And so it has come down to this. In a year of few surprises, the cream has risen to the top with Kerry set to take on Tyrone - the team they succeeded as champions last year - in an intriguing All-Ireland football final. In reality, the race for this year"s All-Ireland title was always going to be between the 'big three' of Kerry, Tyrone and Armagh, and now only two of them are left standing. The Kingdom, after a typically sluggish start to the year, have qualified for another final without having to fully extend themselves. By contrast, Tyrone have stretched every muscle and sinew, and the All-Ireland final will be their 10th game of a marathon campaign. So if they capture the Sam Maguire on September 25, they will have done it the hard way. For the reigning champions, there is a great deal more at stake than a 34th All-Ireland title. The Kingdom haven't forgotten the pain that was inflicted on them in the 2003 All-Ireland semi-final when they succumbed to a tactically superior and physically stronger Tyrone team. The intensity Tyrone brought to their play that day was something Kerry had never encountered before and in the subsequent fall-out, the conclusion reached was that they needed to change their style. And under new manager Jack O'Connor, they did just that. A physically stronger and tactically more astute Kerry bounced back to win the All-Ireland in fine style last year and are now just 70 minutes away from becoming the first team since Cork in 1989-'90 to put titles back-to-back. It's quite clear that motivation will not be a problem for the Kingdom who, despite being reigning All-Ireland champions, will feel they still have an awful lot to prove, particularly in light of their recent high-profile defeats to northern opposition. Tyrone, who are bidding to win Sam for a second time, have huge momentum behind them and there is a quiet confidence in the county that they will not only repeat their victory of two years ago, but also avenge their defeat to the Kingdom in the 1986 All-Ireland final. When the sides met in the National League at Tralee earlier this year, Kerry emerged winners by 2-17 to 3-8. However, a late Mark Harte point ensured that Tyrone had the last laugh as it was enough to put them through to the semi-final on scoring difference. The Red Hands subsequently suffered a surprise defeat to Wexford and looked decidedly shaky when overcoming Down in the first round of the Ulster championship. They almost came a cropper against Cavan in their next outing but lived to fight another day. In the replay, they showed what they are capable of when walloping the Breffnimen by 21 points, a result which set the scene for the first of three titanic battles with old rivals Armagh at Croke Park. In the drawn and replayed Ulster finals, Tyrone played the better football but the victory they so desperately sought proved elusive. They led by four points with time almost up in the first game, but Armagh scored a late 1-1 to earn a second chance. The replay was an ill-tempered affair, with the dismissals of Peter Canavan and Stephen O'Neill having a big bearing on the outcome. In their absence, Tyrone lost their cutting edge up front while Armagh found theirs to retain the Anglo-Celt Cup. Despite that shattering defeat, Tyrone regrouped impressively for the All-Ireland qualifiers. After a poor start, they comfortably brushed aside the challenge of Monaghan. Another slow start against Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final saw Tyrone playing catch-up for much of the second half. Owen Mulligan's wonder goal looked to have turned the tide in their favour, but the Dubs managed two late points to force a replay. The result of the replay was never in doubt with the Red Hands imposing themselves from the start. Dublin got to within three points at one stage in the second half, but another Mulligan goal ended the game as a contest. Revenge was sweet for Mickey Harte's charges against Armagh in the All-Ireland semi-final when Peter Canavan showed nerves of steel to kick over the winning free in injury-time. It was a tremendously hard-fought encounter throughout and it should stand Tyrone in good stead for the final. Kerry's path to the final has not nearly been as tough. They easily accounted for Tipperary in the first round of the Munster championship and had six points to spare over Limerick in the semi-final. Cork threatened to cause an upset in the provincial decider at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, but vital second half scores from Tomas O Se and Declan O'Sullivan saw the Kingdom prevail by three points. Against Mayo in the All-Ireland quarter-final, Kerry looked like running away with victory after Darragh O Se found the net early in the second half. But a failure to score after the 58th minute left the door open for a Mayo comeback and a goal was all that separated the sides at the finish. Like Tyrone, Kerry were pitted against their greatest rivals in the All-Ireland semi-final. Having produced an impressive showing against Galway in the quarter-final, Cork were expected to test Kerry's metal to the limit. But the Kingdom were in a different league and sauntered to a 1-19 to 0-9 victory. While beating Armagh in the All-Ireland semi-final was a huge psychological boost to Tyrone after what had gone before it, Mickey Harte was quick to remind everyone that for all their endeavours this season, they still have no silverware to show for it. The biggest hurdle is still to come and they don't want to suffer the same fate as Meath did in 1991 when the 10th and final game against Down proved a bridge too far. Perhaps the only plus to playing Kerry in the All-Ireland final is that they are about the only county nobody takes for granted and Tyrone should be back down to earth and fully focused on the task in hand. The hallmark of Tyrone"s performances has been their tremendous battling qualities and never-say-die attitude. They have faced adversity on more than one occasion, but have shown an innate ability to survive and to win tight matches. They have shown few signs of fatigue and what the extra games have allowed the Tyrone management to do is to identify any weaknesses and to come up with their best formula. Tyrone"s ability is undoubted. Stephen O'Neill has looked Player of the Year material for several months now, Ryan McMenanim and Enda Gormley have been consistently brilliant in defence, Sean Cavanagh is well on his way to becoming the greatest midfielder of his generation, while Owen Mulligan has struck a recent vein of form in recent games. On the minus side, Tyrone have looked suspect at full back (Joe McMahon may have remedied this problem) and Brian Meehan offered inadequate support to Cavanagh in the semi-final when Armagh dominated the midfield sector. And what role is Peter Canavan likely to be given? He has proven his worth as an impact sub, but surely in a game of this importance, he should be unleashed on Kerry from the start. Quality runs through the Kerry team, so much so that the likes of Seamus Moynihan, William Kirby, Paul Galvin, Mike Frank Russell, Dara O Cinneide and Declan Quill have found themselves left on the sideline at different stages this summer. Apart from the Munster final, they haven"t been seriously tested and it remains to be seen if they will be prepared for Tyrone"s suffocating style and ferocious intensity. Remember, it will be the first time since 2003 that Kerry have faced anything like this. Kerry will hope that Darragh O Se and William Kirby can win what is likely to be an overcrowded midfield battle and that their full back line can maintain their excellent form against Mulligan, O'Neill and co. At the opposite end, Tyrone will have to keep a tight rein on the 'Gooch' who has been weaving his magic freely all season. While their last meeting in the championship could hardly be described as a classic, Kerry and Tyrone are capable of serving up a footballing treat on All-Ireland day. It's a fascinating duel and tactics could prove decisive. Remember how Kerry's tactic of delivering the ball in high to Johnny Crowley caught the Mayo defence completely unawares last year? Tyrone have provided more entertainment than any other team in this year's championship and it would be a tragedy from their point of view if they were to finish the season empty-handed. They will hold no fears of playing Kerry and while their fighting spirit cannot be questioned, the Kingdom have revenge on their minds and are taken to become the first team in the modern era to put All-Ireland titles back-to-back. Verdict: Kerry. Tweet

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