensive cover?

Again if he’s fit and ready then yes you can make that case – and the indications are that he’s in fine fettle despite not playing league football this season – but until we see him in action we can’t say for certain. The management team having seen him in A versus B games will be better able to judge that.

How best to utilise their experienced players?

Kieran Donaghy is back. Killian Young is back. Donnchadh Walsh is back. Darran O’Sullivan is back. Anthony Maher is back. Some of these guys are older and younger than others we stress in order to avoid accusations of ageism, but they all have a lot of football played.

We think it somewhat unlikely that any of these guys will be automatic star ters as they once were, but they should all have some role to play during the summer. When Kerry need to close a game out what better way to do so than to bring a Kieran Donaghy or an Anthony Maher off the bench?

If Kerry are chasing a game what better way to inject a little pace and unpredictability into the mix than to spring Darran O’Sullivan off the bench? The younger players will probably command more game time, but these guys could prove the difference between success and failure.

Can Kerry win a tight one?

It’s been a while now since Kerry won a real hard-fought championship match. You could point to their victory over Clare in last year’s Munster semi-final in Cusack Park, but we’d probably go back a little fur ther than that, to the 2015 All Ireland semi-final victory over Tyrone.

That was a game where Kerry had to dig it out – a late goal for Tyrone threatened to cost the Kingdom a place in the All Ireland final. In all their victories since then Kerry have won largely pulling up. Even if you wanted to make a case for Galway giving them a game at times in last year’s quarterfinal, the Tribesmen’s inefficiency meant that Kerry were never in any real danger of defeat.

Kerry could have beaten Mayo in a tight game in last year’s drawn semi-final, but they didn’t. It’s important that Kerry demonstrate an ability to win a tight championship game. The confidence a victory like that can generate can inspire a team all the way to September – narrow wins over Sligo and Antrim were key in 2009. The dogged determination Kerry showed in Austin Stack Park and O’Connor Park that summer was the springboard for victories over the startled earwig Dubs and a Cork side on the cusp of an All Ireland title.