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IT TOOK a bit longer than expected but the Crokes will finally have another day out in Croke Park. Ten years on from that draw and subsequent defeat to Crossmaglen, and twenty-five from their sole All-Ireland back in '92, the undisputed kingpins of Kerry football have earned themselves another shot at the big one. I doubt anyone thought their passage would be so comfortable.

It's not often you get the Crokes at anything other than odds on so a lot of Killarney punters jumped at the opportunity to back them against Corofin last weekend. It turned out to be easy money.

From the very first play you could tell that Pat O'Shea's side were at it. Kieran O'Leary was especially lively as he took his man to the cleaners in the first half, eventually racking up six points in what was a Man of the Match display. Leary is zipping around the place like an 18 year old at the moment and Slaughtneil will have to find some way of stifling him if they have any hope of stopping the Crokes.

There was obviously a huge element of good fortune in Gavin O'Shea's crucial first half goal but Crokes were so dominant in the early stages you'd have to say they were good value for their lead.

They bossed every department and were particularly impressive in defence - the very area of the field where favourites Corofin were expected to have a big advantage.

Corner back John Payne was immense from start to finish and he and his colleagues at the back barely put a foot wrong all day, while some excellent football further up the field from the likes of Gooch and Daithí Casey led to plenty of fine scores.

Those two combined to devastating effect midway through the second half to turn defence into attack and all but seal the victory. Gooch did superbly to turn the ball over in the left corner back position and picked out Casey with a typically accurate pass. Casey then proceeded to carry the ball half the length of the pitch, seemingly getting faster the further he travelled, before teeing up substitute Jordan Kiely who calmly applied the finish.

It was a superb goal to cap a great team performance and from then on in it was plain sailing for the boys from Killarney.

Their opponents in Croke Park will be Slaughtneil of Derry following their surprise win over Diarmuid Connolly's St Vincent's in the other semi-final. Both the football and hurling finals are traditionally played on St Patrick's Day but as Slaughtneil are also still involved in the hurling (up to eight players normally start for both the footballers and the hurlers) the football final might need to be put back a week depending on whether or not the hurlers beat Cuala next weekend.

Whatever the date, the Crokes have an All-Ireland final to look forward to. The Croke Park pitch should suit their style of play and if they can replicate the focus and intensity of last Saturday it would take an exceptional team to stop them.
 

 
Above: The Dr Crokes squad before the All-Ireland Club Championship semi-final against Corofin at the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick on Saturday. PICTURE: EAMONN KEOGH