Victors take a low-key approach

Managers tend to be an altogether pragmatic lot, especially after Croke Park victories on foul April days. Cork's Larry Tompkins was like a jockey taking a tight pull on a horse, refusing to let a 14-point runaway win over a carthorse-paced Derry side suggest too much. Indeed, he kept his men behind locked doors, in the old dressing-rooms beneath the Hogan Stand, for 20 minutes afterwards. Just to ensure that a little taste of success wouldn't go to their heads?

A little over an hour later, and across the pitch in the spankier new rooms under the Cusack, a pleasedas-punch Tom Carr was nevertheless adopting a similar low-key philosophy after the second semi-final of the double bill produced another one-side encounter in which Dublin cruised to a win over neighbours Kildare, their championship conquerors of a year ago.

Still, neither man could have envisaged such comfortable outcomes. "This team is building nicely," admitted Tompkins, still holding in the reins. "We moved the ball at pace and gave a very encouraging performance. A lot of these lads wouldn't have played here before, and we were determined to get a result.

"We'd a bad record against Ulster teams in the league and so we went out to really attack. We had the hunger today, and it showed."

One Cork man who has experienced Croke Park on big days in past years turned in a tour de force. Joe Kavanagh creates such magic with his leg foot that he should be banned from kicking with his right. Yesterday the centre-half forward could do no wrong, and Tompkins enjoyed watching. "Joe's a super footballer, really. I remember a National League match here in 1992 and he scored two goals. He has always had the ability. It's good to see him playing so well again."

Carr, meanwhile, felt his team had something to prove after their last outing, a defeat in the qualifying stages to Cork.

"I think people underestimated Cork, and the fact we've both won today probably emphasises that. I went home after that game and watched it on video and our performance really wasn't as bad as it felt at the time. But this win is just what we needed. I thought we were quite more clinical than in previous matches."

It all means that Carr's developing Dublin team can anticipate more testing times ahead. But he is all for that.

"You expect difficult games once you're into semi-finals. Armagh are a good team and have probably improved since we drew with them in the league. But I say let's test ourselves and see where we are going."

While Dublin could take some satisfaction from yesterday's win, there were times that the full-back line caused palpitations to management and supporters alike. Not only for the penalty incident - when two defenders collided - but also on a number of other occasions when Kildare attackers in sharper mode would have punished such mistakes. And the penalty? "That was a basic error which you can't afford to make," said Carr, "but at least the two players were in there. It is something we have to work on."