Kerry won't be caught napping this time

Cork v Kerry:ONE CENTRAL consideration in this match concerns the authenticity of the Munster final. On the face of it a rousing second-half comeback should have helped Cork recover self-esteem after last September, but at a more fundamental level everyone knows that the Munster champions have to face down Kerry in Croke Park to exorcise the demons of recent years.

In the teeming rain, Cork simply went for broke, sharpened up on the breaking ball and peppered the Kerry square with high ball. In one half Michael Cussen saw more dropping ball than in the entirety of last season.

Kerry's inability to deal with the bombardment was unusual in that their full backs train on Kieran Donaghy and Tommy Walsh, but that vulnerability was again in evidence when Joe Bergin came into the quarter-final.

With Daniel Bohane hampered by injury, Kerry have apparently been looking at Tommy Griffin at full back, but his fitness hasn't been 100 per cent either this summer and Pat O'Shea goes with the same team.

Yet, for all Cork's heroics, it was an unusually limp display by Kerry in the second half and one that has been redeemed this month by improved football against Monaghan and Galway.

Conor Counihan isn't having much better luck with injuries than his predecessor Billy Morgan. Knocks that were picked up in the same Munster final mean Graham Canty isn't named, although believed likely to play some role tomorrow, but Nicholas Murphy is still no better than 50-50.

Cork will take encouragement from the quality of the blitz they launched on Kildare after the long lay-off from the Munster final and are entitled not to get too worried over the falling off that afflicted them later in the match given their dominance when the match was competitive and also given the slightly premature bench clearance - something Counihan got spot-on in the Munster final when all his forward replacements scored from play.

Kerry are, however, significantly improved on last month. Going into Páirc Uí­ Chaoimh they were short their two best ball winners in the half forwards, Declan O'Sullivan and Paul Galvin. The former is back and in excellent form judging by the Galway match.

It was also noticeable that Aidan O'Mahony and Killian Young had raised their game considerably on the second half against Cork. Yet, Galvin remains a wounding absence.

Pearse O'Neill played a role in contesting centrefield by his abrasive confrontation with Darragh Ó Sé. More of the same can be expected and again it could be effective with the great man's declining mobility.

But once more Kerry look too much improved on the last day to be caught twice in the one season. Their progress against Monaghan and Galway featured in continuing good form from Donaghy, a rapid adaptation to football at the top by young Tommy Walsh and decisive interventions from Colm Cooper.

They will have to cope better with Cussen but the same full-back line has managed that in the past.In the last episode: More episodes than Lord of the Rings. The one in last month's Munster final saw the home team turn around an eight-point deficit in the second half.

Maybe more relevantly the Croke Park matches between the counties have been consistently one-way affairs in Kerry's favour.

You bet: Cork are a lengthy 11/4 and Kerry a prohibitive 4/11 with the draw at 17/2. The handicap is a tight +3 with Cork evens and Kerry (-3) the same.

On your marks: If the question before the teams met in Cork seven weeks was how the home side would cope with Kieran Donaghy, it has now been thrown back at Kerry in the wake of Michael Cussen's success as a big, target-man full forward.

Tom O'Sullivan struggled in the Munster final and Daniel Bohane's spirited counter of the similar threat from Joe Bergin has been undermined by an injury picked up by the Kerry defender, although he is named on the bench.

Gaining ground: Croke Park attendances for these matches have never been great, but this year is threatening a new low with the GAA admitting that the attendance could dip below 30,000 for the first time in a semi-final since Cork's win over Roscommon 18 years ago.

Just the ticket: Stands €45. No terrace. Concessions (accompanied juveniles €5, students with ID and senior citizens, €20) available for Cusack and Davin Stands.

Crystal gazing: Cork are due a good performance and the public are due a competitive match, but even assuming both materialise Kerry still look more likely to progress.