On Saturday we climbed the steps of the newest element of Croke Park, the Hill 16 terrace. The weather was beautiful, still sunburn season and the sky was as blue as the Hill on a Dubs day out.

De Scribe, ‘fresh’ from the previous day’s exertions at the Galway Races, was looking forward to some much needed sustenance in the opening game of the day between Kerry and Armagh.

The GAA messed up with their order of play on Saturday. In trying to accommodate those Corkonians who were going to attend both Rebels’ matches they only served to make a bad situation worse – talk about having the main course before your starters!

The contest opened briskly. It was hard and fair, real championship stuff in a season that has been missing much of the bite and drama of previous years. When Armagh goaled and forced themselves four points ahead, it looked as if once again Kerry would fall to one of the powers from the North. Yet the Kingdom have not won thirty-three titles for nothing, and they calmly slotted over two points before the break to leave themselves with a more surmountable deficit to overcome in the second-half.

That second-half witnessed the best display of football we have seen in this year’s campaign so far. Skill and passion combined beautifully to see Kerry catch Armagh and then accelerate away towards the chequered flag. The Ó Sé’s produced a masterclass in all that is best about the game of Gaelic football, and as all three popped over crucial scores for their county, it was obvious that the Kingdom had regained some of their lost prestige.

The sending-off of Paul Galvin was the only blot on their copybook (plus some will say the antics of Kieran Donaghy when he scored his goal), yet it was one of the most perfect days in Croke Park for the men in green and gold in a long time. Not even the successful year of 2004 featured a victory as sweet as this, and with the Rebels next on their list Kerry have further motivation to reach yet another final.

The Rebels – to say their contest with Donegal was an anti-climax would be an understatement. The level of skill was well below what one expects at this time of year, and as for some of the shooting – let’s just say that it was inaccurate. Cork did well to keep their composure when the finishing line was in sight, but deep down they must know that Kerry are still a wounded animal after losing their Munster crown and will be ravenous when they face Cork on Sunday week.