GAELIC GAMES ALL-IRELAND SFC:For all the brickbats O'Connor's panel have received through a dark July, the man has evidently got a few things right in his second stint as commander in chief of the most obsessive of Gaelic football tribes, writes GAVIN CUMMISKEY

Described as a team advisor, reports emanating from the weekend stated Moynihan delivered the half-time team talk in Tullamore when they trailed Antrim by a point. The Shronedarraugh native has provided many inspirational words to men wearing green and gold in his time as their defensive beacon from 1992 to 2006 but not on Saturday. In fact, he describes his current role with Kerry as “minor”. We don’t believe he has done anything minor since, oh, 1992.

“Eamonn Fitz and myself would be good friends and I’m obviously good friends with Jack and they just asked me to just be an eye in the sky, up on a higher level as they can’t see everything down on the lower level. That’s all.”

Kerry have been like a drunk on a tightrope these past few weeks, the potential to plunge to their deaths never going away. A reverberating defeat to a minnow looking possible in the eventual victories over Longford, Sligo and Antrim.

Some perched in a similar vantage point to Moynihan see a great team without direction, but he notices gradual improvement.

“Kerry certainly needed the three games to iron out a lot of the problems and issues that they had after the Cork game. In fairness, it has been a very gradual improvement. We were very lucky to beat Longford. Extremely lucky to beat Sligo. In fairness, the last day there was an improvement.

“It was great to see a few of the players who were out of form back into it in the second-half. They are still a good bit off (top form) but they are where they want to be.”

Dublin are favourites, he tells us, at least attempting to justify this statement by naming names.

“They played extremely well in the Leinster final against a very good Kildare team. They just seem to have all the aces up front at the minute with the two Brogans and Conal Keaney. They are very, very lively. Jayo (Sherlock) seems to have found his form of the past.

“One thing Dublin have this year is players with huge experience coming in off the bench. When they needed players Shane Ryan, Ciarán Whelan and Bryan Cullen played extremely well so it will be interesting to see if they play Cullen (due to Ger Brennan’s suspension) or not.

“They have certainly moved up a gear since 2007 when they put Kerry to the pin of their collar that time, even when Kerry were playing extremely well at that time.

“It is a massive task but a good game for Kerry. No excuses. Jack will have very little work this week to motivate Kerry.”

We talk tactics, looking for ways to evolve without the injured Kieran Donaghy. If they want to see the basketball international again they must reach the All-Ireland final in late September.

“The direct route is obviously the easiest way to go but having played teams like Tyrone, who are very cute, and they snuffed that out very easily with the two boys last year, as big as Tommy Walsh and Donaghy were. It was disappointing that Kerry didn’t have a plan B. Go another route.

“This year they have had no option but to change it around. They have tried Tommy at full forward and it hasn’t been as successful. He plays his best football out at wing forward so it will be interesting to see what they will do.”

We subtly broach the subject of in-fighting. Someone wrote recently that no-one goes away hungry from the table of rumours.

“Stories coming out were definitely exaggerated and it was disappointing. You could see on Sunday that the players were well up for it. After Paul Galvin’s goal you could see the delighted reaction of the Gooch.”

Aggrieved players are motivated players then? “You hold onto anything to get a performance. If that’s what it is going to take then so be it.”

Championship Fixtures

(Extra-time, if necessary, in all games)

Saturday
All-Ireland football qualifier round four

Limerick v MeathPortlaoise 7.0 RTE 2

All-Ireland minor football championship quarter-finals

Armagh v KildareBreffni Park 2.0

Dublin v DownBreffni Park 4.0

Sunday

All-Ireland football championship quarter-finals

Cork v DonegalCroke Park 2.0 RTE 2, BBC 2

Tyrone v KildareCroke Park 4.0 RTE 2, BBC2

Monday

All-Ireland football championship quarter-final

Dublin v KerryCroke Park 2.0 RTE 2

All-Ireland minor football championship quarter-finals

Kerry v RoscommonCroke Park 12.0

Mayo v TipperaryTullamore 3.0