Kerry set up all-Munster All-Ireland

AFTER a summer of hurling superlatives, football is at last enjoying its place in the sun.

Seven days after Cork crushed Meath, Kerry took the wrecking ball to Dublin’s 12-year dream of All-Ireland glory in front of a heaving Croke Park.Such Munster majesty has now produced a historic repeat of the provincial decider on All-Ireland final day and a first ever all-Munster decider. The subplots may need a sat nav to negotiate. Pat O’Shea’s All-Ireland champions defeated Billy Morgan’s team en route to September 16; Kerry beat Cork in the last two All-Ireland semi-finals while Cork were the last team to win Sam Maguire back to back.

Expectations will be sky high and yesterday’s fare will be hard to match. The two collided like runaway locomotives from the throw-in and an ill-tempered first half saw more punches thrown than the Bernard Dunne fight the evening before.

Then a football match broke out. Kerry seemed to have booked their return tickets to the capital with a devastating second half onslaught sparked by a Declan O’Sullivan goal. But the Dubs came storming back from a six-point deficit. On two occasions in the last five minutes, Pillar Caffrey’s side got to within a point but both times Kerry went upfield to raise white flags of their own to claim a 1-15 to 0-16 victory.

Kerry now sweat on the fitness of Darragh Ó Sé who today undergoes a scan on a damaged hip.

And what of Cork?

“Cork are something for another day,” said Kieran Donaghy. “That’ll be another hell of a game.”