Kerry v Cork Prediction, Preview & Odds - Munster Championship

In this post, we bring you a Kerry v Cork prediction plus all the odds as we preview this Munster Football Championship semi-final.

It’s one of the most storied rivalries in the history of gaelic football although one side has dominated this fixture for the last 15 years.

Cork fans will make the short trip to Killarney with more hope than expectation as the Rebels look to upset their biggest rivals.

Kerry supporters will be hoping it’s a case of business as usual with The Kingdom looking to vindicate their status as heavy favourites for this one.

The reward on offer for the winner is a spot in the Munster Final against Tipperary or Waterford. Find out everything you need to know about this one below.

How To Watch Kerry v Cork

When is Kerry v Cork?

Kerry v Cork will throw in at 4 pm on Saturday, April 20th.

TV Channel

Kerry v Cork will be broadcast live on both RTÉ2 and BBC Two.

Live Stream

Kerry v Cork can be exclusively streamed on GAAGo. To watch the game you must have a subscription or purchase access to the game for €12.

Where is Kerry v Cork Being Played?

This match will be played in Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney as Kerry are the designated home team for this fixture.

Kerry v Cork Odds

Kerry are overwhelming favourites at odds of 1/12 to win this match.

Cork are the 8/1 underdogs to beat their bitter rivals which is a sign of the gulf in class that now exists between these two teams.

You can back the draw after 70 minutes at odds of 14/1.

Handicap Betting

Kerry: -8 @ 10/11

Cork: +8 @ 10/11

Handicap Draw: -8 @ 10/1

In the handicap betting, Kerry are 8-point favourites meaning that you can back Kerry to win this game by 4 points or more at Evens odds.

Kerry v Cork Preview

Team News

Kerry Team News

Below you can see the Kerry starting team and subs bench that has been announced for this game against Cork.

Cork Team News

Cork will line out as follows for Saturday’s game:

1. Christopher Kelly (Eire Og)

2. Kevin Flahive (Douglas)

3. Daniel O’Mahony (Knocknagree)

4. Maurice Shanley (Clonakilty)

5. Luke Fahy (Ballincollig)

6. Tommy Walsh (Kanturk)

7. Matty Taylor (Mallow)

8. Ian Maguire (St Finbarrs)

9. Colm O’Callaghan (Eire Og)

10. Paul Walsh (Kanturk)

11. Sean Powter (Douglas)

12. Brian O’Driscoll (Carrigaline)

13. Chris Og Jones (Iveleary)

14. Conor Corbett (Clyda Rovers)

15. Brian Hurley (Castlehaven) Captain

16. Micheal Aodh Martin (Nemo Rangers)

17. Sean Meehan (Kiskeam)

18. Darragh Cashman (Millstreet)

19. Thomas Clancy (Clonakilty)

20. Kevin O’Donovan (Nemo Rangers)

21. David Buckley (Newcestown)

22. Eoghan McSweeney (Knocknagree)

23. John O’Rourke (Carbery Rangers)

24. Ruairi Deane (Bantry Blues)

25. Mark Cronin (Nemo Rangers)

26. Steven Sherlock (St Finbarrs)

Kerry’s Form

Let’s do a quick recap on Kerry’s 2023 campaign and then review their 2024 league campaign.

In 2023 Kerry were inconsistent compared to their 2022 selves. In ‘22 they won everything in front of them from the McGrath Cup, National League Division 1 and of course the All-Ireland Championship. They did it in style too, winning every Championship game by 4+ points apart from their semi-final victory over Dublin (a 1-point win).

In contrast, in 2023 they finished 5th in the league, won Munster, suffered a first Championship defeat in Killarney since 1995 (although they would go on to top their All-Ireland series group), and eventually lost to Dublin by 2 points in the All-Ireland Final.

Of course, being All-Ireland runners-up is not an embarrassment by any means but we’re holding The Kingdom to a higher standard than other counties and by their standards they were underwhelming in their performances last season. You could also spin that as a positive that they were able to come that close to winning an All-Ireland despite not playing up to their potential.

Kerry have had a brighter start to 2024 when compared to last season. They finished 3rd in Division 1 of the National League on 10 points with 5 wins and 2 losses from 7 outings. Their 2 losses came against Derry and Dublin, the two top teams in the country right now.

Cork’s Form

Cork had some positives to take from 2023 which hasn’t always been the case for this team in recent years.

The lowlight of the season came in the Munster Championship when they lost to Clare in the opening round. They were able to bounce back from that though with a strong All-Ireland group campaign which saw them push Kerry close (ultimately losing by 2 points), beat Louth and then came the highlight of their season; a comeback win over Mayo which put them through to the preliminary quarter-finals.

The Rebels then went on to beat Roscommon in that preliminary quarter-final which made it two consecutive wins over Division 1 opposition to book an All-Ireland quarter-final spot. Derry would prove too good at that stage but the team gave a good account of themselves to cap off a strong finish to their 2023 season.

Unfortunately from a Cork perspective, that momentum from the end of 2023 didn’t translate to their National League Division 2 campaign. In the end, they finished 4th with 3 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses to go with a points differential of -6 which is about as mediocre as you can get. Not terrible but uninspiring to say the least, especially with the step up in class here against Kerry.

The Rebels beat Limerick in the first round of the Munster Championship 3-13 to 0-11 to book their spot in this semi-final.

Kerry v Cork Prediction

Prediction: Kerry 3-14 Cork 1-09

I am predicting that Kerry will win this game at a canter. They should have far too much firepower for a Cork team that looks to have taken a step back from the level they were at in 2023.

Home advantage will also be key here for The Kingdom. The odd time that Cork have managed to spring an upset on Kerry it has come in Cork. In Killarney, in recent history, they have failed to cause Kerry many problems.

I’m expecting the Kingdom’s forward line to have a field day this Saturday afternoon. The embarrassment of riches they have available to them in that sector, led by David Clifford, should see them put up a big score.

Best Bet: Kerry Over 1.5 Total Goals @ 10/11

*Prices are subject to fluctuation.

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