 After being shocked in the latter stages of the two previous championships, Kerry were out to atone and were favourites going into the match.The whole team struggled, however, and Kerry looked like they were going to be left behind with the new "blanket defence" that was introduced by teams like Armagh and perfected by Tyrone.Many criticised this tactic as a means of stopping talented footballers like Ó Sé and Colm Cooper from playing but few could deny its effectiveness.