O’Connor: we knew there was a big game in us

DESPITE all the bad vibes emanating from Kerry’s championship campaign this summer, Jack O’Connor has consistently espoused the belief his charges were not far off tapping into their vintage form of recent seasons.

Yesterday in Croke Park, O’Connor’s theory was vindicated in stunning fashion. Memories of the laboured qualifier displays were dispelled, as Kerry lorded matters against Dublin from the start and O’Connor was left immensely pleased at the final whistle.

“We felt somewhere along the line there was a big game in us, so thankfully it was today. We’d worked very hard since the Cork game and somewhere along the line we’d click. It shows how much ye know about it! A lot of people dismissed the qualifiers and dismissed the teams we were playing, but those teams approached those games like All-Ireland finals, and put us to the pin of our collar.”