It would have been a brave person indeed who would have wagered on Cork surviving to fight another day when Kerry built up an eight-point lead at one stage of the second-half last Sunday at Croke Park.

Indeed, it seemed as if many Cork followers in what was a very modest crowd for an All Ireland semi-final were already heading towards the exits when their team suddenly underwent a dramatic transformation.

In the last six minutes of the match, Cork hit 2-2 without reply - how many teams have done that to Kerry in recent years? And when you analyse Kerry’s recent playing record closely, it certainly provides food for thought.

Yet even though they will be going into next weekend’s replay against Cork without the considerable presence of Dara O Se at midfield, Kerry are still in the frame for what would be their third All Ireland title on the trot.

But they will have some concerns about the fact that they have been leaking goals and the absence of their shooting boots last Sunday meant that they totted up some fourteen wides.

That Cork are getting a second bite at the cherry is all the more astonishing when you consider that it was not until the 30th minute that Donnacha O’Connor got their first point from play.

But the manner in which John Hayes converted that last-gaps penalty was coolness personified.

As with all replays, the side which has digested most from last Sunday’s game will be expected to come out on top this time.

The replay promises to be a thrilling spectacle - let’s hope it is devoid of any element of cheating.