But for David Clifford, it could have got ugly for Kerry

Summer has arrived and the marquee men up front are coming to the fore.

For months, we've been bemoaning the amount of cagey and claustrophobic games, with lateral and safety-first approaches predominating. Systems stifling flair.

But in the past month, as the ground hardens, we've seen star power and individual forward quality reassert itself.

Look at some recent games. Take the Ulster final, where Shane McGuigan won the game for Derry, chipping in with 0-07, four from play.

Despite Kerry's defeat, David Clifford was absolutely sensational on Saturday, clipping over 0-08, again the majority from play.

Then you've Aidan O'Shea - I know he wears 13 but he's playing as an out-and-out full-forward. Another Man of the Match award last weekend.

Even Shane Walsh, who wasn't at his vintage best, if you take the first 10 minutes against Tyrone, he got four shots away, two of which were beautiful points from play.

We're seeing teams go more direct in the benign conditions and the leading men in attack are no longer being starved of possession. As a result, we're seeing them flourish and put up big scores.

Of course, Mayo's embrace of a more direct attacking approach was facilitated by the hosts in Killarney.

We were wondering last week what Mayo would arrive in Fitzgerald Stadium following their lengthy hiatus. We got our answer, at any rate.

More surprising was the Kerry team that showed up. They didn't appear to be clued in on what Mayo would bring.

I think they were over-confident. They came in without having been challenged in Munster. On the evidence of the game, they didn't seem to have their homework done. Which is a shocking thing to say about a Kerry team managed by Jack O'Connor.

In a strange way, Kerry were the ideal opponents for