'We represent a people, we are conscious of that every time we go out, whether we are going out to perform in a League match or a Championship match. That is what I felt in the job this year that I had to uphold what had gone before me. We follow in the footsteps of the people that went before us and pass the torch on to the people after.' Kerry manager Pat O'Shea outlines the significance of maintaining the Kerry 'tradition'.
'I could hear Alan coming and I knew Kieran O’Connor was pretty close so I felt that if I got any nick on it at all there was a chance that it might hit the net. The scores at the start of the second half were killer blows for them and it would have been hard for any team to come back.' Kerry goal hero and RTÉ Man of the Match Colm Cooper reveals he heard Cork goalkeeper Alan Quirke advancing off his line before he punched the ball to the net.
'It’s very hard to put it into words really. There are circumstances of fate that have me there (as captain). The most important thing for me is that Kerry have put back to back All-Ireland titles together. That’s the biggest thing, but obviously it’s a proud moment for myself.' Proud Kerry captain Declan O'Sullivan reflects on lifting the Sam Maguire Cup for the second year running.
'They are stating to emulate the Kerry team of the 1970s and 1980s, and look like surpassing them. The message is out there loud and clear, that Kerry are not only the best team this year, but very much the team to beat going into the future.' Ex-Kerry footballer and selector John O'Keefe sends out an ominous warning to any counting looking to deny Kerry a famous three-in-a-row.
'I stole the ball. I had to check myself. I got a fright. Said to myself "am I gone mad? There's no goalie." It's just unfortunate for them. It broke for me. Fortunate enough.' Kerry's two-goal hero Kieran Donaghy on the first of his two strikes against Cork. And the second: 'I've been telling the lads I don't think Drogba could have swivelled any better to finish it!'
'There was a big gulf in class between the teams. Kerry have learned so much since 1995. They have improved immensely as a team and with Donaghy at full-forward and the way they're playing now with this blanket defensive system, once they get ahead of you, and the fact that they give the long ball into Donaghy, you can't control Gooch anymore. Tyrone controlled Gooch in the 1995 final because they (Kerry) had a small full-forward line and they were able to play a man in front of him. But you can't control him anymore because you kick the ball into Donaghy, Donaghy brings him into the game then. Donaghy and Gooch could have played on any Kerry team of the century and adorn it. They're sensational Gealic footballers.' The Sunday Game's Joe Brolly leaves us in no doubt about his admiration for Colm Cooper and Kieran Donaghy.
'As Billy (Morgan) said in the Kerry dressing room, they have set the standard and we have to aspire to it. They have done what Cork did in 1990, retain their title. They have 35 titles now. They are the yardstick by which you want to measure yourself. There was a lot of silly talk all along that this Kerry team wouldn’t compare with the great Kerry teams. They have proved (themselves) today. This is their fourth final in a row and third title.' Cork selector John Corcoran believes this current crop of Kerry players can hold their heads high after firmly establishing themselves as one of the game's greatest ever sides.
'I felt that everything Kerry football stood for was on the line today. I felt everything we had achieved in the last four or five years, and in the last hundred years, was riding on 70 minutes of football and the fear of losing to Cork drove us. We had a meeting on Saturday night and when I looked around I knew there was no way anyone was going to let that happen. It’s all about medals. I don’t care who is in the final, I just want to win as many medals as I can, but the fact that it was Cork meant defeat was not an option.' Kerry's Paul Galvin admits he and his team-mates never contemplated defeat to Cork.
'Kerry were always going to win this game. They were totally on top, it was a no-contest. Gaelic football is a very fair game; the better team will always win bar some disastrous circumstances, or maybe when one team is not motivated properly. But when two teams come together and one team has superior raw talent, as Kerry have, we all know they have, there was no chance of them being under-motivated because of the opposition and because it was an All-Ireland final.' The Sunday Game's Colm O'Rourke pays tribute to Kerry's 'superior raw talent'.
'We’re a much better team than that. That’s their fourth final in a row. It’s our first in maybe 10 years. There is a young team there. I think there is a huge future for Cork football. I believe there is an All-Ireland in them. The only difference in the first half was that goal. We got a terrible start to the second half, which was a bad mistake on our part.' Cork manager Billy Morgan is optimistic this Cork team will challenge for an All-Ireland again in the years ahead.
'We felt we had a chance of goals, especially when Colm got the goal in the first half. We were slow enough around the middle getting it in. We were sluggish, but we upped the ante a small bit in the second half then. And we tackled a lot. Our half-backs and our half-forwards were exceptional. It was our tackling and our working - that’s really where games are won and lost.' Darragh Ó Sé believes that Kerry's tackling and hard work paved the way for victory.
'I would just put it down to the fact that they are a lot more experienced than us. They are a lot more cute and savvy. They really only put up their best show come this time of the Championship.' Cork captain Derek Kavanagh pays tribute to Kerry's immense experience.
'This summer was the 10th anniversary of the death of my great friend John Joyce, who captained us in ’86. When times were tough out there, maybe there was someone pulling for us.' Galway minor manager Alan Mulholland dedicates his side's win to former team-mate John Joyce.
