Kerry retained the Munster senior football crown with a resounding 0-24 to 0-12 victory over Cork at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

The Kingdom - Munster champions for the 76th time - were served by a number of outstanding performances in this match, but none more so than returning Killarney Legions clubman James O'Donoghue, who lit up proceedings with an immense individual return of ten points - eight of them from play.

With a crowd of 21,028 in attendance for the last provincial football final to be played at the famous Cork city venue before it is redeveloped, the hosts were totally outplayed from the tenth minute onwards as the Kingdom won at a canter. The winners will go into the All-Ireland series full of confidence, while Cork are going to struggle to regroup for their unexpected entry into the Qualifiers.

The winners absolutely lorded the opening 35 minutes and were full value for their commanding 0-13 to 0-5 interval advantage. In fact, such was their dominance in the first half that Kerry's lead could - and should - have been greater.

Even though Cork hit the first two points, the breeze-backed visitors reeled off 13 of the next 14 scores (including eleven in succession!) to take a stranglehold on proceedings.

Despite having a stiff breeze blowing into his face, dual star Aidan Walsh powered through the middle to drill over the opening point for the Rebels in the second minute. Almost immediately, Daniel Goulding - celebrating his 28th birthday today - followed up with a second Cork point.

Kerry were quickly level: All Star O'Donoghue wrestled back possession and kicked the Kingdom's opening score off his weaker right foot in the fourth minute and midfielder Johnny Buckley floated over the leveller 30 seconds later.

It was 0-3 apiece after ten minutes, with Goulding and O'Donoghue trading frees and the Cork No.13 had a disputed effort waved wide by an umpire before O'Donoghue slotted over his third point of the match on twelve minutes. Kerry would lead from here to the final whistle...

Paul Geaney doubled the gap in the 15th minute and the Dingle clubman added his second point from play a couple of minutes later to make it double scores at the end of the first quarter: 0-6 to 0-3.

The hosts received a blow when temporary substitute Ruairi Deane had to be stretchered off with a knee injury and, after a lengthy stoppage, Kerry resumed where they had left off with further points from Buckley, Bryan Sheehan (free) and O'Donoghue to lead by six after 27 minutes.

It could have been worse for the Leesiders but goalkeeper Ken O'Halloran made a good save from O'Donoghue's rather tame goal effort.

A confident strike from Stephen O'Brien on the stroke of 30 minutes stretched the Kerry lead to seven points; staring into the whites of O'Halloran's eyes, Sheehan blazed a shot inches over the black spot to make it 0-11 to 0-3 and Geaney sliced over the twelfth Kingdom point off the outside of his right boot two minutes from the break.

Eamonn Fitmaurice's side were rampant and Cork were completely out of sorts as Declan O'Sullivan smacked over another point. When Goulding stroked over a Cork free from the right wing in injury time, it was his team's first score in almost half an hour!

Fintan Goold's point ensured that the Rebel County were back within eight points of their neighbours when the short whistle sounded.

Cork manager Brian Cuthbert brought in Colm O'Neill and Colm O'Driscoll at half time and the lacklustre losers got the first two points of the second half courtesy of Brian Hurley and Goulding frees. When Goulding nonchalantly chipped over a '45', the Rebels had closed within five points, having registered five without reply either side of the interval (0-13 to 0-8 after 40 minutes). That was as good as it got.

At the other end, Sheehan effortlessly curled over his third point from a '45' and O'Donoghue made no mistake from a simple free in front of the posts. But Kerry were bang out of luck when O'Brien's rasper smashed back off the crossbar following excellent work from Sheehan and O'Donoghue.

O'Donoghue was on fire and he added another point with his right foot, despite being fouled, and Sheehan clipped over an amazing free from a near-impossible angle, which was cancelled out by a Hurley free. The unplayable O'Donoghue made it double scores and Donnchadh Walsh's point left the gap back at ten as we reached the 50-minute mark, 0-19 to 0-9.

Buckley's third point was Kerry's 20th and Goulding responded with Cork's tenth… Buckley helped himself to his fourth; O'Donoghue lofted over his eighth and ninth: 0-23 to 0-10 with an hour played! When Kerry worked the ball to O'Donoghue again, the outcome was inevitable: another point.

Hurley hit a brace of consolation points for the Rebels and Cork's afternoon went from bad to worse when substitute John Hayes was shown a straight red card for leaving his elbow on Declan O'Sullivan's chin. When the final whistle sounded, only one team had their chins up…

Kerry - B Kelly; M O Se, A O'Mahony, S Enright; P Murphy, K Young, F Fitzgerald; A Maher, J Buckley (0-4); S O'Brien (0-1), B Sheehan (0-4, 2f, 1'45), D Walsh (0-1); P Geaney (0-3), Declan O'Sullivan (0-1), J O'Donoghue (0-10, 2f). Subs: P Crowley for A O'Mahony, Darran O'Sullivan for S O'Brien, D Moran for B Sheehan, K O'Leary for D Walsh, BJ Keane for P Geaney.

Cork - K O'Halloran; M Shields, E Cadogan, N Galvin; J Loughrey, T Clancy (Clonakilty), D Cahalane; A Walsh (0-1), F Goold (0-1); P Kelly, P Kerrigan, J O'Rourke; D Goulding (0-6, 4f), B Hurley (0-4, 3f), B O'Driscoll. Subs: C O'Neill for P Kelly, C O'Driscoll for J O'Rourke, M Collins for B O'Driscoll, J O'Sullivan for T Clancy, J Hayes for A Walsh, T Clancy (Fermoy) for N Galvin.

Referee - C Reilly. Tweet

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