AARON KERNAN insists Armagh will be ready for any Kerry mind games coming their way this week.
The Orchard are favourites to topple the Kingdom in Sunday’s All-Ireland quarter-final at Croke Park.
The Kerry faithful have been playing down their chances due to their injury list and failing to top their All-Ireland series group.
Diarmuid O’Connor (shoulder), Tony Brosnan and Mike Breen (both hamstring) are all doubts for last year’s semi-final rematch while Barry Dan O’Sullivan is out for the season with a torn ACL.
But Orchard legend Kernan knows Kerry can never be underestimated regardless of the naysaying coming from the Munster giants.
He said: “You can see some of the commentary that’s coming out of the county in terms of maybe dismissing them a wee bit, that’s mind games — there’s no doubt about it.
“You’re telling me for one minute that the people in Kerry don’t think that they’re capable of going up and beating Armagh now whenever it matters most?
“Of course they do, but the rallying cry has been going out from ten days ago.
“So that’s what would have me on my guard as an Armagh person or if you’re an Armagh player, but I don’t think that’s something that’s going to catch Armagh off-guard at all.
“I’m not nervous because Armagh are favourites, because Armagh deserve to be favourites. I’m nervous because it’s Kerry and Kerry are going to have 15 players on the field.
“Yes they have injuries, yes Cillian Burke has gone to Australia.
“But you still have 15 Kerry players with a huge amount of experience, with an All-Ireland under their belt the same as Armagh, with another maybe three All-Ireland final appearances, which Armagh don’t have.
“The Kerry skill set is the big one that I feared all year. The that they haven’t played a Division 1 team, is it a disadvantage or an advantage?
“The answer to that only lies on Monday morning because you don’t know until the game is over. They can either be fresh or they can be undercooked, but victors always tell the tale and Monday will tell that.”
l AARON KERNAN was speaking exclusively to BoyleSports as a Gaelic Games ambassador.
