Mike Quirke: Cork has a huge natural oil reserve... they just don’t know how to drill for it

There was very little to raise the collective pulse of the 11,000-plus spectators at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney last Sunday… well, besides when the stadium announcer called out the half-time score from Semple Stadium.

Once Gooch’s shot for a point deceived Clare’s Joe Hayes in goal within the first 60 seconds, the fire alarm started to ring. Once that horrendous start was compounded minutes later when Stephen O’Brien was on the end of a slick Kerry move to finish to the net via both uprights, the sprinklers should have come on. The contest was dead.

It could have descended into a drubbing. But in fairness to the Clare players, they spared their travelling support from the really gory stuff… they buckled but never broke.