Bad habits die hard as Kerry fail to find fluency

For the first 42 or so minutes of this game all pre-match talk of a more urgent, more direct game from Kerry seemed liked wishful thinking on the part of the Kingdom faithful who were well represented in Cusack Park yesterday afternoon.

If anything Kerry appeared more hesitant and uncertain than in both their outings in Munster to date and anyone expecting the jogo bonita of one touch football, crisp and incisive movement and an element of ruthlessness were left waiting until well into the second half for any joy.

Even then, the urgency that followed Darran O’Sullivan’s half-time introduction eventually gave way to a strange lethargy and sloppiness as the visitors sleepwalked their way through the tense final minutes.