Ian O'Riordanfinds Kerry's talisman relaxed and eager for Sunday's final

Colm Cooper takes a seat and straightaway folds the palms of his hands, allowing his shoulders to slump and his head to tilt slightly to the side. The most naturally gifted footballer in the country still has that unmistakable gangly teenage look, impossibly younger than his 24 years, and is still it seems blissfully unaware of his highly enviable talent.

There is, however, a subtle change in the player they call the Gooch, across his eyes and the round lines of his face. Gone is the slightly drawn look that seemed to have hardened those features this time last year, when even approaching the All-Ireland final he appeared lost somewhere in his own world, not really wanting to return.

When this is put to him, that he looks much happier and is clearly enjoying his football that bit more again, he twiddles his fingers and flashes that slightly goofy smile.

"That's fair enough to say," he replies, and looks up with real assurance. "The smile is back on my face. For whatever circumstances I did hit a few low points last year, and of course that takes a bit out of you. I found it hard to get to the pitch. But I think I realised as well that I'd set a mark for myself that sometimes isn't easy to reach.

"I've had to realise I'm not going to shoot the lights out every day, 1-5 or 1-6 in every game. That's why I'm trying to contribute in different ways, and I think I learnt that over the last 12 months."

The circumstances he refers to were difficult, including the sudden death of his father early last year. He was back playing within a week, some said too soon, but for the rest of the summer couldn't always disguise the inevitably difficult aftermath.

Even in Kerry's moment of All-Ireland glory Cooper seemed burdened, but now the slow release is complete. He gradually rediscovered the old spark when helping Dr Crokes make the All-Ireland club final, and despite the subsequent defeat to Crossmaglen, after a replay, he's clearly enjoyed the journey back.

"I was back with Kerry the following week, after losing the club final. Kerry were trying to stay in Division One in the league, but I just wanted to get on with it, and back into the winning mindset. And speaking for myself anyway, I feel as fresh and as hungry as I have in a long time. I don't feel fatigued at all, surprisingly. Maybe it's just youth."

He looks truly relaxed as well, the ultimate sign being perhaps that he's ringing up close colleagues himself this week to make sure they have tickets.

He later describes Croke Park as the "playground" of any footballer, but no footballer has made it look that way quite like Cooper. There was fun and beauty in the way he set up Declan O'Sullivan's goal against Dublin in the semi-final, brilliantly pointing out the play for team-mate Killian Young.

It typified his role this summer, and while he is once again Kerry's highest scorer, with his 1-13 from four games, Cooper seems to be getting more enjoyment now from setting up a score. It's almost as if that's the better way to impress manager Pat O'Shea, his long-serving mentor and curator from his youngest years back at Dr Crokes in Killarney.

"I would say that was deliberate - I just feel if I can offer the team something else," he explains. "Ideally I would like to be scoring more, and that has been a problem for me at the moment. But I suppose I've been able to contribute in a different way, something I haven't been able to do in the past.

"I know ideally if you're playing corner forward for Kerry you'd want to be knocking up a big score, but then I suppose the best place to do it is in the final.

"Pat O'Shea has his own views on how things should be played, but I certainly don't think things have changed too radically. When you're out there playing it certainly doesn't feel any different. I think with Séamus Moynihan and Mike McCarthy leaving we all felt we had to step up a little in terms of leadership."

As with everyone else on this Kerry team, is seems the fear of losing to Cork is the greatest incentive, more so than winning All-Irelands back-to-back. Cooper grew up in the rarest of times when Cork held the edge over Kerry, and he doesn't want to be remembered for losing the first ever All-Ireland final to their old rivals.

"Sure, in the early 1990s, I remember going to some of the big clashes in Killarney, with Cork coming down with huge support, and they had an Indian sign over Kerry back then. Since then Kerry have held the upper hand, but for me, growing up, the thing was always beating Cork, that you'd love to beat Cork. That's what I was brought up with.

"Monaghan and Dublin were obviously huge battles, but I really think Cork will be twice the battle again. I think people are missing the fact that Cork have been in three semi-finals in the last five years. Coming into the Meath game I thought it was very strange people were writing off Cork. They've proved this year they're a major threat, right across the field.

"Cork could have beaten us in the Munster, and we had a six-week gap after that . . . it was very difficult to keep things going. We trained as hard, and as physical, and as intense as we could, but there's nothing like a championship game.

"We came up against a very good Monaghan team, as well prepared as any team we've played. They also had their homework done on us, and we struggled big time to beat them.

"It was amazing. I was fairly sure we were gone. I remember looking around maybe a minute before Declan O'Sullivan got the goal, late on, and I was thinking in my own mind that if something big doesn't happen fairly quickly here then we'll be out of the championship. To be honest I thought we were gone.

"Dublin was a real roller-coaster, and could have gone either way. We just surged through in the second half, and that gave us the platform to go for it. But now Cork are going to be our biggest challenge this year; I really think that."

Six years on the Kerry senior panel, looking younger than ever and enjoying his football more than ever - Cooper has never been better primed for that challenge.

Colm 'Gooch' Cooper

Club: Dr Crokes

Height: 5ft 11in

Weight: 11st 7lb

Age: 24

Honours: Two All-Ireland senior; two National League; five Munster senior; three All Stars; Player of the Year 2004