​By Declan O'Sullivan

In many ways last weekend turned out to be the best championship weekend we have had to date.

For both Tipperary and Clare to make such historic breakthroughs into the All-Ireland quarter final was really special. Both teams' journey to this stage has been hard earned and well deserved.

Now that they are there they must look to perform. Both will require their best performance to date if they are to have any chance of threatening an upset.

For Clare in particular it has been a dream year. One which they have been building to for a number of years. We played them in the first round of the championship back in 2014 and they were excellent. They gave us a lot of trouble and it was wasn’t until the last 10/15 mins before we could finally get the upper hand on them and eventually win by 4 points.

Most people didn’t think we would be All Ireland Champions leaving Cusack Part that evening that’s for sure, but the reality was that Clare meant business and were physically and tactically well able for Kerry that afternoon.

I met Podge Collins at a function in Killarney later that December and had a great chat with him. He had just been forced to decide between Hurling and Football for the upcoming 2015 season and from the outside I was surprised that he had chosen football.

Of course there was a strong family connection with the footballers with his father Colm and brother Sean involved but still to me I felt the only choice was to go with the hurlers, after all they had been All Ireland Champions in 2013 and tipped to win more.

So I asked him, “Podge are you sure? Do you not think you will regret it, surely the hurlers have a great shot at winning the All-Ireland next year and you need to make the most of those opportunities while they are still possible?”

“I love the football,” he replied. “This is a real good group and I want to be part of it.”

He spoke with such conviction and sureness that I knew that he was 100 per cent certain that he made the right call. I really admired him to have the balls to make such a big call but still left his company thinking he may regret it. Thankfully this year a compromise has been found and it is great to see him back with the hurlers again.

However, there is no doubt that the success this group of Clare men have had this year in winning a National League title and reaching their first All-Ireland Quarter Final has fully justified his decision back in 2014 and now means that any similar decision facing promising dual players in Clare has become a hell of a lot tougher. This group has changed the perception of Clare football inside and outside of the county.

What can they hope for on Sunday? Realistically I don’t think anybody can see them winning this game. That is not being disrespectful to Clare, but just an acknowledgement that both teams are on different missions. Clare have climbed their Everest already to get to this stage. Kerry on the other hand are just at base camp.

What Clare will look for is a better performance against Kerry this time around. They would be very disappointed in how they performed against Kerry in the opening round and will have learned a lot. Firstly as a defensive unit they must keep a much better shape especially early on.

They cannot allow large pockets of space develop inside their own 45 yard line by being dragged out of position. They must keep the game tight and not concede goals. In Killarney they conceded two early sloppy goals.

If it means they have to drop one or two extra men into defence to prevent this, then so be it. They scored 17 points against Kerry, however, and will fancy their chances that they can get more joy up front again Sunday. The key is can they win enough possession around the middle?

We all know they rely so heavily on Gary Brennan for leadership and inspiration and in that game Kieran Donaghy marked him superbly. In particular in the crucial first 20/25 mins where he not only curtailed Brennan but he actually dominated him.

He won the aerial battle and didn’t give him an inch on the ground either. Eventually Clare manoeuvred him off Donaghy and he kicked 2 points just before half time. But psychologically the damage had been done, Kerry and Donaghy had set the tone. The game was over as a contest.

I suppose the point that best illustrates the gap in the teams is that Brennan may not even face Donaghy next Sunday as the competition around the middle for Kerry is so intense that he is not even sure of his place. That competition is a double edged sword. Yes it is great for training and keeping players sharp and focused. It really keeps everybody in check.

However, at this stage of the year each team should have a core group of 12 or so players which are more or less guaranteed their starting position. This allows them to concentrate more on the team objective rather than too many players preoccupied with just trying to keep their place on the team. At the moment I could count just 7/8 players who are in that position for Kerry.

For me that is a big problem and I feel because of this the leadership and communication on the field is not where it needs to be for a team who want to win an All-Ireland. For this reason Kerry’s team selection will be very interesting for this game. It has been a month since the Munster final so that performance will count for little. This team will be more about what the management feel is their best team to meet the bigger challenges coming down the road.

Eamonn will have thought long and hard about it since last September. That is what losing a Final does to you. It consumes your mind until you can rectify it. Players will know at this stage it is less about training form and more about finding a balanced, intelligent and spirited team and players will have to accept whatever role they are being asked to perform within the squad and drive on. Otherwise everybody dies.

There is no doubt about it though there have been a number of encouraging signs to date. Their general approach to each game so far in terms of attitude and work rate has been really good. In particular, the forwards whose work rate and tackling has gone up a notch or two from last year. A lot of the scores they have got this year is from turnovers high up the pitch which have been quickly punished on the score board.

The performances of Paul Geaney have been a real boost after a long layoff with injury. Paul is the kind of player who can play it any way you want. He has developed a real toughness as he has gotten older. The requirement now is that James O Donoghue returns in similar nick. If both those two players can stay fit and in form then this Kerry team will be transformed.

The continued development of both Tadhg Morley and Brian Ó Beaglaoich is encouraging in defence. Both, while being inexperienced, are very tight marking which is essential for any defender but in particular a defender heading for Croker. They have added a good bit of strength and depth to the defensive options.

However, defensively, Kerry still have a lot to improve on. In both games to date they have been far too open, leaving a lot of space develop between the full and half back lines which was easily exploited by both Tipperary and Clare runners from deep. They are conceding far too many scoring opportunities.

This is more an issue which needs to be rectified by the whole team and not just the six backs. It comes back to my previous point about communication and players needing to be more in tune with the overall team strategy.

There is a lot of debate about the role Paul Murphy is currently playing. He has been excellent so far this year as a link man between defence and attack. It is a tough one for the management because not only is he excellent as a link man he also gives them great flexibility tactically.

When Tipperary were having their purple patch in the second half  of the Munster Final Kerry were able to switch Paul to the half backline and release Aiden O’Mahony to play a sweeper role in front of the full back line and go with 5 forwards up front. This immediately put a halt to any success Tipperary had been getting in their forward unit.

A possible solution for me would be if Mikey Geaney could regain match fitness. I feel he could play that role perfectly. He has all the tools. This would allow Paul to revert back to his more natural position of wing back which in turn would strengthen the defence. It won’t happen on Sunday as Mikey is on the injured list but it would be a great option thereafter.

Kerry won’t lose but they can’t really win either as regardless of the performance the questions will remain. The general impression from supporters after both Kerry games so far is that they are not progressing as well as they need to be.

Progress for me personally would be a better performance defensively, keeping Clare to 12/13 points with no goals conceded and upfront a cold, clinical performance which sets the tone for the rest of the team.

Oh, and of course no injuries…that would be the ideal spring board into a much trickier semi-final.