Kerry legend David Moran has said Mayo’s frontline is something to be wary of, but Jack O’Connor’s men will be grounded ahead of the All-Ireland final.

Kerry and Mayo will meet for a fifth time in the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final this Sunday, with Kerry coming out on top on the four previous occasions.

Jack O’Connor’s men are looking to retain the Sam Maguire Cup following their victory over Donegal in last year’s decider, while Mayo are looking to lift the trophy for the first time since 1951, but former Kerry star David Moran believes the Kingdom won’t be underestimating Andy Moran’s men.

‘They have really, really exciting forwards who have come good in the last couple of games, which they wouldn’t have had previously,’ he said of Mayo’s quality.

‘We’ve no idea how high the ceiling is for some of the young Mayo guys, and it’s been really exciting. They’re playing at a really high level, and they’ve got guys coming in off the bench up front that are making a huge difference.

‘I think that’s made them a real danger, in [the sense] that we’re not sure whether they’re going to kick on and achieve what they have in the last couple of games, in a final. They certainly don’t have any baggage from previous years, and obviously they’re coming in as underdogs, which is dangerous.’

Moran, who won three All-Irelands with Kerry, insisted that Jack O’Connor’s men will be grounded ahead of the clash, and will not be disrespecting their opponents.

‘I think he’s going to lean on Seánie [O’Shea] and the other leaders in the group to try and make sure, and he’ll have a very good sense of it during the week, if he feels that people have kind of taken their foot off the gas.

‘He’ll be very experienced in that regard. He’ll check the mood, and he’ll be pulling people up if he says, ‘Lads, we’re not as tuned in as we were last week’.

‘I do think that he’ll have a good sense of that, and they’ll have a very good barometer because going from Armagh to Tyrone to Dublin, you’ll have a fair barometer of, ‘Okay, how are we feeling going into this game? Are we as tuned in, or are we taking everything as serious?’

‘He’ll be very quick to pull the squad up. I don’t think he’s going to have that issue…I don’t think anyone’s going to take them [Mayo] for granted,’ concluded Moran.

Speaking on the now-famous sign which depicted Jack O’Connor and Andy Moran in a wedding scene, with the Kerry man a joyful bride, and the Mayo boss a jealous bridesmaid, David Moran said it could be used as fuel for the Mayo side.

‘There’s a line there and whether people thought it was crossed. I think the [Kerry] players will just try to not go there. They have too much to be worried about in the week into an All-Ireland to be thinking like that.

‘I’m sure some people might use it; I’m sure Mayo would probably use it as motivation, but we’ve used that [stuff] before, some of the Joe Brolly stuff, that some guys would use that at the time that people are being written off.

‘I think it’ll affect the Mayo side of things more than the Kerry side for the players in the sense that this is maybe perceived – it isn’t – but below in Kerry, this is perceived as how we’re thought of going into finals and stuff, and that we want to prove that wrong and stuff.’

The last time @Kerry_Official and @MayoGAA met in the Championship… 🔁🏐
The pair go head-to-head again this Sunday🔥 pic.twitter.com/xvf38x5NR6

— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 23, 2026