Kerry spurred to wipe the slate clean

John O'Mahony Football analyst One particular image I have from last year's championship was of Kerry's semi-final with Meath, where Páidí Ó Sé was stuck to the bench after just 15 minutes, totally bemused by what was happening his team. What a contrast we saw yesterday.

In the opening 15 minutes when all those Kerry points were going over it was like Páidí was kicking them over himself. The energy he had on the day was incredible. Even towards the end when players were coming off he was giving them a massive clap on the back. It's like his body language totally sums up the magnitude of Kerry's victory.

There's no denying it was a superlative Kerry performance, and obviously their frame of mind was totally right.

The first ball that Séamus Moynihan won when he came charging out the field was a clear statement of their intent. Everyone was talking about the battle between himself and Colin Corkery, and from the very start Moynihan gave the signal that he was going to win.

The whole team picked up that signal too. Some of those early points were incredible and the fact that they scored 2-10 from play in the first half says it all.

Pace is everything in the modern game and Kerry looked a good five yards faster than Cork right throughout the game. Obviously they'd done the work there.

Cork just couldn't get out of the blocks, and couldn't get their hands on the ball. They were losing all the key battles, with Darragh Ó Sé not looking the least bit affected by the controversy of the last two weeks. Colm Cooper was playing like a veteran and Mike Frank Russell was at his best.

And Kerry were totally wiping out Cork in the midfield diamond area, and as a result there was some beautiful ball going in to the forwards. So you had individuals and the team playing at their best.

It was strange that two of the best defenders - Moynihan and Anthony Lynch - slipped up for the goals, but that was the only blemish for Moynihan all afternoon.

As a contest it was practically over at half-time. Only Cork's goal gave them slight hope for the second half, but even that was soon dissipated by their lack of discipline.

Now, I'd always be slow to criticise referees, but Brian White himself will know that it wasn't a good day at the office. In fairness he always tries to let the game flow, but at times that can lead to disaster and that happened yesterday. He eventually sent off three players, but players should have gone well before that.

From a Cork perspective discipline is one area where they can lose the rag. Corkery seemed to totally lose the head, and for a player on which so much depends that was always going to hit hard. He was playing as if Cork were somehow being victimised, it got to his game, and it reverberated onto other players as well.

And he can't complain about being sent off.

From the start White allowed too much pulling and dragging, and players started getting frustrated and that led to the melées. That was the total opposite to the Connacht final this year, where the referee blew for everything, so there is still this huge difference in interpretation of the rules.

It got to the stage yesterday where players just had to go, and though Fionán Murray could have gone earlier, I don't think he deserved a card for the particular incident that produced the red card.

It's always a good sign when the referee is not noticed but it was the total opposite here. Still, Cork, and their captain, Corkery, have to take a lot of the responsibility.

And the Kerry player, Tom O'Sullivan, can have no complaints about his sending off either.

The strange thing is that when Cork ultimately lost their heads they were almost at the stage where they had got back into the game. They had the lead down to seven points, and were on the point of making a game of it. Corkery put the ball into the net but it was disallowed, then they just collapsed and Kerry cruised to the finish.

It amazes me how many games have ended in huge winning margins in Croke Park in the last couple of years. It may have something to do with the large pitch, but I think it is significant that Kerry lost by 15 points last year, and won by 15 points here. I suppose Kerry had a long, long list of reasons why they wanted to win this game, and the neighbour rivalry is part of it, but what happened to them in Croke Park last year was a big thing. They want to wipe that slate clean.

I know as well from Galway playing Roscommon last year that when you meet again after losing in the provincial championship then something extra is in there. I knew the way the Galway team was thinking that there would be only result in the quarter-final last year with Roscommon. Kerry probably felt that way yesterday, and clearly had their guns fully loaded.

It was a day as well where everything went right. Kerry appear to be on a mission now, and have huge motivation to play for a full 70-plus minutes. No matter what happens next week they'll go into the All-Ireland final in very confident mood. They have all the right ingredients now, and even in defence they appear tighter that ever.

For Cork it's a sad end to the season, and I know the feelings Larry Tompkins went through out there, where there is just nothing you can do from the sidelines. He appeared to have got the attitude right, and the team seemed to be coming together for him this year. They're not as bad as they looked out there but it will be hard to come back from this.

(In an interview with Ian O'Riordan)