Tomas Quinn: Great care was taken by Kerry to avoid ambush

Walking into Semple Stadium you are reminded you are now entering the ‘Home of Hurling’ but after the underage football success of Tipperary in recent years and a first outing of the year for the defending All-Ireland Champions, yesterday’s crowd was more akin to a Munster hurling clash than football and required the old stand to be opened and the throw-in delayed 15 minutes.

With news of the delay, both teams halted their warm-up and retreated back to the dressing rooms. By the time they re-emerged you detected a real sense of hope from the home fans and there was a feeling of an ambush in the air.

This feeling came to life with a fast start for the home side. Right from the throw-in where Steven O’Brien signalled Tipperary’s intent with a catch and driving run to Michael Quinlivan’s expertly taken goal a few minutes later, Kerry found themselves on the back foot and struggling to settle.