Kerry v Down

The weight of history is normally tipped in Kerry's favour, but the shoe will be other the other foot when they line out against Down at Croke Park on Sunday.

With 73 Munster and 36 All-Ireland Championships to their name, not to mention the 19 National League titles under their belt, the Kingdom rarely have baggage when they meet other counties - particularly counties with relatively modest success at senior level.

But Down have been an unusually painful thorn in Kerry's side in the past, winning all four of their Championship meetings. Their last encounter came in the 1991 All-Ireland semi-final in which and up-and-coming Mourne outfit overcame an ageing Kerry side by 2-09 to 0-08.

A precocious young forward by the name of James McCartan was on the Down side that day. He now manages the Ulster side and will be hopeful that his charges can maintain the legacy of an unbeaten record against the game's aristocrats.

McCartan had injury concerns over Benny Coulter (calf) and Damien Rafferty (elbow) after they picked up knocks in the 3-20 to 0-10 hammering of Sligo last Saturday.

However, both have been deemed fit enough to retain their places in the starting XV. It is hard luck on Ronan Murtagh, who must warm the bench again despite hitting 1-05 when he replaced Coulter with 25 minutes remaining against the Yeats County.

But Murtagh's failure to dislodge a team-mate indicates strength-in-depth, which is one of the key factors in achieving success.

Kerry have had to delve into their vast resources to deal with a combination of suspensions and injuries that left them facing into a quarter-final without some of their key men.

Paul Galvin and Tomás Ó Sé are serving bans for acts of indiscipline against Cork and Limerick respectively, while Padraig Reidy (knee) and Daniel Bohane (hip) are crocked.

All this has paved the way for Aidan O'Mahony to return at wing-back for his first Championship outing of the season. He will need to hit the ground running, as this is a huge game for Kerry.

They should be in a much better place by the time the All-Ireland semi-finals roll around, but that will mean nothing unless they have secured their place in the last four.

The Kingdom were cleaned out at midfield by Limerick, and Micheál Quirke and Seamus Scanlon will need a big performance in order to suggest they can form an adequate partnership in that most vital of positions.

Aside from a poor second half against Tyrone in the Ulster semi-final, Down have had a decent summer. A victory over Kerry would transform it though, and with the Munster champions in a seemingly weakened state, history might just repeat itself.

Verdict: Down