GAA: THEY JUST KERRY ON REGARDLESS; KERRY 2-15 MAYO 0-18.

Byline: By JACKIE CAHILL

DON'T be fooled by the score-line - this was as predictable as it gets.

Mayo did restore some lost pride after last year's All-Ireland final mauling but champions Kerry were in a different class at Croke Park yesterday.

Just three points separated the sides at the final whistle and credit Mayo for a gutsy final quarter when they could have rolled over and died.

They kicked the last five scores of the game to bring a degree of respectability to the final score but in truth, this game ended as a contest when Darragh O Se scored Kerry's second goal six minutes after half-time.

Trailing by just a single point at the break, 1-7 to 0-9, Mayo dragged themselves level with a Ciaran McDonald free but Kerry were finding scores much easier to come by.

And when O Se took advantage of some slack Mayo defending to pounce from close range, it had the same effect on Mayo as pricking a balloon with a pin.

Kerry pushed on from there and led by eight points on two occasions before Mayo rallied themselves.

But it was comfortable for the Munster and All-Ireland kingpins who set up a semi-final showdown with rivals Cork on August 28.

Kerry had a goal to spare when the sides met in this year's Munster final but Cork will be more anxious to atone for a crushing All-Ireland semi-final defeat in 2002.

KERRY: D Murphy; M O'Se (0-1), M McCarthy, T O'Sullivan; T O'Se, S Moynihan, A O'Mahony (0-1); D O'Se (1-0), W Kirby (0-1); L Hassett (0-1), D O'Sullivan (0-1), E Brosnan (0-2); C Cooper (1-1), D O'Cinneide (0-1), MF Russell (0-3). SUBS: P Galvin (0-3), E Fitzmaurice, B Sheehan, K Donaghy, D Quill.

MAYO: D Clarke; D Geraghty, D Heaney (0-1), G Ruane; P Kelly, J Nallen, P Gardiner; R McGarrity, S Fitzmaurice; M Moyles, C McDonald (0-6), A Dillon (0-4); B Moran (0-1), BJ Padden, A O'Malley (0-5). SUBS: A Kilcoyne, K Higgins, J Gill, C Mortimer, A Moran (0-1).

CAPTION(S):

CONTROL: Declan O'Sullivan