FOOTBALL ANALYST:THAT JACK O'Connor had to perform such major surgery on the team is an indictment of a poor Kerry display. He obviously felt the need to redesign and re-energise the team, especially in the middle third. The selection of Tommy Griffin and Darragh Ó Sé at midfield, where Cork had the upper hand, and Declan O'Sullivan at centre forward will add intensity to a vital sector.

The jury’s still out on whether Darragh has the full 70 minutes in him, but Griffin is athletic, covers plenty of ground and is very experienced in the role of breaking up Cork’s running game. But Nicholas Murphy and

Alan O’Connor are two good athletes as well and O’Connor also has a height advantage on Griffin.

The half forwards who lined out in Killarney were a formidable unit, but I didn’t expect them to play so deep. The modern Ulster tactic of dropping half forwards back gives the markers too much space and time.

That freedom allowed Cork’s half backs the freedom to attack in tandem with the midfielders. That’s something Cork like to do and they launched some good, sweeping moves, including the one that led to Pearse O’Neill’s goal.

Kerry will have to hold the line a bit better this evening and restrict the scope for counter-attacking as well as posing more of a threat themselves. Paul Galvin, for instance, didn’t manage one effort at scoring throughout the match.

I expect Tadhg Kennelly to be even more influential. His football will have come on considerably now that he’s got his first senior championship outing under his belt since leaving the world of Australian Rules last year and proved that he can perform at this level.

I think he’ll cover more ground and will be more consistent, as he was out of the game for periods last week. That great long-range point he shot should encourage him to attack more and go for scores.

One line that hasn’t been tinkered with is at full back, Kerry’s strongest sector last week. Cork rely on Donnacha O’Connor, Daniel Goulding and James Masters for scores and they were well held in Killarney.

On an annual basis, Masters finds it hard to make headway against Kerry. There’s no doubting his clinical finishing ability, but I believe that he’d be more productively used later in the game when opponents are tiring and marking a little bit looser. The other option is Michael Cussen, whose strength in the air has given Tom O’Sullivan problems in the past, but he was unable to dominate to the extent that he managed last year.

I can’t believe that Tommy Walsh is going to play six days after being carted off with a sprained ankle. That’s a problem, because Kerry have got so used to playing with a big target man and Colm Cooper particularly benefits from that. If Walsh doesn’t make the cut O’Connor may go with someone like David Moran, who’s a good ball winner, provided he concentrates on winning possession.

The physical dimension of Cork’s game was very evident. They were constantly harrying away at Kerry and the yellow card statistics (five to one) reflect that. It was one of the main reasons for Cork’s superiority and if they can repeat that and eliminate the unnecessary fouling, they’ll be on the way to another successful performance.

Their half forwards, like Kerry’s, need to track back, which isn’t easy for whoever’s marking Tomás Ó Sé, whose lung-burning bursts down the wing punished Cork.

With less possession, Kerry still managed to draw and have the edge in terms of scoring, being more economical and accurate in attack. We also saw the value of Bryan Sheehan. For his contribution from placed balls last week alone he deserves to start. but the issues about his work-rate and covering haven’t gone away. Cork will try to exploit this and whoever’s on him will check him out early to see if he’s the stomach for the chase.

There was a lot to like about Cork’s display the last day and whatever team starts Conor Counihan has a no-nonsense approach to substitution, which keeps players on their toes.

The outcome is in the balance. Will the changes reignite Kerry? Or is there a danger that this team has been to the well too often?

Cork will take more confidence out of the draw and for the first time in years they have a strong bench and aren’t afraid to use it.

They need to take chances more efficiently because they threw away good opportunities last week, but I believe they will make home advantage tell.

Later this evening, in Leinster, Wexford face Kildare, who have a match under their belt and are playing well, balancing good defence where everyone takes responsibility for covering – something close to manager Kieran McGeeney’s heart – with a strong midfield where Dermot Earley is playing so well and an attack that looks more comfortable than previously.

After a magnificent year in 2008, Wexford have struggled and are missing Matty Forde. They won’t lie down, but I can’t see them turning their year around in this match.