Mike Quirke: Kerry plamás must be eventually wearing off with the officials

Austin Stack Park was glistening last Sunday afternoon under the finest splash of April sunshine we have seen for quite a while this far south.

The balmy temperature and clear skies brought short-sleeved spectators out in their droves, away from their TV screens and into the refurbished Tralee venue to watch Cork and Kerry do battle in the flesh. So much for people getting sick of modern football — the ground was bursting at the seams with nearly 8,500 spectators.

With Kerry cruising, there came an announcement over the PA system after about 20 minutes that drew gasps from the near capacity crowd; it went something along the lines of “a five-year-old child is gone missing, if you find him, please contact the nearest steward or member of the gardaí.”