DIFFICULT though it may be for a Meath man to admit, we have got the All-Ireland final that everybody wanted.
And it has the makings of a brilliant contest between the two best teams in the game, who will aim to outdo one another with contrasting styles on Sunday week.
You have to hand it to Donegal for the way they managed the game against Meath yesterday at Croke Park, to where Royal County people like myself had travelled more in hope than expectation.
The manner in which Jim McGuinness’ team were able to open Meath up on several occasions in the second half was extremely impressive. Everything that they touched turned to gold.
Much has been made of Michael Murphy’s recent displays for Donegal but, even though he finished with 0-6, it was not one of his better performances.
The encouraging thing for them was that there was no shortage of other lads who stepped up to lead them to victory. This was a formidable team performance from the Ulster champions.
As for Kerry, when they came to the boil on Saturday, the opposition simply could not stand the heat.
Tyrone seemed to be largely pulling the strings until David Clifford’s 29th-minute goal. They were getting their kickouts away and Kerry were struggling with their own.
But after Clifford found the net for the eighth time in this Championship, there was a growing sense that this was a game Kerry were not going to lose.
It gave them a great platform and they were a totally different team in the second half. Realistically, Tyrone could have no cause for complaint had they been beaten by 20 points.
One thing that will frustrate Kerry boss Jack O’Connor is that his side left six or seven goals behind them.
Being that profligate on big days in Croke Park generally comes back to bite you. If it happens again, they might live to rue their wastefulness.
So often, O’Connor seems to time things perfectly when it comes to having Kerry hitting their peak at the business end of the season. Mastering that is an art in itself. But they also probably have the luxury of being in the only province where that can be done.
Apart from Cork, the Kingdom have very little competition in Munster. Trying to time your run is just not an option for the Ulster teams especially.
DISAPPOINTING TYRONE
Even though it was a game I did not see Tyrone winning, I did expect a lot more from them. But too many of their key players just did not perform, perhaps because they were not allowed to.
When Kerry got on top, they just sucked the life out of Tyrone and the game very quickly got away from them. After a relatively encouraging first quarter, Malachy O’Rourke’s men will be extremely disappointed with how things transpired.
Clifford delivered a phenomenal performance again. The man is unstoppable at the minute. Colm Cooper said during the week that he could still get even better and it looks as though he may be right.
OUTSTANDING O’CONNOR
However, another Kerry player who warrants singling out is Joe O’Connor. He was just exceptional, as he has been all season.
At a time when Kerry are so depleted in the middle third following the injuries to Diarmuid O’Connor and Barry Dan O’Sullivan, his form has been a major plus for them. He was up and down the field making major contributions all day long.
Kerry were simply outstanding, particularly in the second half. And this is what we have come to expect from them at this time of year.
Even though they were missing a few players in the defeat to Meath in the group stage, the standard of their performances from then to now is chalk and cheese.
THE ROYALS FLUSHED
But the prospect of a rematch of Meath and Kerry in the final never really got off the ground yesterday. The Royals started with the breeze at their backs but ended up leaving far too many scores behind them.
A shooting efficiency of just 38 per cent in the first half was unacceptable for a game of that magnitude.
The Meath forwards, who had been superb all year, let their standards drop. They also did not get enough out of midfield, where Bryan Menton was a huge loss when he had to be replaced.
A 20-point beating was harsh in the sense that it is not an accurate reflection of where Meath are. Still, it can happen at this level when you fail to perform against a team who were as clinical as Donegal.
Nevertheless, it should not take the shine off what has been a brilliant year for Meath. The disappointment will linger for a while but there is a lot to be positive about.
With a couple of exceptions, this is still a very young team and there is a lot of talent to come back from injury too.
Stalwarts such as Menton and Donal Keogan have put in massive shifts this year. Hopefully they will stay on too because they certainly look like they have more to give.
If someone said at the start of the year that Meath were going to make it to an All-Ireland semi-final, they would have been laughed at.
There is a lot here for them to build on.
This has been a very good year overall for Robbie Brennan and his management team, who must set their sights on promotion to NFL Division 1 when they regroup again for 2026.
