Kilkenny scores straight from the textbook

This may not have been the most exciting of All-Ireland finals but I still think it was hugely entertaining. It as an exceptional performance from Kilkenny and there's no doubt that they deserved to win. Their scoring and stickwork were quite phenomenal and there was absolutely nothing Offaly could do about it.

It was clear from the very start that a number of things were in Kilkenny's favour. First, DJ Carey looked to be very sharp and very hungry and that presented an immediate danger for Offaly. The teamwork was also superb, especially between the likes of Charlie Carter and Denis Byrne. And Henry Shefflin at left corner forward was immediately impressing and causing all sorts of trouble for Offaly.

So within five minutes or so, it appeared that Kilkenny were cruising in fifth gear while Offaly were struggling to get out of first. In hindsight, that first goal by DJ Carey proved as fatal as any of the other five. It was an unfortunate drop for Niall Claffey but you just can't give DJ those kind of chances.

Still, Kilkenny were on top in all sections of the field. The Offaly full-back line were in all sorts of trouble, especially in dealing with Shefflin. Their hunger was incredible and Offaly just couldn't find a weakness in any of them. The first few attacking positions that they managed to create actually ended up going wide, which hardly helped to settle them either.

More significantly, the Offaly midfield and half-forward lines failed to close down their men fast enough and that meant a lot of good ball was going into the Kilkenny forwards, especially from the likes of Andy Comerford.

Having said that, John Power wasn't having his usual influence on the Kilkenny tactics. Part of that had to do with Joe Errity, who I feel was one of the better Offaly players on the day, but in the end it didn't even matter because the other Kilkenny players stepped up their game.

The half-back line was so motivated that Power wasn't as crucial to the Kilkenny game as he has been in the past. Philip Larkin was covering an amazing amount of ground and Eamonn Kennedy was stopping everything that came down the centre. Then you had Peter Barry greatly limiting the effect of Johnny Pilkington. As a result, the Offaly forwards were nowhere to be seen.

One of the few times that they managed to threaten was when Michael Duignan had a great goal chance but missed. They needed a goal badly at that stage and it was a bit unlucky to go wide but in situations like that you have to make your own luck. The game may have been a little different if it had gone in but Offaly certainly didn't make enough chances to have any real regrets.

There was no way that Kilkenny were going to lose this game. Offaly were in serious trouble after the third goal and you could see how hard they were trying to fight back. No matter what they did, Kilkenny refused to buckle and even though they showed great heart, Offaly were just too far behind to make it count.

They needed goals and they needed them fast. They brought on David Franks who I think settled the defence a little bit but unlike Cork in the semi-final, Kilkenny never once gave them hope. Whenever they got even close to bridging the margin, Kilkenny responded even stronger and no matter how much heart you have, there is nothing you can do about that.

Even the introduction of John Troy had nothing near the desired effect. But I've always felt that he is the kind of player who needs to be on from the start. It takes him a while to get warmed up but it just hasn't been a good season for him and it was hard to see how he could contribute anything significant. A lot of these Offaly players have been around the block a few times now and for some of them, it's bound to be the end.

But this game was all about Kilkenny. Some of the scores that they produced were straight from the textbook. DJ Carey has played so many great games in the Kilkenny jersey but this must be up there with the best of them. His first touch is magnificent, and as sharp as it's ever been.

But talking about key performances, I would highlight the entire half-back line. They were quite faultless throughout the afternoon and that's exactly what you need in a high-intensity final like this. They all had one thing on their mind and that was winning. Their determination was made of steel the whole game and there was no way they were going to let this slip.

Winning an All-Ireland after losing the previous two is sure to make this extra special. But there's no doubt that Kilkenny had the ability to do it, it was just a matter of producing the right performance on the day. There were times in this game when it was impossible not to be in awe at their ability and this is likely to go down as one of the great All-Ireland winning performances.

In an interview with Ion O'Riordan