Kerry defeated Tipperary 3-17 to 2-10 to claim their fourth consecutive Munster title and while the return of James O'Donoghue will excite fans, Colm Cooper's substition in the first half will be a cause for concern.
Tipperary started well when Jimmy Feehan sliced through Kerry and slotted home a goal in the first minute but Kerry soon got to grips with Tipperary's attack and started to implement their own game plan on proceedings.
Goals from Paul Murphy and Paul Geaney would give Kerry a lead that they would not relinquish and the Kingdom lead at the half by six points.
The optimism that came with such a lead at was restrained by what looked like a shoulder injury sustained by Colm Cooper as he was withdrawn in the first half.
Tipperary came out in the second half and had a couple of chances to draw the sides closer but kicked three wides in a row that really summed up their challenge on the day. They were willing to try and worked hard to fashion chances but lacked the cutting edge to really trouble the reigning Munster champions.
Another goal preceded the return of James O' Donoghue, who elicited the loudest cheer of the afternoon upon his introduction and he went on to kick four points (three from frees) on his return to Kerry. It was his first action in the gold and green since the 2015 All Ireland final defeat at the hands of Dublin.
Kerry won comfortably but bigger challenges lay ahead.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
