First and foremost, this was a fabulous performance by Kilkenny. They never once took the foot off the pedal and, even though Offaly were in the game for the first 40 minutes or so, it didn't come as any real surprise when Kilkenny pulled so far away because they were threatening to do it all afternoon.

So much of that had to do with the work of John Power, who was certainly the glory man in this victory. He chased an unbelievable amount of ball, he crashed into people, he blocked and caught ball, and he was my man-of-the-match. At one stage, he even chased a ball into his own half-back line so that gives you some idea of the amount of work he was doing.

If, however, one had to pick out a real turning point, then it would have to be the 21-yard free by Johnny Dooley shortly into the second half. At that stage, Offaly were only three points behind, 1-12 to 1-9, and yet he decided to go for the goal. It was quite easily saved but, more importantly, it was just minutes later when Charlie Carter got his goal that more or less ended the game as a contest.

That was the heart-breaking moment for Offaly, but I did think that they played exceptionally well before that, especially over the first 25 minutes. However, it gradually became clear that John Power was getting the upper hand on Brian Whelahan. As a result, Whelahan was unable to exert the same sort of influence on the Offaly backs and it wasn't long before they found themselves under increasing pressure.

It meant that Offaly were forced to switch a few men in the defence and that meant that there was very little stability in the half-back line. I also felt that Offaly were struggling at midfield. Brain McEvoy wasn't far behind John Power as my man-of-the-match and he certainly was an exceptional partner for Andy Comerford. But Johnny Dooley and Johnny Pilkington never quite reached similar heights.

Johnny Dooley did pick off a number of important points but I felt that his work-rate off the ball wasn't sufficient to balance the work of Comerford and McEvoy. Still, Offaly did deserve to be within five points at half-time but, after that, I was really amazed at the ease in which Kilkenny scored their points. Of course, Offaly love to play Kilkenny and they always want to beat them but, when you see points being hit over with that sort of ease, it's very difficult to remain competitive.

In fact, Offaly were only able to keep their game at that level for about 10 minutes of the second half. Kilkenny had grabbed all the momentum and it was very much a case of downhill for Offaly from there until the end. Power left the field before the end but, by then, he had done all his damage. He had a hand in so many scores that I lost count and, although he does have a time limit on his playing ability, it has to be one of his best games in a long while.

Overall, it is very hard to find a flaw in this Kilkenny performance. Their stickwork was marvellous throughout and, even though they did hit their fair share of wides, it surely puts them right back on the top of the favourite's list for the All-Ireland.

If Offaly were ever going to win this, then they needed a full performance from the likes of Brian Whelahan, Johnny Pilkington and Joe Errity. I felt sorry for Errity because he never got the kind of ball that he likes and ended up fighting for a lot of high ball. We also saw John Troy make an appearance but, with his injury and lack of fitness, it was never going to make any major difference. By the end, Offaly had simply lost all heart. It was unfortunate that it turned into an exhibition match for the last 20 minutes but you really can't blame Offaly for giving up the chase. It was particularly hard for the younger players at that stage to find any hope but they also needed the older players to shine as well.

So what can Offaly take from this? Joe Dooley did take a great opportunist goal, and, for years, they would have been able to cope with this sort of game. They didn't do it here, but that doesn't mean they can't do it another day. And, of course, they're still in there with a quarter-final meeting with Derry.

But this game was all about Kilkenny. You have to credit Brian Cody for making such important tactical decisions. The return of Power and Willie O'Connor was crucial. It wasn't the O'Connor heights of old, but he did his job well. They'll be buzzing now for their semi-final and that doesn't bode well for their opposition.

In an interview with Ian O'Riordan