1. Final pain
For all that was spoken about Kerry exorcising their Dublin demons after last year’s semi-final, they have now failed to win in their last five All-Ireland finals against the Dubs (one draw, four losses).
It’s a run of results to rival the ‘Golden Years’ generation’s historic run of four victories over Heffo’s Army between 1978 and ’85. That last year still stands as Kerry’s most recent final victory over Dublin.
That Stephen Cluxton, Michael Fitzsimons, and James McCarthy have gone on to surpass the eight-Celtic-crosses record of Moran, Ó Sé, Power, Sheehy, and Spillane will grate that bit more.
If this was a chance to draw a line under Dublin’s age of plenty, it has only now been extended. Should some of Dublin’s aging superstars decide to step away, as Dean Rock and James McCarthy have hinted, it will be on their own terms, right at the top.
In Kerry, where footballing pre-eminence is woven into their DNA, this represents a significant knockback for a cast of stars which has threatened to exert their over period of supremacy over the game.
But as Jack O’Connor remarked, nothing focuses the mind like the sting of defeat.
2. Support acts
Perhaps it was a build-up of pressure that, for once, affected David Clifford in those decisive moments. Not just the pre-match chatter but as he watched the game go by with only one touch in the opening 23 minutes, he was becoming a bystander in the final he was expected to rule.
That isn’t to say Clifford’s subsequent 0-3 and brilliant goal assist wouldn’t be a fine contribution for any other mere mortal. The standout issue it raises is Kerry’s reliance on Fossa fireworks to get over the line.
They had five scorers to Dublin’s eight. Even in victory last year, they had five scorers to the Dubs’ 10.
Kerry didn’t exhibit the long-range marksmanship of Paul Mannion and Brian Fenton or the speed of attack to ensure the opposition defence couldn’t crowd the space around their star man and his lines of supply.
All year, Clifford (5-42) has been the central cog in the Kingdom machine. On days when other parts laboured, he carried them through.
Kerry need to find more parts to ensure that when Clifford has an off day, by his lofty standards, his teammates can do the same for him.
3. A long winter
For all that, the difference between the two teams in terms of attacks, shots, conversion rates, turnovers, frees conceded, a whole range of different metrics, was minimal.
This came down to small margins and mistakes.
Twice Kerry led by three in the second half. Gavin White’s giveaway for the goal denied Kerry an opportunity to build a lead.
When they got back ahead, there were bad shot choices, balls taken down blind alleyways, handling errors, and costly fouls as Kerry went 15 minutes without a score and were outdone 0-7 to 0-2 in the remainder.
Kerry have increasingly stood off kick-outs since being picked apart by Mayo. Was the issue the tactic or the execution? Cluxton got off 100% of kick-outs. Could Kerry have gone after him more?
Did Dublin outlast them, mentally and/or physically, and what can Kerry do to counter that?
Tony Brosnan was a loss for the final while Killian Spillane’s injury-hit season was equally unfortunate. Many more of their league hopefuls didn’t make the championship cut. What more can they find to challenge the current jersey-holders?
It’s a long winter for those questions to be debated up and down the Kingdom.