DIFFICULT to learn much on a day of robust football, crunching tackles and muddy ground at Pairc Ui Rinn yesterday. Cork prevailed, smudging Kildare's impeccable record in Division One and adding further credence to the notion that some of the iron from Larry Tompkins's soul has been melded into his players.

At times in the first half this threatened to be an attractive game of football. Cork were getting the space in midfield to pick out the big men ahead of them and with the Kildare full back line struggling goal chances abounded. After the tea, however, Kildare tightened up and Paddy Russell's refereeing appeared to loosen up. The game degenerated, a slide which resulted almost inevitably in a sending off.

The player who took the walk, Cork's Padraig O'Mahoney, had been instrumental early on as Cork spread the ball around stylishly. O'Mahoney scored two points in the opening quarter as the sides exchanged points freely.

At 0-3 each Cork suddenly flexed their muscles and cut loose. A series of goal chances went wide with Liam Honohan and Colin Corkery the principal culprits.

However, Corkery has frost in his veins when it comes to dead ball kicking and three free kicks plus an Aidan Dorgan point set up a four point advantage at half time.

Kildare's chances of salvaging anything looked slender at that stage. Glen Ryan was having a difficult afternoon trailing after Brian Corcoran who displayed strength in acquisition and wisdom in distribution. It was Corcoran who set Honohan and Corkery up for the two wasted goal chances and he was at the heart of most of Cork's worthwhile moves.

For his part Corkery is looking leaner and meaner this season and may at last be flowering into the great forward he has threatened to become for some time. He was given a rough ride in the second half by John Finn but stood his ground and became quite pro active in the matter of establishing physical dominance.

Kildare improved significantly in the middle third of the field after the break and Damien O'Neill and Pat Hegarty found themselves swamped to the extent that Honohan was hauled back from the full forward position to lend a hand at the pumps.

The Kildare halfback line improved its workrate accordingly after the break with Ryan sticking to Corcoran doggedly and both Anthony Rainbow and Brian Fahy becoming a little spikier. The full back line, which had looked slightly bewildered at times during the first half, reshuffled itself and found its feet. Significantly Cork failed to score from play in the last 39 minutes of play.

Under Mick O'Dwyer's latest reign Kildare have predictably improved their fitness and have rediscovered something of the pattern which distinguished their play early in the decade. On a heavy pitch in late November they would have been forgiven for thinking that would be enough yesterday.

The break which their improved performance deserved came in the 12th minute of the second half when a long direct ball from Killian Brennan in midfield found Johnny McDonald. The corner forward produced a burst of strength to hold off a couple of challenges and slipped the ball low to the net. The crowd of 3,421 were suddenly giving the game their full attention.

Unfortunately the game declined as a spectacle thereafter, Paddy Russell spend long periods cantering around consulting with officials as player after player fell to the ground in mysterious circumstances. Two players from each side were booked before O'Mahoney tangled forcefully with Fahy and with the latter writhing on the ground O'Mahoney was sent to the line.

There were 18 minutes remaining when McDonald scored his goal, eight minutes remaining when Kildare found themselves with a personnel advantage, yet they could do little further to reduce the arrears.

Tompkins's Cork side are one of the biggest playing inter county football. When they get their pattern running sweetly on firm ground next year they will be hard to beat. Indeed they already possess that quality.

Niall Cahalane has had more perfect games then yesterday's but in the hectic, bone crushing closing acts his spiky all action presence was invaluable. Kildare had the momentum but produced a sheaf of wides under pressure and never looked like getting a breakthrough goal. They got to within a point of Cork when Eddie McCormack scored in the 55th minute but there it ended.