GAELIC GAMES:The Kingdom hit the ground running and their forward play made the All-Ireland champions' defence look old and ordinary, writes JOHN O'KEEFFE

DON’T BE surprised if these two meet again before the year is out. Although the two teams left the field after this Munster final with different emotions, there is little doubt in my mind that they are currently the best two teams in the country and could well have a rematch for even more important silverware as the days grow shorter. For now, Kerry have the bragging rights and deservedly so.

On the day, Jack O’Connor’s men were the better team and, if the closeness of the finish was perhaps cause for a little concern given the quality of Kerry’s opening-half performance, the fact of the matter is that Tomás Ó Sé and Paul Galvin will be back for the quarter-final to reinforce the team and, also, Colm Cooper will have better days.

Kerry certainly hit the ground running in what was overall a hugely enjoyable game to watch. I was surprised though at how sluggish Cork were in that first half. Generally, they were off the pace and second to the breaking ball and many of their problems were compounded by Alan Quirke’s decision to opt for short kick-outs. Why? One of the strengths of this Cork team is the ability to win possession around the middle of the field where they tend to have a physical advantage on every team in the country.

Still, this was a day when midfielder Anthony Maher really delivered and had probably his best game yet in a Kerry jersey and, in contrast, it was a day when Cork’s young midfielder Aidan Walsh was made aware that he still has a bit to learn: his judgment wasn’t on and his deliveries, more often than not, were poor. Sometimes you have to learn from these things and move on for the next challenge.

Kerry might have flagged in the second half but, overall, O’Connor, his backroom team and players will be extremely satisfied with this showing. I suspect some of the tiredness that crept in had to do with the likelihood that Kerry still have work to do on the training ground. There is no point in peaking on the first weekend in July with a long August and probably September still to go.

With Cooper so quiet – untypical, it has to be said – this actually made Kerry’s performance all the more noteworthy. I thought Declan O’Sullivan, in particular, played very well. Apart from his point-taking, O’Sullivan’s all-round game and workrate in the forwards – along with Kieran Donaghy’s mobility, flitting from full forward one minute to be around the middle of the park the next – was the reason for Kerry’s superiority.

That first-half display from Kerry was hugely impressive and it also raised questions about many of the Cork defenders, with many of them seeming off the pace. Is age becoming a factor? Maybe it is time for some of the younger, fresher defenders to come in. Certainly, the introduction of Eoin Cotter in the second half coincided with a much better defensive display.

Kerry were able to expose the Cork defence repeatedly in the first half with their use of space and the diagonal ball to create openings. It was sharp and clinical, and Cork weren’t able to handle it. I was also impressed with Kerry’s ability to win breaking ball – something Cork have mastered in recent years – and what they did with turnover ball.

The Kerry defence came out of the game well, even if Cork’s fightback – with Alan O’Connor and Pearse O’Neill instrumental in claiming the momentum around the middle of the field and Paul Kerrigan’s influence in attack almost turning the game – caused flutterings of concern late on. Shane Enright had a good championship debut with Killian Young and especially Eoin Brosnan performing their tasks well. Brosnan also showed he is a threat going forward with that late punched point that settled any nerves.

Cork never like to lose a Munster final to Kerry but they won’t be traumatised by this defeat. In fact, they will have learnt a number of things going forward that will make them even stronger: the onus is on Conor Counihan and his management team to get them refocused for the qualifiers and I have no doubt they will improve and that we will likely see younger, quicker players coming in to the defence. Apart from Michael Shields, Cork’s defence yesterday was badly exposed, especially in the first half.

One other worry will be the medical diagnosis on Ciarán Sheehan who continues to be hugely influential and who seemed to take a bad injury. But their best ploy going forward continues to be directness – running at opposing defences – and really they need to bring a few more dimensions to that game plan. Kerrigan was their best forward and Donncha O’Connor worked hard and fought and showed for ball; but they have to get Daniel Goulding more involved and get him to go looking for more ball.

Kerry were the better team and deserved to win. And, as I’ve pointed out, to win without Cooper playing well augurs well going into the All-Ireland series. It shows other players can step up when required and this was especially true of Declan O’Sullivan.

But this was a reality check for Cork and, whilst they will be happy that they mounted a fightback, there will be no doubt in the Cork camp that a long road lies ahead if they are to retain the All-Ireland title.

The Kingdom hit the ground running and their forward play made the All-Ireland champions’ defence look old and ordinary