Regardless of the time of year, there is something compelling when old rivals Dublin and Kerry cross paths.
A bitterly cold and wet week in February will be illuminated by the latest instalment of the GAA's most prestigious fixture.
Even the all-consuming talk around the new rules are likely to be parked for a little while in Tralee tonight. Very little tangible is on the line, yet the post-mortems will be thorough, with conclusions drawn and evidence to be used right up until the business end of the season.
There is a growing sense, through a combination of a huge changing of the guard in Dublin and Kerry’s failure to land more than one All-Ireland title in the last decade, that this game has been moved off-Broadway somewhat.
Dublin’s cast has suddenly shrunk. Brian Fenton and James McCarthy are gone, Jack McCaffrey and Paul Mannion may well have played their last games, John Small’s future is unclear, while Stephen Cluxton at least, is set to return. Whatever way you slice that up, the X-factor with the Dubs is not where it once was.
Kerry too feel in need of a little rejuvenation. When David Clifford made his long-awaited senior debut in 2018, it was hoped within the Kingdom that a new rivalry with Dublin would ensue as well as regular visits to the winner’s enclosure. Returning with Sam on just one occasion in that period indicates that the second part of that ambition has fallen rather flat.
Kerry’s underwhelming display in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final was at least one step further than Dessie Farrell managed with the Dubs, who couldn’t offer sufficient resistance to Galway’s second-half surge.
Even allowing for the personnel changes inflicted on Farrell, and the fact that in-form Crokes forward Micheál Burns balances out the loss of Cillian Burke to the AFL, is it force of habit - or maybe the hunch that the new rules will favour the Kingdom - that nearly all the bookmakers have Kerry as favourites to win Sam, with Dublin either second, or alongside Galway and Donegal?
The off-Broadway is as much about the number of teams in and around the same level, as opposed to the last decade default of top-dogs Dublin being chased hardest by Kerry and Mayo, and the intensity that brought to the fixture.
Times are a changing and Farrell is spreading the net wide to unearth more championship options.
Last time out against Donegal, Dublin started with Gavin Sheridan in goals, Theo Clancy at corner-back, former AFL man James Madden and Killian McGinnis at midfield and Brian O’Leary in the full-forward line. Luke Breathnach - pictured below - and Sean Lowry impressed off the bench.
There are many others looking to catch the eye in spring, and a gut check in Tralee may be exactly what management are looking for.
Some of the recent clashes in Tralee have been just that, with the hosts always – just about in some cases – prevailing.
Indeed you have to go back to 1982 when the visitors left Austin Stack Park after a league win (Dublin’s 2010 and 2013 victories were achieved in Killarney).
If tonight’s action is anything like recent history, prepare for heavy showers, challenges and a decent smattering of football.
A last-gasp Paul Mannion free in 2017 salvaged a draw for the metropolitans, while two years later the feeling that Kerry could end Dublin’s 'drive for five’ grew serious credibility after a feisty encounter saw the hosts prevail when Peter Crowley fisted over the decisive score four minutes into injury-time.
A game that simmered throughout – Mick Fitzsimons received his marching orders with 10 minutes to go – boiled over at full-time, yet on his final visit as Dublin manager, Jim Gavin was once again utterly in control of his emotions as he crossed the pitch, calmly side-stepping the grappling and shoving like a man avoiding dog foul on the pavement.
That year was arguably the high-water point of the modern rivalry with a core group of generational players in and around their peak. Eight months later, Dublin went where Kerry failed in '82, but not before they were pushed all the way by the green and gold.
Covid took some of the spice out of the fixture, yet Kerry took great solace from their powerful league display in round two of the 2022 Allianz Football League, where a commanding 13-point interval lead paved the way for the latest Tralee win.
'Normal' service has been resumed.
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) February 5, 2022
But there's nothing normal about some of the scores David Clifford kicks. Even with the wind at his back this is special#rtegaa
📺Watch live - https://t.co/AKAre5FHdN
📱Live updates - https://t.co/KkRyBPkT2L pic.twitter.com/z3UpEib81F
On an unforgiving night for football, Farrell ran the rule over Lorcan O’Dell, Cameron McCormack and Ross McGarry in attack. Despite an improved showing after the break, the growing consensus was the Dublin conveyor belt was stalling and O’Connor’s side were ready to exploit.
Five months later and played in altogether more appealing conditions for football, Sean O’Shea’s monstrous free into the Hill was a critical juncture for the team, ending a run of half a dozen championship games against their opponents without success.
It marked one of those years where the semi-final victory felt every bit as significant as the final itself.
The new pecking order didn’t last long as Kerry’s hopes of going back-to-back were derailed in the decider by their biggest foes the following year.
In a frantic encounter, Dublin turned to experience as Paul Mannion and a Dean Rock free saw them home. The conveyor belt may have stalled somewhat, but there was enough in the tank for one final dance.
That proved to be the swansong for a golden generation of Dublin footballers, with a new crop looking to make their own mark.
For some tonight it will be a first taste of Saturday night lights in Tralee, where Croke Park and Sam Maguire feels a long way off.
Both teams have lost to Donegal in this year’s league – Kerry never led in Killarney last time out while Dublin never got to grips with the hosts in Ballybofey – but there is no great burning ambition to take league honours.
As well as navigating the new rules, Kerry are more concerned with bedding down a midfield partnership and developing more of a cutting thrust up front. Ruairí Murphy and Cathal Ó Beaglaíoch are among those likely to showcase their talents to a wider audience with the RTÉ cameras in town.
For Dublin it is assessing the new personnel – particularly around the middle third – while the contribution of Eoghan O’Donnell after switching codes is something many will be watching closely.
That however is big picture stuff. The laying down of markers – as much as they will be played down post-match – and the early season jostling for positions should ensure referee Liam Devenney and his team of officials are in for a busy night and the 12,000 patrons that file through the turnstiles are entertained.
Off-Broadway or not, it is a fixture that always promises and generally delivers.
Watch Kerry v Dublin in the Allianz Football League on Saturday from 7.20pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
