By Ciaran Woods

c.woods@gaeliclife.com

DUBLIN'S level of intensity and style of play will not be compromised for this Sunday's clash with Armagh despite the bad press they have received this week in the wake of "Headbuttgate," according to former Armagh boss Joe Kernan.

Clashes between the two always promise edge-of-the-seat action with plenty of tension and talking points. The fact that Dublin travel to Cross under the disciplinary microscope adds further spice to an already mouth-watering contest.

Under the Kernan regime, the pair played out a series of cracking matches in 2002 and 2003. Each time the Orchard men came out on top. Now, in 2008, Dublin will be looking for a small measure of vengeance.

Some National League games are just a matter of going through the motions, but that's certainly not the case for this clash as the intensity of the battle will once again be red hot, and former boss Kernan admits that a chance to tackle the Dubs was always one which he relished.

"Without a shadow of a doubt, a match against Dublin is one you always look forward to. You play plenty of matches which don't give you a buzz, or don't get the blood boiling, but a match against Dublin is one where players or supporters never have any problem lifting themselves for. I'd like to think that any game we played Dublin in we performed at a high level, and that's probably why we won those matches."

Dublin have occupied both the front and back pages of the national newspapers this week following the alleged head butting of Tommy Freeman by a member of the Dublin backroom team in the immediate aftermath of last weekend's Dublin-Monaghan draw. Their behaviour this weekend is sure to be closely monitored by the authorities, but Kernan says that Dublin will not hold back this weekend and will play the game in the same manner they always do. It will be a match fuelled with passion,

"Any Dublin team that goes out, and this Sunday will be no different, goes out to win. In fairness to Paul Caffrey he puts them out to play at a high intensity, to have a high work rate, and certainly not to hold back, and I'd expect it to be exactly the same this weekend.

"Dublin are coming down to Crossmaglen, they know that we need the points more than they do, and certainly our boys will be fired up for it."

On their way to the All-Ireland title in 2002, Armagh accounted for Dublin in the semi-final. All of the Orchard county held its breath as Ray Cosgrove lined up his injury-time free-kick to level the tie. The post was hit, the ball went wide, and the rest, as they say, is history. It was a game which saw Armagh come back from two points down with nine minutes to play, and display, for the first time, the steely resistance and mental toughness which was to become synonymous with the Armagh side. It was a turning point, a landmark in Armagh's development, as Kernan is quick to acknowledge.

"There were boys who had been close in the three years previous, and that was the problem, that they went so far and then didn't finish it off. People said that Armagh just couldn't win those big matches. So from the day we took over that was the one thing we wanted to get across to the boys from the very first day, that we had to go into those games and win them.

"We started playing till the end, and that was the big difference. There was a bit of luck when Cosgrove hit the post, but I could look back at plenty of Armagh games in the years before that when free-kicks beat Armagh. You need a bit of luck sometimes. The boys at that time started playing until the final whistle, and that was the difference between winning and losing."

Pundits and supporters alike often point to Armagh's thumping of Dublin in the opening round of the National League in 2003, just months after winning the All-Ireland title, as arguably the finest hour of that Armagh side. They blew Dublin out of the water by 1-15 to 0-7 in front of more than 54,000 at Croke Park. It is a day which Kernan still vividly remembers, and admits that achieving the win in such a convincing manner was a huge confidence boost to Armagh at such an early stage in the season.

"There's always a bit of confidence and momentum behind teams that have won an All-Ireland. Other teams are starting from scratch, but if you've won an All-Ireland then you have a bit of a head start. That stood to us that day, because Dublin always rise their game and the temperature at Croke Park. It was the first National League game at Croke Park in a long, long time and it was a big talking point at the time. There was no problem rising our boys for it, and Dublin felt there was a bit of unfinished business from the previous year. It was a great game to have so early on in the year.

"For the team to play so well at that time of the year was good, and it rallied the whole team and lifted the morale that we were able to maintain that standard even after having a few months off after winning the All-Ireland."

Turning his attention back to this Sunday's clash, Kernan believes that following a slow and frustrating start Armagh are moving in the right direction. A high-profile match such as this one is just the tonic the young Armagh troops require as they continue to build towards the championship, and the former boss is confident that they will be going all out for the win this weekend.

"There's a lot of stake for both teams, and we need the points to make sure of our survival in the division. We also need a win for confidence going into the championship. The games are getting less, and you have to take the chances in front of you. Armagh are trying to find a settled team, there's a whole lot of players there fighting for places which is good.

"There's nobody going into the match thinking 'it doesn't matter.' It does, because whichever team wins on Sunday will come out of it in good stead."

It's a big day for Kernan, both as a proud Cross man and as the father of no less than four members of the Armagh panel. However, he insists that an Armagh win is the most important matter of all, regardless where the game is being played or who takes to the field. All else pales into insignificance as far as Kernan is concerned.

"If Armagh wins, it doesn't matter who's playing on Sunday as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure there will be Cross men there, and yes that adds to it, but the main thing for me is that Armagh win. They need the points, they need to get a settled team, and that's what matters.

"The quality of the match will not be spoken about until afterwards. If it's a poor match and we win, we'll still be very happy."