And the road stretches out before them...

THE TEAM buses waiting outside Páirc Uí Chaoimh afterwards might have been pointed to the same road, but Cork and Kerry are no longer travelling in the one direction.

An unwelcome draw may throw the Munster rivals together for the 19th time in a decade later this summer but Cork won’t fret at the prospect. Last August in Croke Park and again a week ago in Killarney, Conor Counihan’s men had Kerry’s measure if not their nous and conviction. That shaky bridge has been crossed now.

Defeating the Kingdom as comprehensively as the eight-point margin suggests in Saturday’s Munster SFC semi-final replay means Cork can move on from Croke Park ghosts in green and gold and focus instead on the gold.