At the start of this year, doubts still lingered over Kerry's All Ireland chances.

But as the mist clears over Ventry Bay and Carrauntoohil, it reveals the Kingdom's return to Gaelic football's showpiece yet again.

Their first appearance in the All Ireland final since 2011 sees an imperious Donegal side standing between them and the Sam Maguire trophy.

But manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice was bullish about Kerry's chances when he spoke to Oisin Langan on the Monday Rewind:

Listen to the full Monday Rewind above or download the podcast for free via iTunes. It is also available to listen to on Soundcloud. 

"It's a unique final and Donegal present a unique set of challenges so it's different from that point of view. But once you're in the All Ireland final, it doesn't matter who's there. You're delighted to be there and you just want to make sure that you show up on the day and perform," said Fitzmaurice. 

He also took time to look back at Kerry's journey under his stewardship.

"It's been an interesting journey. There have been ups and downs and there's been days when we've been scratching our heads because I always felt that there was great stuff in the group," said Fitzmaurice, who also picked out aspects of the Mayo semi-final that the Kingdom can improve upon. He also feels that players have adapted to changing tactics amid the "vacuum" left by the injury to Colm Cooper.

"We've changed the way we've played and asked different players to play different roles."

He was also adamant that Kerry "won't lack for experience" within the playing panel and backroom team and also looked towards a "big performance" from James O'Donoghue.