It was in the second half when Donncha O’Connor had the ball for Cork in a dangerous position and looked set to score from around 20 yards out, but Marc " Sé made a fabulous block, denying Cork a certain score.

I felt it was a major turning point. Instead of there being one point between the sides, there was still two and Kerry went on to win by four points.

To compete in six All-Ireland finals in a row is a terrific achievement. It takes tremendous commitment and hunger, and this team will have to compared favourably to the great football teams of any era.

It’s harder to win an All-Ireland title now then it was in the 1970s and 1980s because back then you had to win maybe three games but nowadays you might need to win six or seven; eight in Kerry’s case this year.

This team has been consistently very good over a long period of time, which is much harder to achieve in the modern era. That is why this team is a great team. These group of play-ers is a great group.

Kerry certainly saved the fine wine until last this year, but before the game there were two questions that had to be answered on Sunday.

Number one - would Cork be able to cope wit the tag of beings favourites in an All-Ireland final against Kerry in Croke Park? They weren’t able to.

The second question was - would Kerry have the hunger to win another All-Ireland final considering it was their sixth all-Ireland decider on the trot? I think we all know that answer to that now.

They were the two major questions that were answered, and both in Kerry’s favour.

Nowadays football is all about attacking but what Kerry did on Sunday was introduce a new dimension to defensive football.

Normally All-Ireland titles are on because of attacking football but it was the defensive team of the Kerry team that won this All-Ireland.

You had a full forward line that pressurised and tackled high, and while the three half forwards might not have scored a lot, their defensive qualities - working back, closing down space, harassing and picking up breaks - were so important. They played an enormous role defensively,

Kerry’s forwards didn’t allow the Cork backs, like John Miskella, Anthony Lynch, Graham Canty and Noel O’Leary, come forward. Kerry put them on the back foot straightaway and there influence was negated somewhat.

The Kerry half back line defended heroically and the full back line were just outstanding. They completely outshone the much-vaunted full forward line of Cork with their close marking and their excellent tackling, while, crucially, they were first to the ball time and time again.

Around the middle of the field, where we thought Cork would do well because of their strength and their height, Kerry actually took control with Seamus Scanlon dominating.

As well as that, Kerry got all their match-ups just perfect. Tadhg Kennelly was placed on Graham Canty to prevent the spiritual leader of the Cork team going forward and this worked so well. Mike McCarthy broke everything from Pearse O’Neill, and actually broke his heart.

Then you had Darragh " Sé who kept tabs on Nicholas Murphy while Seamus Scanlon played Alan O’Connor out of the game.

Then you have the wing forwards; men that I consider to be the gladiators of modern inter-county football. Kerry’s defending and attacking, and they prevented the Cork wing backs from going forward.

Looking at Tommy Walsh, he was picked because of his height advantage and he was a major asset on the day, playing very well.

The game itself never aught the imagination of the crowd, and what exceptional performances there were came from the Kerry team.

Tom O’Sullivan was immense in the full back line, Tomás " Sé in the half back line, Seamus Scanlon in the middle of the field, there was Paul Galvin and Tadhg Kennel-ly in the half forward line who were the engine of the team, and there was Tommy Walsh who was the most influential player on the field.

For Cork, their leaders didn’t lead. They kicked 14 wides and as the wide accumulated, you could see the confidence drain from the Cork attack.

You can’t kick 14 wides in an All-Ireland final against Kerry and expect to win. Cork had a lot of possession but as the game went on their confidence just drained out of them.

Had they been on their game in terms of accuracy, Cork could have won this game because it was in the melting pot with 10 minutes to go, even though Kerry were by far the superior team.

Cork didn’t play the style of football that they played all year. They didn’t play the ball into the space, and there was no move-ment in the Cork full forward line, especially the two corner forwards.

Cork needed a Plan B. I thought the game cried out for Michael Cussen to be thrown into the edge of the square. They will be back though because it’s a very good Cork team.

The difference between the two teams was Kerry’s ability to turn possession into scores, while Cork’s lack of confidence to do the same cost them.

But there can be no denying this great Kerry team.

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