This was certainly an interesting game and one which Kerry probably deserved to win. It was, it has to be said, a game of two halves if there ever was one, but when Kerry were on top, it came from a greater display of teamwork and that's what pulled them through in the end.

Although Cork produced a great secondhalf rally, it was mainly through Colin Corkery and that, more or less, made it a single-man effort. The pride did show in the team when they were so far behind at halftime, and, while it was very nearly a huge turnaround, they had used just a little too much energy in getting back, to finish it off and Kerry were able to hang on.

Kerry will feel they have now put right the frustrating performance in the Munster final last year. And for the first half, they were quite magnificent.

Their dominance at midfield was predicted and very much delivered. Dara O Se showed great control and, to a lesser extent, so too did Donal Daly. But as dramatic as that dominance was in the first half, so too was the dramatic change of form at midfield in the second.

Cork were very much outplayed throughout the field in the first half. Their full-back line was particularly rattled and under pressure, especially Ronan McCarthy. Kerry had set out their stall very quickly, John Crowley pointing in the first 30 seconds.

All the while, the Cork full backs seemed to be behind their men and the gamble with the injured Ciaran O'Sullivan didn't quite work out either. He was gone quite quickly and usually he can be such an influential figure.

The defence really was struggling, and, combined with the poor show at midfield, there was very little being played up front. I don't think Philip Clifford even touched the ball in the first half, and the rest of the forwards didn't see much more.

The two penalties opened huge daylight and, in hindsight, they proved crucial. If Kerry didn't have that big lead at the break Cork would probably still be the Munster champions. Still, the Cork defence looked so vulnerable that it wasn't too surprising to see the goals being conceded.

The only place that Cork were winning anything was with Colin Corkery. He did have the run on Killian Burns, but the other tactic of taking Steven O'Brien out the field didn't work as well. One wouldn't have expected that because he is more usually a target man and not as mobile for that kind of role.

You're looking at as bad a first half as Cork could have imagined. They'll think back and know that was where the game was lost, especially after fortunes changed so much in the second half.

Everything which Kerry did well in the first half, they did badly in the second. Their work-rate dropped and their midfield dominance seemed to fade - signalled by the taking-off of Donal Daly. Martin Cronin was Cork's best defender, but Kerry's forwards weren't closing them down like they did in the first half. At the other end, the Kerry defence were giving away a lot of fouls on Corkery, who made a huge contribution with his 1-8 in total. It was just a pity for them that Clifford - the man who blazed such a trail last summer - just didn't have one of his better days.

Aidan Dorgan was about the only player who backed up Corkery to any great extent although Clifford did improve towards the end when he was brought out the field.

Between Kerry fading and Cork improving, it became a tense finish. Obviously Cork got off to a great start in the second half with Corkery's goal, but, with five or six minutes left, it certainly could have gone either way as Kerry were looking very tentative.

But Cork had used great energy to get back in touch and then, just as they seemed to get the upper hand on Kerry, they made a couple of unforced errors. O'Brien gave away an amazing ball across the field when there were only two points in it and Cork were on the attack. Instead, Kerry regained their dominance and finished strongly with the last couple of points.

Kerry's experience really showed at that stage. Seamus Moynihan started acting as a sweeper towards the end. Overall, Kerry will be happy enough with their defensive display. Besides Dorgan and Corkery, no other Cork player scored from play so that says something.

Kerry manager Paidi O Se will be delighted to have this game out of the way and Kerry are on a march now. It wouldn't have done them any good to have won it as easy as they were looking to do in the first half. Their mental strength was tested and some weak areas showed up, and they'll also have learned a few lessons about keeping their dominance longer to kill off teams.

O Cinneide certainly did everything asked of him and was the major fulcrum of the attack. And he put away the penalties very well, which isn't an easy thing to do in Gaelic football anymore. But Dara O'Se O Se also played superb in the first half and Mike Francis Russell will probably be satisfied as well.

Cork will be frustrated at the way they played in the first half. But they'll always be contenders and the big question now is whether players like Corkery will make the effort to come again.

It's been a long campaign for Cork manager Larry Tompkins but he'll take a break now and my feeling is that he will probably give it another shot.

In an interview with Ian O'Riordan