DOUBLE TROUBLE

Murphy one of very few in Kingdom who know what it takes to defend Sam 

- PAT NOLAN

ONLY once in the last 37 years have Kerry retained an All-Ireland and now they have another shot at it.

Sixteen years ago, Diarmuid Murphy was the Kerry 'keeper as they backed up the previous year's demolition of Mayo by beating Cork comfortably in the first all-Munster All-Ireland final, making it the first time that the Sam Maguire Cup had been successfully defended since Cork did it in 1990.

Murphy is now in his second stint as a Kerry selector having retired as a player after the 2009 All-Ireland win and while current manager Jack O'Connor was in charge in 2006, he stood down in the aftermath, with Pat O'Shea at the helm when they retained the title the following year.

The changeover is something that Murphy believes gave the players an edge ahead of their two-in-a-row tilt.