Kerry make their point

THE first blow of the year has been struck by Kerry, the new Kerry, not afraid to get dirt under their fingernails.

Many observers have already decreed this football championship a three-horse race and by winning their first league in seven years, it gives the slightest of psychological advantages to the Kingdom over Galway and Tyrone.

Life has changed for the Kerry footballer. Croke Park, once their fortress, has become a graveyard over the past couple of years. They have digested harsh northern lessons, leading some to believe the bigger ball aristocrats were struggling to come to terms with an evolving game.