Kerry hit top gear right on cue

MUCH later than might have been expected, but on cue this time, Kerry’s continuing rehabilitation saw them beat Cork at the third attempt in Croke Park yesterday and deservedly advance to another Bank of Ireland football championship final.

Once again, Kieran Donaghy’s play at full-forward was highly influential in the outcome, the catalyst for a significant improvement from the Munster final replay and which on the day was almost guaranteed to overcome another spirited challenge from Cork.

The big difference this time was that Jack O’Connor’s team raised their performance from a level which seemed beyond their capability in Páirc Uí Chaoimh five weeks ago. The result was a 12-point turnaround.