One last serving of dodgy cuisine as Pat bow’s out.

Galway… 2-08

Derry… 1-06

At the throw in here, let it be known categorically that the headline is not aimed at the victors. It is not in the Galway DNA to play unattractive football. On the contrary, the Tribesmen play a most pleasing variant from a viewing perspective. An emphasis on high fielding and kicking. Culminating in as near as is possible to 70:30 ball in favour of their forwards. Low, quick ball into space in front of them.

The strange thing is, only weeks ago, this writer had the utmost pleasure in praising Derry for espousing the best values in the game, fielding high ball, long kick passing and the ability to slot scores from well out the field.

Unfortunately for them, however, on Saturday last, for whatever reason, the abandonned what got them where they were and went back to Rory Gallagher dross ball. Even after the alternative method had allowed them open a nice lead before their opponents belatedly bothered the flag man at the Hill 16 end after 21 minutes, courtesy of Damien Comer.

The Annaghdown clubman reminds me of Tommy Dowd in his style of play and, when serviced with the sort of weaponry which came his way here, he is number one game changer in Padraic Joyce’s side. He has been threatening to deliver a display of such brilliance for quite some time.

Derry’s lack of a mechanism to nullify Comer was actually quite startling. Especially under the guidance of a man whose number one tactic is to stifle the opposition from doing anything productive. Remember, here was the architect of the Dublin 0-10, Donegal 0-08 borefest in the 2011 championship.

It didn’t work for him then and if it was his intention to similarly suffocate Shane Walsh and co this time around it had a major malfunction. Though scarcely credible, it was as if the Oak Leaf County were intent on sitting on the four point lead for as was feasible.

As it was, the one point lead they thought they had at half time, 0-04 to 0-03, was wiped out before the second half began as what was a perfectly legitimate Shane Walsh point which was ludicrously declared wide by HawkEye was, rightly, re-instated.

The error-prone technology was stood done at half time and so, too, it seemed, was the Galway management’s patience with what they were being dragged into. In a strange way,it was a fitting dose of tedium as Pat Spillane – the man who patented ‘Puke Football’ in 2003 after the Kerry-Tyrone semi final.

But then, Liam Silke, Sean Kelly, John Daly, Paul Conroy and Cillian McDaid came thundering into the contest, and the upped intensity seemed to catch the red and whites off guard.

The diamond up the middle of the pitch took over for the Connacht side and the most telling impact of same was to quell the impact of Conor Glass in particular, but also Shea Downey, Shane McGuigan, Gareth McKinless and, eventually, Brendan Rodgers.

In the case of latter, what that in turn did was force the brilliant Slaughtneill player to actually defend, as opposed to augmenting the Derry attack, which he tends to do with astounding success.

The effects of that were two fold. The full back’s surging runs being negated seemed to choke the life out of his team’s attack and created utter consternation in their defence. Panic defending generally leads to fouling and that, in turn, meant the concession of frees which Walsh duly converted. Giving Galway a three point lead which in the context of the day was massive.

As big as that was, Damien Comer’s courage, leadership and ingenuity eventually won the day for himself and his colleagues. The full forward’s second ‘Major’ encapsulating the plus and minus of the new freestyle element of the modern game perfectly.

The ‘fly’ ‘keeper, last man back approach which is becoming ever more prevalent now has divided the football public. Yes it’s risky, and yes, Derry ultimately presented Comer with his second goal on a platter, but there are a few points worth making here.

First off, when you’re chasing the game whilst trying to hold off the clock, you may as well be beaten 10 points as five. In other words, if staying orthodox is not going to change anything, why not try something from outside the box? Literally. Plus, and I’m surprised more people haven’t picked up on this, giving the custodian free rein creates a permanent extra man. Like, who picks up the ‘keeper? The only plausible way they could be accounted for would be if one No. 1 covered the other. Imagine the wonderful insanity that would be!

However, I’d be surprised if pragmatic stylists like Padraic Joyce and Jack O’Connor would be including such policies on the first page of their plans for 13 days time. There’s not a lot can be said about Kerry which haven’t been uttered already. Bar an admission by yours truly that doubts over their full back line have been well and truly dispelled.

At this juncture, issue must be taken – even as a neutral – with Ger Canning’s awful “This is the All Ireland Final in all but name” clanger. An outrageous insult to a county with such a wonderful tradition across all GAA codes. It would be ventured that neither Kerry nor Dublin themselves would go along with such an asinine proclamation.

Lest it be forgotten the prominent place the maroon and white command in the overall roll of honour for the football championship. We in Meath have very fresh and painful memories of a county getting swept away on a tide of bullsh** after Kerry had been comprehensively accounted for in 2001 semi final only to be stuffed by John O’Mahony’s players just a few weeks later. A wound which won’t be properly exorcized until when, or if, an opportunity arises for atonement.

Now, it would be expected that Kerry would be possessed of enough cute wh**ism not to get lulled into a safety net of laxity. The Kingdom will start as favourites, and deservedly so, but, my inclination is that the men from o’er the Shannon haven’t fully let the clutch in yet.

If I were around Fossa, wouldn’t be petitioning to have St David’s Day changed to late July just yet, maybe touch base with a sculptor though!