Kerry still have head for heights

WHEN a player and a team have been there and done that, sometimes they need an angle to really get themselves up for a big match. Usually for Kerry, Croke Park in August is the catalyst for a mental and physical shifting up through the gears.

However times have changed. Cork were coming to town as All-Ireland champions and favourites yesterday. It was the first time any of these Kerry players faced their fiercest rivals in championship in such a scenario. Big crowd, big game, sun shining and written off. It was just the motivation many of these men needed.

All week long, the battle in the middle third was flagged as being game defining. While Cork won it statistically, winning significantly more primary possession, in reality Kerry did more than enough to keep their forward unit supplied.