DARRAGH Ó SÉsays a few changes could freshen up Kerry's challenge as the team proved by their resistance in Killarney they still have the appetite for more success

SUNDAY IN Killarney was a grand day out. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, though it is still hard watching the green and gold when things get tense.

I enjoyed the game and travelled home with Mick Galwey who has a summer house beside us up in Ventry (Kerry is so perfect that Kerry people have their summer houses in Kerry). Sadly, Mick went astray early in life, but he doesn’t like to miss a Kerry match. His knowledge of other codes paid off on the way back when we stopped off at Milltown for the bodhrán festival. He picked a Cork winner from the bunch. He says he knew what he was doing. I don’t know if he did, but it was nice to see Cork win something big.

As for the match itself, later on a lot of people were giving out about the standard of the football. I watched the game afterwards again on the telly and the lads on the panel were complaining too. I disagree. I thought for a game between two of the country’s top teams, two teams who are so familiar with each other they could play in the dark, there were a lot of good scores. The quality was good enough. When you have two teams trying to outthink each other you have to watch for different things.

Where do Cork and Kerry stand now that the dust has settled for a few days?

Cork have 30 fellas as good as each other, probably the best squad of players in the country. Whether they have the best combination on the field is another matter. They will have learned from Sunday. Maybe they are nearer to that ideal combination.

Kerry started well, playing good, fast football, but took the foot off the gas. In fairness to Kerry, it wasn’t just that they eased off. Cork have got smarter. Street smarts.

Noel O’Leary got booked and they called him ashore straight away. If they gave away a free they made sure Kerry couldn’t move it quickly. A disappointing element from Kerry’s point of view was the communication in the middle of the field. Four different times the Kerry midfield jumped together for the same ball. Cork were very organised and sharp in that department. They all knew what the next fella was doing.

Still, for Kerry, after six All-Ireland finals on the trot, to be backs to the wall on a hot day in Killarney and to still have the desire to fight their way out again?

That’s a massive statement.

Last week, I predicted Kerry would win by four points. Cork surprised me on Sunday and should have won. I still think, though, that Kerry will shade the replay.

It is easier to fix what was wrong with Kerry.

Mike Mac, say. We are so used to him playing so well, so often, we take it for granted that he will be at the top of his game. On Sunday, Mike did well, but by his own standards there is more room there. Sunday was probably the game he needed having come back in so late. Kieran Donaghy and the Gooch will be involved a lot more.

The Gooch needs more ball. He looked dangerous on Sunday, but Kerry needed to get more ball to him. It was one of those days when not enough went into our full forward line generally. Kieran Donaghy tried hard and tackled back, but he had an off-day as stuff didn’t come off for him and Graham Canty is due some credit. He played very well having been out so long.

This is the modern game, though, and numbers 12 to 15 are essentially your midfield. Cork were well organised in there. Their kick- outs were very well planned. So when the game settled they got on top. With eight players battling in midfield you are only as good as those around you and when Paul Galvin came on with about 20 minutes to go he gave an exhibition of what had been lacking in Kerry’s play.

Paul got into the game quickly. He ignored the fact that Cork piled in on top of him early. He showed for the ball and gave it in well. Not easy for a player coming in cold. He was crucial in bringing the Gooch into the game more. In the space of the time Paul was on for, the Gooch got the same amount of ball as he had got for the rest of the day. Anthony Maher instantly looked a better player as soon as Paul arrived in. That was the difference. And the more time Kerry spend with Paul on the field next Sunday, the more difference he will make.

There were other positives.

Hindsight is easy (thank God or how would we do columns like this), but maybe Kerry should have brought on Barry John Keane earlier. Every game so far he has impressed. One of the things overlooked was he went for a point soon after he came in and he missed it. Not long after he got a ball from Paul Galvin and he went for it again and this time he scored. That’s a good sign in a young fella. He has been a good find for Kerry this year.

Anthony Maher did solid things, good things when he came on. He picked it up more when Paul arrived in.

Donnacha Walsh brings lots to the table work-wise, but at the same time he was indecisive in the kick-outs which came out. There were a couple I felt he could have gone and caught. He was second guessing himself and as a result his game suffered.

Where do they stand now?

If you are a player and you are realistic you have to be thinking that Cork on the scheme of things should have won. Cork will be annoyed with themselves for not closing it out.

The recent history of these games would suggest Cork will win the replay down in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, but I don’t know. I think both teams will spend a lot of time working out why Cork didn’t finish it off, having been so good both sides of half-time.

Was it psychological or was it just the changes that the subs brought about?

Then there are the changes. Cork got as much as they could hope for out of their three debutants. Jamie O’Sullivan, Aidan Walsh and Ciarán Sheehan all did well enough. I thought one or two of them would find Killarney too much for them.

Certain parts of the Cork game have improved. Look at the All-Ireland last year and how Cork have come on. Walsh is a big plus. Paul Kerrigan at corner forward. I was conscious of him at wing forward in the final and he took the wrong option a few times, trying pot-shots which never came off. This year you can see the experience in him. He knew what he was doing on Sunday and Marc (Ó Sé) did well to hold him to what he did given the quality of ball that was coming in. The maturity though that a fella like Kerrigan has acquired is spread around the place. Cork have improved and will have learned some more.

There is very little that can be done in the space of the week. Physically between the two 50s there were a lot of big hits going in on Sunday. This week will be for recovery. Kerry will have taken a lot of heart out of the game and will know there are bigger days in a lot of players.

For management, it’s a week to build fellas up. Jack will be saying, ‘come on, it’s here for us’. Cork will have seen enough to feel they can be saying the same thing.

Next week I’d make a change or two. I would love to see Johnny Buckley of Dr Crokes getting a run in midfield. I played against him in a club game five or six weeks ago and what I liked about him was that he gave the ball in quick and direct all the time. A very good kicker.

I’d go a little outside the box. A change in the backs, a change up front. Without mentioning other names, I would start two or three other fellas. Give them the chance. Let them have a rattle at it. Cork should have won the last day. Kerry have nothing to lose.

Why not have a go at it.

Kerry showed the one thing they needed to show. The hunger. I fancied Kerry last week.

But I do give them a chance again.

I go for a narrow Kerry win.