Kingdom have the measure of their great rivals again

Kerry 1-15 Cork 1-12:IT IS nicely teed up now. The People's Republic cavalcade came rolling into Killarney warmed by the sunshine and the novel feeling of being All-Ireland champions in the home of the habitual champions. Kerry permitted them to enjoy that feeling until about 17 minutes past the two o'clock throw in, by which time they were 1-5 to 0-2 up and were merrily tearing strips from their neighbours and looking intent on re-establishing the old order.

In the end, Kerry won their 74th Munster title after enduring an uneasy second half in which their total mirrored that of Cork’s first half tally: five points. They survived a 20-minute spell without scoring and the queasy sight of John Miskella charging onto a handpass from Alan O’Connor and rifling a shot against the post when the scores were poised at 1-13 to 1-12. A goal at that point would almost certainly have been the high point of a spectacular Cork raid. It was the break that Kerry craved and they showed considerable poise to close the game over a taut last 10 minutes.

By then, shape and cohesion had largely been abandoned by both teams, such was the scramble for possession in the crowded middle third of the field. Kerry had been sublimely direct in their attacking during the first half but made several basic errors as tiredness and tension crept into their game. And as they played keep ball, trying to discover some route through a Cork defence in full metal jacket mode, it was Eoin Brosnan who made the decisive move in the 72nd minute. He claimed a ball and, as if having grown impatient with all the cagey cross field passing, burst through with three long strides and punched the ball over the bar. With a two-point cushion, Kerry broke again and James O’Donoghue clipped the last score of the game.

The galling defeat leaves Cork in a clear position. If they nursed any fears about not being able to summon the demons that drove them to last year’s championship, this match will be their reference point. The Kerry men worked their socks off in the first half but were also very effective in crowding the lanes and stopping Cork from breaking into the pass-the-baton running game.

Denied those thoroughfares, an old hesitancy crept into Cork’s approach: they coughed up possession and made two terrible passes which led to Kerry scores. The anticipated meltdown in the Kerry midfield did not happen, regardless of the statistical breakdown. Kieran Donaghy threw himself about at midfield and was also at the heart of a wonderful opening 35 minutes by their attack.

They broke loose with Darran O’Sullivan’s 15th-minute goal, a move that had the training ground written all over it. Cork fell into disarray for a while, failing to deal with a Bryan Sheehan 45 and almost allowing Donaghy to fist a goal. Just before that, Donaghy set O’Sullivan up for a goal chance foiled by Alan Quirke’s fine save.

And through all of this, Declan O’Sullivan was floating on a slightly-higher plane, making the four first half points he kicked look like child’s play and generally being unstoppable. He fired his fifth just after the restart to leave Kerry 1-11 to 0-5 up. They had also hit eight first-half wides. An old-fashioned spanking loomed.

That Cork recovered from this bleak place is a tribute to their stubbornness and calmness. The opening 15 minutes of the second half were broken and foul-ridden and uneventful. Through that period, Kerry lost their way and Cork tapped into theirs.

Paul Kerrigan had missed a golden chance for a goal early in the match, Marc Ó Sé clearing his effort from the line. But the Nemo man caught fire after the restart and tapped three beautiful points as well as being denied a goal, again by Ó Sé. The latter touched the ball on the ground in doing so however, giving away a penalty converted by Donncha O’Connor.

Alan O’Connor became a pivotal figure, winning ball and driving forward. Kerry went 26 minutes without a score and fell back into a siege position which invited the Cork men to go a hunting. Suddenly Graham Canty was cutting through spaces and Miskella popped up for that decisive goal chance.

Through the comeback, Cork advertised the best of themselves: the work ethic, the patience, the frightening ability to eat into big leads and the poise that comes with being champions.

With five minutes left in normal time, the momentum was with the All-Ireland champions. Daniel Goulding, who had a good afternoon, missed a long free and Kerry cobbled together that last point. Cork stand frustrated by their neighbours again, then but there are bigger days ahead.

KERRY: 1 B Kealy; 2 S Enright, 3 M Ó Sé, 4 T O’Sullivan; 6 E Brosnan (0-1), 7 K Young, 5 A O’Mahony; 8 A Maher, 9 B Sheehan (0-2); 10 Darran O’Sullivan (1-0), 11 Declan O’Sullivan (0-5), 12 D Walsh (0-1); 13 C Cooper (0-2, 0-1 free), 14 K Donaghy (0-2), 15 K O’Leary (0-1). Subs: BJ Keane for K O’Leary (53 mins), M Quirke for B Sheehan (57 mins), D Bohan for S Enright (63 mins), J O’Donoghue (0-1) for Darran O’Sullivan (67 mins).

CORK: 1 A Quirke; 2 J O’Sullivan, 3 G Canty, 4 M Shields; 5 N O’Leary, 6 J Miskella, 7 P Kissane; 8 A O’Connor (0-1), 9 A Walsh; 10 C Sheehan (0-1), 11 P Kelly (0-1), 12 P O’Neill; 13 D Goulding (0-5, 0-3 frees), 14 D O’Connor (1-1, 1-0 pen), 15 P Kerrigan (0-3). Subs: E Cotter for J O’Sullivan (h-t), F Goold for C Sheehan (41 mins), E Cadogan for P Kissane (48 mins), D O’Sullivan for J Miskella (70 mins), F Lynch for P Kerrigan (72 mins).

Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).