Brolly takes swipe at O'Donoghue and offers advice on who should mark Keegan

Joe Brolly has criticised Kerry footballer James O'Donoghue, stating he is "overrated" ahead of this weekend's All-Ireland semi-final writes Ciara Phelan.

Brolly takes swipe at O'Donoghue and offers advice on who should mark Keegan

Joe Brolly has criticised Kerry footballer James O'Donoghue, stating he is "overrated" ahead of this weekend's All-Ireland semi-final writes Ciara Phelan.

The controversial GAA pundit has said he is not impressed with O'Donoghue's performace while speaking on yesterday's Independent.ie's Championship podcast 'The Throw In.'

"I'm coming to the view that James O'Donoghue is overrated, I really am ... I've noticed during the year that he is very selfish, he won't look up and he won't play the team game," he said."

James O'Donoghue.
James O'Donoghue.

"He made his reputation in those two semi-finals against Mayo when he was marking Keith Higgins, but he wasn't being marked and he ran riot.

"Don't forget in the final that year against Donegal he didn't even get a shot off, so not only did he not score, he didn't even get a shot off."

Brolly also said he thinks Kerry will launch an immediate 'aerial onslaught' into Mayo's square when the teams clash at Croke Park on Sunday and admitted it will take a lot to stop Kieran Donaghy but O'Donoghue would make minimal impact if marked tightly.

"I think that if O'Donoghue is tightly marked that he's not going to be that big of a factor, and of course Mayo do have a couple of very, very good defenders."

One of those defenders being Lee Keegan, with Brolly stating Mayo's problem is that they only have one of him.

To aid Kerry in keeping Keegan under control, Brolly advised Kerry management to put Paul Murphy on duty to mark him.

"The smart move there, and it is something he (Eamonn Fitzmaurice) can afford to do because Mayo aren't hectic in that area, is to put Paul Murphy on him," he said.

Stating it as a compliment Brolly said Murphy like Keegan "is an absolute pig on the field."

Mayo's Lee Keegan.
Mayo's Lee Keegan.

"He (Murphy) knows no pain and knows no boundaries competitively and is a force of nature.

"You could identify that from a very early stage. Mentally, he has no boundaries and he would have no issue with it.

"Psychologically, let's look at Lee - he goes on to a big name on the opposing team and he takes him to pieces and goes on to flourish himself.

"But always, it is Lee's job to mark the other guy and that is the dynamic, so it is a very, very smart move.

"Man-markers hate it when man-markers come to them, especially someone like Lee who relies on being able to get free and kick points and goals."

Keegan who missed out on the All-Ireland quarter-final replay against Roscommon due to a foot injury, is expected to make the starting 15 this weekend.

Kerry are also set to name their team today.

It will be the first time the sides have met in the Championship since 2014.

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

Kildare v Louth - Allianz Football League Division 2 Cards to carry if there is extra-time in football finals
Donegal v Tyrone - Electric Ireland Ulster GAA Minor Football Championship Final Tyrone U20s edge Derry in dramatic finish after tactical battle
14-man Mayo overcome Galway in Connacht U20 Championship 14-man Mayo overcome Galway in Connacht U20 Championship
Sport Push Notifications

By clicking on 'Sign Up' you will be the first to know about our latest and best sporting content on this browser.

Sign Up
Sport
Newsletter

Latest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers

Sign up
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited