SATURDAY 28 AUGUST
All-Ireland SFC semi-final
Kerry v Tyrone, Croke Park, 3.30pm
ONLINE
Live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app
TV
Live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 2.30pm. Also live on Sky Sports Arena.
Live overseas on GAAGO.
Highlights on The Sunday Game, RTÉ2, 9.30pm.
RADIO
Live commentary on Saturday Sport, RTÉ Radio 1, from Marty Morrissey and Eamonn O'Hara - also live on Spórt an tSathairn, Raidio na Gaeltachta.
WEATHER
It will be a dry day with spells of summer sunshine, temperatures in Dublin are expected to peak at around 19 or 20 degrees. For more go to met.ie.
Ulster champs looking to put Covid woes behind them
And so 13 days on from when the sides were originally due to meet, Kerry and Tyrone finally get the chance to contest this semi-final. Tyrone's preparations have been affected by an an outbreak of Covid-19 in the camp, so to that end it's hard to get a gauge on where the Ulster champions are at at the moment.
Fergal Logan said that he and fellow Tyrone joint-manager Brian Dooher would hopefully be picking from "as close as possible" to a full panel but admitted that "it's not straightforward to say that everybody has shook the Covid issue". Let's hope for the sake of competitive fare at GAA HQ that the Ulster champions report a clean bill of health as they head south.
"Obviously it's been a challenging few weeks and we have a panel of players physically gathered up together again," Logan told RTÉ Sport.
"It's not an easy thing to shake out of your system and everybody in the group and all the medical people have worked hard and we hope to have as close to possible to a good pick for the game to get on with it and have a competitive day out with Kerry."
Working then on the assumption that Tyrone will have close to a full-strength side, there is enough about them to make this semi compelling, but Kerry do possess the greater potential in their ranks to come out on top. That's the view of most.
Even before Dublin played Kerry, the Kingdom were down as favourites to regain Sam Maguire. There's a Green and Gold wave coming and all that.
With Dublin out of the picture, Kerry folk, based on what Peter Keane's side have served up so far in 2021, perhaps do feel justified that's in them and Mayo contesting the showpiece final in a fortnight's time.
That's said Kerry's preparation has not been helped by the five-week lay-off since Cork were put to the sword in the Munster final. Still they did not want a free pass into the 11 September decider. Kerry will no doubt be hoping that Tyrone are in good order and can give them a battle that will have them primed for that last push - if victory is their lot come 5pm.
Back to Tyrone and the 'known unknown' relating to what shape they'll be in. The squad, despite a couple of absentees, were well and truly at the pitch of things when edging Monaghan in the Ulster final, though when the Farney pushed up on their kick-outs in the second half, they were unsettled. Those not affected by Covid would have worked away since in their own pods, maintaining a level of fitness while Logan/Dooher called for that extra week so that that greater numbers would be near ready for battle.
Tomás Ó Sé wary of Tyrone ambush
There is no doubt that the Covid-related issues will tighten the strong bond that is already there in the Tyrone camp. They haven't beaten Kerry in the championship since 2008 - an All-Ireland final where the Red Hand again reigned supreme. Games between the counties in that decade had a raw emotion.
They were fiery encounters where's Tyrone's hunger and zest got them over the line. A rekindling of those ingredients would definitely add spice in this latest renewal.
LAST 5 CHAMPIONSHIP MEETING
2019: Kerry 1-18 Tyrone 0-18 (All-Ireland semi-final)
2015: Kerry 0-18 Tyrone 1-11 (All-Ireland semi-final)
2012: Kerry 1-16 Tyrone 1-06 (All-Ireland qualifiers)
2008: Tyrone 1-15 Kerry 0-14 (All-Ireland final)
2005: Tyrone 1-16 Kerry 2-10 (All-Ireland final)
That was then... but this is now
It was all of 11 weeks ago when Kerry hammered Tyrone in that league semi-final. On these pages after that game, it was reported: "Tyrone might have to offer the 'only the League' defence after this, even though they might have had a crack at a league title had they won in Killarney. Looking at the result, it seems fanciful that they might have ever entertained such a notion given how they performed here.
"It would be easy to make the joke about the Tyrone defenders adhering to the two-metre rule when it came to the opponents, but collectively and individually the Red Hand defence was a rabble."
Are Kerry All-Ireland favourites now? The panel assess Kerry after their brutal demolition of Cork in the Munster final #rtegaa #TheSundayGame pic.twitter.com/jceCFSDpsw
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 25, 2021
The word rabble and the Tyrone defence we never thought would be part of the same sentence. Such an assessment, however, was very much part of the narrative on that June Saturday.
It's unlikely we'll see a repeat, according to former Kerry star Darran O'Sullivan.
He told the latest RTÉ GAA Podcast: "It was one of them freaky games. You're watching it as a supporter, a Kerry fan or a GAA fan and you're kind of going that's not the Tyrone we know that we've been watching for the last 10-15 years.
"I think Kerry know it's not going to be like that. They know Tyrone aren't going to come with that approach."
How do Tyrone keep the likes of Sean O'Shea, David Clifford, Paul Geaney, Stephen O'Brien and Paudie Clifford quiet? In the Munster final, David Clifford did not score from play, yet the Kingdom put 4-22 on the scoreboard.
Kerry-Tyrone rivalry can't escape noughties time-warp
You can expect Ronan McNamee, Padraig Hampsey and Michael McKernan to have key roles in trying to unsettle a Kerry attack that is pretty mobile - Sean O'Shea can easily transition from 11 to 14 and back again with telling effect.
Of course Tyrone will also look to serve Darren McCurry, Mattie Donnelly and Conor McKenna in attack and put pressure on a Kerry defence where a few questions remain. Dublin, in the league, put four goals past them; Cork made hay from their initial burst in the Munster final and while their average concession rate in the championship is just over 0-12 so far, Tyrone, at full strength should provide a more testing examination of their defensive credentials.
Also much discussed is the impact of Niall Morgan's restarts. It was a horror show for the Edendork clubman in June's league game - Kerry's press that day putting him all sorts of pressure. Morgan, however, does have the ability to go long and pick out his man and Tyrone will have to win a sufficient amount of their kick outs to have any sort of platform to hurt Kerry.
