GAELIC GAMES/All-Ireland SFC Final: Down the years Kerry's football dominion has frequently been challenged. Often, as the latest tactical blueprint or revolutionary method threatened to bring down the aristocratic demesne, the county's temporary eclipse has been greeted as the end of time.

In yesterday's Bank of Ireland All-Ireland football final and not for the first time the Kingdom struck back and with an awesome display won the county's 33rd title; the world is once more theirs. Faster to the ball and bristling with urgency, they were able to send in a glut of possession to Dara Ó Cinnéide, John Crowley and the lethal Colm Cooper in a super-productive full-forward line.

For crestfallen Mayo the narrative wasn't supposed to end like this. Meticulous planning and at times considerable flair had characterised their unexpected run to this year's final. Businesslike attention to detail had replaced the old mute yearnings and this time it would be different.

Unfortunately for the Connacht champions, they had the sort of day finalists dread. Nothing went right and not even an early goal could quell the sense of unease. Kerry were covering the pitch in swarms, their backs too urgent for Mayo's tentative efforts, their forwards too sharp and even their somewhat maligned centrefield well on top.

None of Mayo's big names were able to take a grip on the game, whereas Kerry had more than a few players giving their best displays of the season.

Mayo hopes had realistically rested on a good display against a subdued Kerry performance. This was disastrously the other way around.

Jack O'Connor crowned his first year as Kerry manager with ultimate success, winning all three competitions they entered: NFL, Munster championship and All-Ireland. His considered recasting of the team and quiet, effective raising of its intensity levels enabled the county's undoubted talent to blossom.

Not alone did he halt the frustrations of recent years but yesterday he won an All-Ireland without Darragh Ó Sé and Séamus Moynihan. By the time the latter made his rapturously received return to action in the 55th minute, in the unusual role of centre forward, the contest was a rapidly fading memory.

Throughout the year O'Connor has also proved adept at reading games, individuals and problems - and making the necessary alterations. Once more yesterday he proved tactically superb. There weren't many problems to sort out once the ball was thrown in but his one major call - the starting of John Crowley instead of Mike Francis Russell - was thoroughly vindicated.

Crowley turned out to be the key man in a strategic decision to pump high ball in on the Mayo full-back line, and he caused havoc. Although he was scoreless by the time he left the field in the 58th minute, his contribution had been immense. The ball he broke and laid off and the positions he found all ended up involving him in six points. He might have had a goal but his shot on target in the 33rd minute brought a fine block from Peter Burke.

O'Connor said afterwards that he and his management team had reasoned that Mayo, with their smaller forwards, wouldn't be used to sustained aerial attack in training and that Kerry could exploit this lack of familiarity.

For their part John Maughan and his Mayo selectors saw their most contentious selection, Fergal Kelly at centrefield ahead of David Brady, come unstuck. Kelly struggled while William Kirby, giving an excellent display, topped with three points, dominated the centre and as early as the 25th minute Brady was coming on to shore up the middle - more as Red Adair than as an impact sub.

For the first quarter there was a possibility that the crowd was in for a fantasy final. Play surged around the field; the football was open with an emphasis on attack. Kerry had considerably more of the ball but a couple of early incidents were promising for Mayo.

In the fourth minute, the team's primary Footballer of the Year candidate, Ciarán McDonald, got his first run at Eamon Fitzmaurice. Out on the right sideline he drove at his marker, rode the challenge and hoisted over an inspiring point.

A minute later Trevor Mortimer, another central figure for Mayo this season, harassed the otherwise impeccable Michael McCarthy into losing the ball on the same right wing and lofted a pass in to Alan Dillon, who neatly sidestepped Diarmuid Murphy and shot the goal.

With these scores banked, Mayo were in touch on the scoreboard until the 25th minute and a competitive afternoon was a possibility. But Kerry didn't break stride and continued to press forward. Declan O'Sullivan had an outstanding match at centre forward, using his roving instincts to pick up deep and breaking ball and carry it forward.

Although the scoreboard wasn't terminal for Mayo, the rate of concession - captain Ó Cinnéide's reliable free taking and best in-play performance of the championship giving Kerry consistent scores - and the performances around the field were ominous.

McDonald never posed the sort of threat that had been commonplace this summer. He worked hard and let off some good passes but he wasn't able to breathe life into the Mayo challenge and it was a telling commentary that Fitzmaurice coped so competently that Plan B never had to be unveiled.

Trevor Mortimer started at wing forward but switched inside almost immediately and after creating Dillon's goal wasn't able to launch any threatening runs to test opponents with his pace.

All around, the Kerry defence was on top. Tom O'Sullivan continued his excellent year with a virtual shutout on Conor Mortimer, whose one point could nonetheless have been a goal 10 minutes into the second half.

Beside him McCarthy was assured and in control. There were no lifelines for Mayo.

At the other end it was no better. By the 20th minute Mayo had changed five of their starting defensive positions. Dermot Geraghty, brought into the team to mark Cooper, proved to lack the inches for the task. Cooper is deceptively tall and is well able to use his five feet 11 inches when the ball is in the air.

Geraghty was moved to centre back to allow Pat Kelly take over in the corner. Yet in the 25th minute he was caught for a high ball hit in by Fitzmaurice. Cooper collected, rounded his man and drifted across goal before stroking the ball off the inside of his left foot into the net.

The match was over at 1-10 to 1-3.

Cooper would end up with 1-5, all but a point from play, and the quality of his scores plus the scope of his creativity was devastating. Like the rest of the team he lost a bit of concentration in the second half with the match frequently on a 10-point margin, but it was a stellar display.

Mayo's replacements Michael Conroy and Andy Moran managed 1-2 between them, Conroy's goal a volleyed follow-up to a great save by the impressively vigilant Murphy - his second in a few minutes - from a Trevor Mortimer shot in injury time.

Kerry rode on in triumph whereas Mayo were left to pick up the shattered remnants of their All-Ireland dream and an otherwise invigorating season. The apprenticeship for winning an All-Ireland is maybe longer than they thought.

Ask the new champions.