Simply the best, and may be for years

If further proof were needed that Kerry are the superior football team at the moment, then it came with this victory. They are quite simply playing at a higher level than anyone else, in all aspects of the game, and on the day more or less blitzed a Cork team who had high ambitions of their own.

It's difficult to account for all of that, and the way Kerry so easily broke down Cork in the end. They were ferociously determined, and brilliantly primed for it, but you would have to wonder as well if the occasion got to Cork a little bit. They looked nervous in many aspects of their play, and while it may be a little unfair to say they froze on the day, they clearly failed to get the big performances out of their big players.

Considering how close they came to Kerry in the Munster final, some of that has to go down to nerves. Psychologically they just didn't seem up for it, and the most damning part of all was the way the Cork heads dropped so easily in the second half.

Once again they failed to put it up to Kerry in Croke Park, and that will make the disappointment of losing an All-Ireland final all the worse.

It also proves how important experience is, something Kerry have in abundance over Cork.

Pat O'Shea also has to be given great credit for getting Kerry so right on the day, physically and mentally. It was obvious from early on that Kerry were the better team, not just because of the way they were playing, but also the hunger they were showing for every ball, and their magnificent work-rate all over the field.

This was particularly obvious in that crucial middle third of the field, where Cork had such high hopes of dominating. Instead, Nicholas Murphy never got a hold on Darragh Ó Sé, but on top of that Séamus Scanlon was a revelation with his tireless showing for ball, while also being backed up so well by Declan O'Sullivan and Bryan Sheehan, who was astutely brought out the field to telling effect.

With the likes of Tomás Ó Sé and Aidan O'Mahony also showing great hunger, it was obvious Kerry wanted the ball more than Cork. Even the two so-called rookies, Pádraig Reidy and Killian Young, settled well in the game, and helped keep Kerry's defence compact. That in turn made it difficult for Cork to find scoring positions: Donncha O'Connor was about the only scoring threat, although Michael Cussen tried hard, but the gamble of playing James Masters didn't pay off, because he just wasn't fit, and nor was his kicking up to scratch.

Once Kerry got their first goal it was as good as game over. Colm Cooper, in the form he's in at the moment, is just unmarkable, although I think Cork would have been better served if they'd put a man in front of him. But he's a player of such vision, with two great feet, that there was probably nothing more Cork could have done about Cooper. Still, it was a goal Cork shouldn't have conceded. Alan Quirke should have taken care of it.

The two goals for Donaghy are less forgivable: Like Cooper, he was allowed to get his hands on the ball far too easily. It was as if Cork let him play, and Graham Canty should have stood in front of him more.

As for Donaghy's first goal, it was a classic case of slack and cumbersome ball-work. All the Kerry forwards were proving very snappy at coming to the ball and their man, whereas Cork were messing about too much. It wasn't a day for slow movement from the defence, and yet Cork did exactly that, in an almost reckless fashion, and were punished for it. If anything they could have been punished even more.

Then all through the second half Kerry showed the greater hunger. From number one to 15 they proved superior to Cork. They looked far more comfortable than Cork on the ball, and their physical conditioning was huge. The spirit of the team was also very impressive, proven by the five substitutes used on the day. You have to say they displayed everything good about Gaelic football.

I have to say as well that as a team they are starting now to emulate the Kerry team of the 1970s and 1980s, and for once look like even surpassing that. The message is out there loud and clear, that Kerry are not only the best team this year, but very much the team to beat going into the future.

For Cork, in contrast, the future doesn't look so good as it did coming into the game. In fact I suspect this will be a serious blow to Cork football. There was a lot expected of this team, and instead they went out on something of a whimper.

There will be a lot of soul-searching done over the coming weeks, especially for manager Billy Morgan, although on a positive note there was a good show from the replacements Daniel Goulding, Fintan Goold and Kevin O'Sullivan.

Last word to Kerry though. When a team like this comes to an All-Ireland at their physical peak, and loaded with confidence, there's very little any team can do to quell them. It's just a pity Cork didn't make a slightly better effort.