Kerry dance on Galway's crown

KERRY 2-17 GALWAY 1-12

Now, following this emphatic triumph over holders Galway, there is the intriguing prospect of a unique meeting in the Bank of Ireland football championship semi-final on August 25 - provided of course that Mayo do not upset the predictions by winning today. Yesterday, there was never more than a hint that the 2001 champions would prevent Paidi O Se’s steadily improving team from qualifying.

What was arguably more impressive than their winning margin of eight points (only made possible, really, by substitute Aodan MacGearailt’s 62nd minute goal) was the way Kerry controlled the game for long periods. Galway led for the only time in the game when Michael Donnellan’s 6th minute goal kept them in front until the very much in-form Mike Frank Russell scored Kerry’s fifth point in the 14th minute. Nevertheless, it was notable that the champions created four real chances of goals and took three points instead - and that Kerry did look vulnerable for a period prior to the MacGearailt goal, for which the opening came from Dara O Cinneide. After that, it was virtually one-way traffic.