This is very difficult to predict. There's no obvious form. For both teams it's the first outing in months and both have something to prove. Kerry want to prove themselves worthy All-Ireland champions. They didn't meet major football forces like Cork and Meath in 1997 and they want to confirm that they're a quality team.

Cork are very hungry after the defeat by Clare last year and this is really their first major outing since then.

There's an awful lot of pressure on Larry Tompkins, who has put himself in the firing line by playing tomorrow. He's wide open for criticism if it doesn't work out. But I don't think he'd be doing it unless he was confident that it would work.

Centre forward is a safe position if you don't want to be caught for a lack of pace. Clever movement and thinking can camouflage the lack of pace. But being a manager, Larry's more obvious step might have been to come on later in the game.

I suppose Cork aren't flush with centre forwards although Joe Kavanagh might fit the bill, but there's no obvious candidates. The Tompkins move might work, but I have my doubts.

The Cork defence looks as good as I've seen for a long time. The half back line looks formidable, providing Ciaran O'Sullivan and Steven O'Brien can find the form of a few years ago. Both have been out of form for a couple of seasons and O'Sullivan hasn't been covering the same ground he used to.

Mark O'Connor is an important selection in the right corner. He has proved a good marker on Maurice Fitzgerald in the past. Can Maurice reproduce the tremendous form of last year? Has he the hunger to do it again?

Last year he carried the forward line with some support from Pa Laide. That won't work again if the others don't contribute. One positive sign is that Dara O Cinneide has found his best position at centre forward. He lacked the speed off the mark for corner forward. Here he will see more ball and put it to better use. O Cinneide's been playing well in training and challenge matches.

This would be a huge bonus for Kerry in a position where the team wasn't strong last year with Liam Hassett playing there.

Michael Francis Russell can also contribute to the overall attacking function. He proved ideal last year when he was sprung from the bench. Can he do it from the start now? His duel with Eoin Sexton will be fascinating.

Kerry's new full forward John Crowley is very effective gaining possession, but the problem then is what he does with it. If he can set up a few scores, he'll be doing his job.

If Cork are going to win they'll have to dominate midfield and take 60 per cent of possession. Damien O'Neill is a player I rate very highly from the time I saw him in a league match against Louth. He's the best of the four on view tomorrow. If he and Pat Hegarty can click, it will be Cork's main asset, their main chance of winning.

The jury's still out on the Kerry midfield and there'll be pressure on Donal Daly to deliver some of his club form in William Kirby's absence.

One thing surprises me. It looks like Kerry's strongest line is marking Cork's weakest. Ronan McCarthy on the wing is another example of Cork trying to make forwards out of backs. There is some method in the madness in that he'll probably be detailed to mark Seamus Moynihan and cover his forward runs rather than play an attacking, creative role.

On the other wing, Don Davis has been tried and tested for long spells and rarely produces the goods. In his favour is the fact that Eamonn Breen has missed weeks of training because of a hamstring injury.

Tomas O Se is supposed to be flying in training. He'd want to be because Killian Burns has never left Kerry down on the big day and I feel surprised that O Se has got in ahead of him.

Cork will go to Joe Kavanagh as much as possible for scores. He's very, very accurate off the left foot. The other Cork forwards won't score as much and Kavanagh will have a major bearing on the outcome. Barry O'Shea is constantly improving at full back for Kerry. He has good speed off the mark and the quality of ball into Kavanagh will need to be well delivered.

It's difficult to predict but I believe Kerry will win. They can survive with less possession from the middle of the field because they've more scoring options up front and their forward unit is better balanced.

So it's Kerry, by the narrowest of margins. (In an interview with Sean Moran)