Kerry sauntered to a fifth Munster title in a row this afternoon in Killarney, blowing Cork away on a scoreline of 1-23 to 0-15. It's Kerry's biggest win over their rivals in Killarney since 1982, a game in which they were unerringly accurate: the Kingdom had 0-16 on the board before kicking their first wide in the 42nd minute.
Cork were the inferior side by some distance, but they did fluff a number of goal-scoring chances that might at least have added gloss to the scoreboard. Afterward, Paul Kerrigan gave an honest take on the game, and on Cork's failings, to Newstalk's Oisin Langan. Admitting that Cork were dooomed by slow starts in both halves, Kerrigan lamented Cork's profligacy:
Kerry are used to playing at a higher level of intensity. They are so clinical too, I think they had hit 17 points before the kicked a wide. That's unbelievable, against anyone.
We had five goal chances, and we didn't take any. Just that level of intensity, and being that clinical. We have to get up to that, and that's why it's themselves and Dublin.
Regarding why Cork are so far behind Kerry and Dublin, here's what Kerrigan had to say:
Look, as I said, huge things are expected from this team, but the reality is that we are in Division Two. It's Kerry and Dublin, and then everybody else.
We're probably not [doing ourselves justice]. But we have to work hard, too. It's not as if people aren't working hard, they've [Kerry] been used to playing at that intensity. They've been playing in All-Ireland finals and semi-finals, and Munster finals. We haven't been. We haven't been to a Munster final since 2015. We have to get up there.
Being clinical is one way. It's not easy. As I said, they kicked 16 shots out of 16 before they hit anything wide. Regardless of who they are playing, they'd beat them.
We felt that if we could get a goal we'd be right back in it, and we just weren't up to it there.
I only have a couple of years left, and I'd be mad eager for the next game. I want to get back in Croke Park.
Lads are training very, very, hard since October. The goal is to make it to the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Peadar Healy and the Cork management are bound to face heavy criticism after this latest defeat, but Kerrigan accepted responsibility on behalf of the players:
The thing that always gets me: 'the management aren't getting the most out of them'. But you have to look at yourself and ask why do you do it. That's the first thing I'll be looking at, and how I motivate myself and motivate the lads to get back in two weeks time.
It's not the end of the world, nobody died, but we need to get out there and get a big win. This is a young, pacy team, and if we get to Croke Park, it might suit us.
Listen to the interview in full here.
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