The marvellous arena of Pairc Ui Chaoimh played host to the battling gladiators of Cork and Kerry as they went head-to-head again in the Saturday evening sunshine and responded to the majestic setting and baying crowds by producing another epic encounter. The fact that the heroes of Cork stood proud at the end was no surprise yet the fact that they were able to inflict such punishment on their old foes was more of a surprise. Kerry left the field bloodied and beaten and were relieved that the referee had stopped the contest before further injury could be inflicted. As the victors rightfully celebrated their great achievement amidst their cheering hordes little remarks were passed on the wounded foe as it slowly disappeared into the depths of the stadium. Tail between its legs. The new boss had just put it in its place - and though it disliked this place it knew that it must comply with nature and give way to the victor. Outside the grounds the neutrals spoke casually about the fall of Kerry. "It could be a while before that Kerry team are back." "Sure they're not the team they used to be at all!" "There's no hunger left in them." "It'll take a couple of years for them young lads to come through." And so on. It was a natural enough reaction to what they had just witnessed over two enthralling contests. An eight point defeat at the hands of old adversaries Cork and they were lucky it wasn't more. Throughout all the conversations and jibes you could pick out three reasons that the Kerry supporters continually threw up as excuses for their team's defeat; 1. "I'll tell ye lads, Darragh O Se's past it!" and at times this seemed to be a pretty accurate statement. He looked tired at times and struggled to cope with the dominant Cork midfielders. A real driving force behind the Kerry team of the past ten years. His masterful fielding of the ball, clever distribution, his power, the surging runs and his scoring ability all contributed to mould him into Kerry's leader. No wonder then that a poor performance from him coincides with a defeat. 2. "Sure the Gooch is too easy taken out of the game these days." If Colm 'Gooch' Cooper is not handling enough ball then Kerry will find it hard to win. 3 or 4 points (his score in the two Cork games) is a poor return for him and not enough, especially with the inconsistencies of the current Kerry forwards. He has a tendency to lose concentration if things start to go against him and his temper can sometimes flare. 3. "No hunger, ye can't expect them to have that same hunger year after year!" Hunger, ambition, desire, passion - call it what you will but it is certainly an important ingredient for success. Sam would definitely not be secured without it. The demeanour of some of the Kerry players on Saturday could suggest that maybe this hunger was indeed lacking. Though they did fashion a fightback of sorts it was not the same sustained, persistent, overpowering rally that we have become accustomed to. These are just three of the reasons being bandied about by supporters and pundits at the minute and taking them at face value you would say that Kerry were indeed on the way down. A closer examination though of the ailing body may result in a different prognosis and one that would suggest to a very healthy recovery. Further probing has uncovered three parts of that body that are sure to aid recovery. Namely; Darragh O Se, Colm 'The Gooch' Cooper and Hunger! 1. Darragh O Se. One of the best midfielders in recent history and though aging still holds onto much of his formidable arsenal. Masterful fielding (maybe not as high), clever distribution, his power, his surging runs and his scoring ability. Time has done little damage to his array of weaponry though it has taken some of the speed out of his step and perhaps lowered his stamina levels, albeit ever so slightly. Time has also added to his experience and leadership qualities. Having carried the battle to so many over the years (and won) I doubt if such a gladiator will bow out as meekly as the Munster semi-final would suggest. 2. Colm Cooper. One of the outstanding forwards of his era. Has time eroded any of his qualities? No. In fact, as with his older team-mate above, he has boosted his experience levels, developed a stronger physique and learned more about his own temperament. Everything would point to a better footballer but we are failing to see this develop because of the lack of quality ball going in and, very importantly, the absence of Kieran Donaghy to spearhead their attack. The presence of 'Star' in the Kerry forward line takes untold physical and mental pressure of the shoulders of Cooper. Defenders can't devote such attention to him when Donaghy is in the neighbourhood and umpteen more openings are created for his scoring prowess to take advantage of. Cork sacrificed the attacking skills of Lynch to nullify the main attacking threat of Kerry and thanks to his tenacity, discipline and footballing skills the move paid off - big time. Of course, not every team will have an Anthony Lynch nor be as fortunate to see such a limited supply of ball going in. So, write off talent at you peril. Both these players have it and when they do, anything is possible. Let's just recall, Thurles 2001 Maurice Fitzgerald (on the bench?) sideline ball 3. Hunger, desire, passion, pride. If Kerry ever had a fault it never was that they lacked any of these emotions. Their displays at times may have suggested that the lacked the hunger but I believe that it is a different malaise that affects them at times. Their dominance of Gaelic football over many decades has led to an inherent belief in the totality of their own ability - a supreme self-confidence that no other county possesses. Admittedly, this is one of their greatest assets and has been a vital component of their successful history. It can at times, however, be a chink in their armour. This self-belief can sometimes mushroom into a feeling almost of infallibility. This over-cockiness can backfire on them when they underestimate an opponent and enter the game ill-prepared or simply implode when their game-plan does not work. It is rarely this happens though, and their opponents need to be playing at a very high standard in order to achieve this disruption. Cork did just that at the weekend. It should be pointed out that Kerry have seldom met such quality opposition at, what is to them, such an early stage of the campaign and fitness levels may not have been as good as Cork's. In this assessment of Kerry I have certainly taken into account the fact that Cork's development in these past two or three years has now produced one of the top teams in the country with serious credentials and serious title ambitions. So while the demise of Kerry is cautiously debated throughout the country I would hazard a guess and say that Kerry don't do demise very well. While Cork's win was really not a surprise the same cannot be said for the wins Cavan and Antrim enjoyed in the Ulster campaign. When the draw was made it was almost taken for granted that either Fermanagh or Donegal would be enjoying Ulster final day in Clones. If Cavan or Antrim were lucky enough to get over the first hurdle then it was deemed unlikely that they would make it over the second. Of course, Tyrone will be hot favourites to lift the Anglo-Celt Cup but the opposition knows that anything can happen - especially in Ulster! Congratulations to both managers Tommy Carr and Liam Bradley in their first year with either county. A great achievement for Cavan after a mediocre league campaign in Div 3 and a fantastic achievement for Antrim coming from Div 4 at the start of the year. It appears as if the players in both the Fermanagh and Donegal camps were reading too many papers and listening to too many cocky supporters. I know that players at this level are well aware of the dangers of complacency and I know that Malachy O'Rourke and John Joe Doherty would have done everything possible to avoid the onset of complacency and prepared their teams diligently but with so much hype being talked about both teams some of it rubs off and fixes itself in the camp. The lack of work-rate in both teams would suggest a little complacency had crept in somewhere. Tweet

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