For a club from a small parish who began the season all those months ago hoping for nothing more than to stay in the top tier of the Galway league, this has been travel at the speed of light.

The club's egalitarian ethos rebels against conventional hierarchies but Gabriel Naughton was wearing the manager's bib and fielding the questions quizzically as if still taking it all in.

"No I didn't see it happening 12 months ago. I didn't see it happening ever, I guess. You couldn't - for a side that had never won a county before. Anyone that was seeing us in an All-Ireland final on Paddy's Day, men in white coats would have taken them away.

"We aimed to do well in the league, as you do when you've never won the championship. A couple of good wins set us going, and it's funny when you get into the habit of winning.

"The players have been fantastic, coming to training twice a week from Dublin, not getting back until one in the morning and going to work the next day."

His team had proved resistant to the notion that An Ghaeltacht's centrefield and gilt forwards would provide and convert the necessary chances.

Instead it was the exceptional display of Noel and Micheál Meehan in attack and brother Declan driving from the back that proved decisive.

Nor had the physical advantages of the Kerry club daunted Caltra.

"The number of times we've been told that we're a small team," said Naughton, "and there you go. It hasn't come against us again."

Dara Ó Cinnéide stops to try and rationalise what went wrong for the favourites. He nearly pulled a winning goal out of the bag with the second last kick of the match but the shot flew over.

"Maybe the revival came too late this time. It just wasn't happening for us today and we didn't make it happen for ourselves either to be honest.

"They came to Croke Park for an hour's work and did their work very well.

"Our hunger came just too late. In the course of the game they played the better football and the urgency we showed came too late." He wasn't taking refuge in false optimism either.

"I said it before this game and I'll say it again: 'we won't be back here again'. I'd love to be proved wrong but it takes an awful lot to come out of Kerry and come out of Munster. We have a good team and we're capable of it but there's so many pitfalls.

"Now the cup's in the other dressingroom and that's the story.

"I can't even tell you who lost the '96 final (the last time a Kerry club, Laune Rangers, won against Éire Óg from Carlow).

"We won't be remembered; Caltra will."