Tony Leen: Kerry and Cork tend to different sorts of wounds

Cork didn’t test Kerry’s chin – as vulnerable as it has been in quite a while. The upshot is Jack O'Connor has a robust cornerstone of Kingdom wanabees in place for the All-Ireland series. 

David Clifford of Kerry celebrates after scoring his side's first goal. Photo by Paul Phelan/Sportsfile

THERE are good reasons John Cleary, the manager, is widely regarded in inter-county boot rooms as the best fit for the laboured rebuild of Cork football. He greets triumph and despair evenly, rarely rabble-rouses and seeks common sense as a first refuge. With his reflections on Sunday’s Munster final loss in Killarney, he bundled the differences in short order.

One, his side didn’t really show up. Cleary didn’t say that but he knows that beyond an early surge that built a five-point lead, Cork didn’t test Kerry’s chin – as vulnerable as it has been in quite a while.