RTE pundits argue over who is better prepared between Donegal and Kerry ahead of All-Ireland final

The Irish Sun

20 hours ago

CORA Staunton and Tomás Ó Sé got into a heated debate on the Sunday Game following Donegal's hammering of Meath.
The two RTÉ pundits argued over whether Jim McGuinness' side
3
The Sunday Game panel was split during this argument between Staunton and Ó Sé
Credit: @TheSundayGame
3
Donegal rested some players late on in the match and that may stand to them come All-Ireland final day
3
Kerry may benefit from the recent challenges having not played a Division 1 team in the championship until facing Armagh in the quarter-final
Donegal booked their place in the All-Ireland football final with a 3-26 to 0-15 victory over Meath while Kerry competed in a tighter but still comfortable
Kerry legend Ó Sé believed neither team were particularly challenged in the semi-final but the Kingdom were in the better position of the two to go into the final.
The five time All-Ireland winner said: "If you ramp up 3-26 against Meath, what benefit is that to them in a way?
"Because would you be better off with a tight, tight game in the semi-final?
Read more on GAA
"I would argue the same for Kerry. Kerry's passage from quarter-final to semi-final was a little bit more difficult than Donegal's."
Mayo icon Staunton thought the less intense fixture was ideal for Donegal especially with this year's congested inter-county schedule.
The 11 time All-Star hit back: "I think Jim McGuinness will be very happy that he got 3-26 on the board today.
"As I said earlier, he got players minutes, a good 20-25 minutes. He got a lot of his top players like Michael Murphy, Ryan McHuge, Peader Mogan, he got them off after 50 minutes.
Most read in GAA Football
"This is going to be their 11th championship game, the most there has ever been in any championship. So I think he will be happy that they will rest.
"He has spoken a lot about 'we only had a week off' and the difficulties. I think he will be delighted that it wasn't a hard game and it didn't go down to the wire.
'Easiest interview I've ever had' jokes RTE GAA host after pundits go back and forth before Meath vs Donegal
The Donegal GAA county board
They were given just a six-day turnaround between the preliminary quarter-final against Louth and their quarter-final clash with Monaghan despite requesting for it to be played a day later.
McGuinness himself
"From my own point of view, you should never, ever make an excuse for a game before a game is played."
The Donegal boss has had his complaints of the GAA's scheduling this season however, especially the decision for
Ó Sé still thought Jack O'Connor's side had the better preparation for the final despite Staunton's point.
He argued: "I just think Kerry are going to ask them a lot more difficult questions than the two previous teams have."
The two sides will meet on July 27 to decide the Sam Maguire Cup winners for 2025.