Maybe it was because the result was a foregone conclusion for the last 10 minutes but both managers were word-perfect in the aftermath. The victorious Páidí Ó Sé nodded to the qualifier system that had redefined his team's All-Ireland challenge as surely as it had Galway's last year. Seán Moran reports.

His counterpart John O'Mahony wore the weary resignation of someone who, although he has been through this cycle before, was powerless to prevent the loss of desire that seems to follow All-Ireland success.

"We were coming off three wins against Wicklow, Fermanagh, and Kildare," said Ó Sé. "We were getting games and Galway had five weeks of a lay-off since their last game - they were playing challenges and that but it isn't the same thing. We had played a lot of ball and were on a roll and that stood to us."

For O'Mahony the verdict on Galway's season was now clear: "I always said that if we went on to do very well this year people would say that we played within ourselves and peaked at the right time," he said. "When you look back at it now after today's performance it would be legitimate to say that the warning signals were there.

"We're in good company. It is very hard to defend it (the All-Ireland) and is increasingly hard, especially now with the back door when teams can get up a head of steam again. Obviously, that will be looked as the years go on and tinkered with but we're just putting our hand up and saying we weren't good enough."

At half-time it didn't look likely that Kerry would have been thrilled by a three-point lead given the sluggishness of Galway's play and the alarming fact that they had been opened up four times for goal chances - one of which was taken in exhilarating fashion. But Ó Sé said he had been upbeat.

"Michael Donnellan had the goal and then they created three more goal chances, which they should have put away. I don't know what would have happened if they had put one in. As well as that on the other side of the field, we missed a lot of kickable points. Darragh Ó Sé missed a couple and Sean O'Sullivan missed a couple. From that point of view we were very happy going in at half-time.

"The areas we had to tighten up on, well, we had to stop Galway running at us and not allow them get momentum because our full-back line was under severe pressure. As well as having to mark possibly the two best forwards in the country and having an onslaught of fellas running at them, they stood firm right to the very end."

On the reasons for Galway's second-half demise, O'Mahony was succinct: "Kerry just closed us down and that was it. We couldn't pick it up and they got the scores. The second goal killed us off. We had got it down to three points but there was no bite left in us in that last 10 or 15 minutes."

Ó Sé fielded the one contentious question without batting an eyelid. Michael Francis Russell had been substituted at the end of the third quarter despite scoring four points from play.

"If you were out there today, even where I was and I wasn't doing too much running around, you'd have felt the heat. The game was played at a high tempo."

In O'Mahony's case, the big question concerns his future and he had a ready answer if not exactly an unequivocal one.

"The situation there is that the under-21s are in a Connacht final on Wednesday week and I have to stay around for that so there's no decision to be made today."

While pleased with the victory, Kerry full back Seamus Moynihan wasn't getting too carried away. "We're happy. We just have to forget about last year. It's a new stadium, a new Kerry team and they played well today. But they must also realise - we all must realise - that we're only into a semi-final at this stage. There has to be improvement but we're going in the right direction.

"I think the team that has the strongest 20 players and can spring on five guys, that's the team that's going to win the All-Ireland. We've a strong panel, Cork have a strong panel, Dublin have a strong panel."

He was impressed with the new pitch: "It has an unbelievable feel. Definitely, it's more advantageous for forwards because it's six yards wider either side of the goals and it's a longer field.

"There's definitely more space up front and it prevents spoiling forwards. It is hard on the legs but a majority of the lads wore six studs and are a bit sore afterwards but it's a fantastic surface to play on."