Kerry pose us more questions than delivering answers

Kerry 2-16 Clare 0-11: This game didn’t need Tipperary’s heroics to put it in the shade. It had consigned itself to the shadows long before Liam Kearns’ men were working their magic, barely raising the curtain for the history that was to follow in Croke Park.

Kerry move on having taken care of business without letting us in on so much of a hint about their true position. By the time August 28 comes around, it will be 18 weeks since they were last asked serious questions in a competitive game.

Their three-game winning run where their average margin of comfort has been 11 points has nevertheless seen them fly into the semi-finals very much under the radar. We can hazard a guess and say the team Éamonn Fitzmaurice fields against Dublin would be different to the one he would start should Donegal once more defy the odds against Jim Gavin’s defending champions.