There was a sheepish quality to the winning dressing-room in Killarney yesterday. In championship, a win is a win is a win but when you've endured the evaporation of your lead from 12 points to two with only five minutes remaining, it's hard to know what to make of the victory.

"We're a bit disappointed," said Kerry captain Seamus Moynihan. "We'll have to sit down a while and look at why this is happening to us in matches. It was the same against Meath in the (National) league when we played lovely, open, attacking football but ended up losing. We seem to leave teams back into matches too easily. When you've a good lead, you should consolidate and we're not doing that. Cork were on a roller-coaster by the end.

"Maurice Fitzgerald made a big difference when he came in and Denis (Dwyer) and Dara (O Cinneide) worked very hard to keep us in it. The whole picture changed. They were running at us, getting frees, and brought themselves totally back into it. But it was very hot out there and I would think they ran themselves into the ground and became tired at the very end."

He added that he was happy with his first big outing at full back. "I'm still getting used to the position and it was very hard to defend as much as we had to in the second half but it worked out in the end."

Dara O Cinneide explained that he had been practising 20 or 30 penalty kicks after training and it showed. Last year he missed a penalty against Tipperary, but yesterday's kicks were precisely-placed, low and to the goalkeeper's right.

"Did Kerry go to sleep or did Cork throw everything at us but the kitchen sink?" he mused in the dressing-room.

"I think we generally kept three points ahead and that gave us a cushion but we tried everything in the second half, switching five or six players to try and win more breaking ball. In the end Denis Dwyer picked up some possession and Maurice calmed us down when he came on."

Coach John O'Keeffe's view was novel - "I think maybe our lead at half-time was too big" - but understandable. Left with nothing to lose, Cork tore into the second half and quickly established momentum, but O'Keefe said he was surprised.

"The focus in the (Kerry) dressing-room coming out for the second half was second to none. I'd never have thought we were going to let it slip like that."

He was pleased with his captain's display at full back. "I think he was excellent and showed his full repertoire of skills. He's such a versatile player." Neither did he feel that Moynihan's deep placing militated against the team further afield.

"We have six backs who we feel are interchangeable and can function in any eventuality."

Cork manager Larry Tompkins was deeply unhappy with the refereeing of Michael Curley and had words with him at the half-time break. Depending on how civil his complaints to the referee were, Tompkins may find himself facing a charge of verbal abuse of a match official - a misdeed the current GAC apparently views as more serious than striking with the hurley.

It may be academic for the Cork manager should he decide to step down from the post which he has held for four championships. His tenure has, however, still a year to run. Both Steven O'Brien and Colin Corkery, the recalled veterans, said that they would be happy to continue.

But that's all in the future.

Goalkeeper Kevin O'Dwyer saw the bright side. "At least I can go and have a drink now - at last."