Doing it in style...

If you are going to make history you may as do it in style. It wasn't that long ago that the opposition manager spent many sleepless nights just trying to figure out ways to break down the impenetrable Donegal defence.

Now, it seems, they have an even bigger problem.

Over the four games, Donegal averaged 19 points in this year's Ulster Championship and with an incredible 24 points saved for the final they hit the highest score since Armagh beat them in the 2004 decider.

In an era much maligned for low scoring games with negative tactics, you actually have to go back to 1978 in order to find a higher scoring winner of the Anglo Celt.

McGuinness has some cheek on him though, don't you think? In 2011 he brings Gaelic Football into the gutter with a defensive game we have never seen the likes of. Then less than a year later, as every dick and harry tries to mimic his system, he has moved on and coupled his refined style of defence with an equally effective attacking game.

McGuinness is very much his own man, but you have to think that there is an uncanny resemblance between himself and Mickey Harte.

The one thing that always set Harte apart was his ability to re-invent and move his game-plan on as the other dummies sat back and failed miserably at copying what he had already succeeded in doing.

The less said about Down's second half collapse the better, but when you abandon ship committing so many men forward then you have to make sure you finish those moves off. It didn't happen and as the gaps appeared the men from Tir Conaill triggered into a ruthless mode that will surely send shivers down the spines of a few big hitters out there.

It ended up a poor weekend for the northern counties as Tyrone and Antrim both got panned on the road by Munster teams. It was incredible to see Paul Galvin celebrate like Kerry had won the All-Ireland and not a Round three qualifier game.

It gave you a brief glimpse of just how motivated they were for this game, and how losing to Tyrone in the homeland of Gaelic Football was never an option.

In a niggly affair Kerry rolled back the years and played some devastating football to remind us all that when the shake-up happens they will once again be in the mix.

The stark difference in the two teams lay in the way that they moved the ball. Time and time again, Kerry drove the ball down the throat of their inside forwards 'Gooch' and Donaghy. Tyrone seemed to hit any free-kicks out around the mid-field area either laterally or backwards.

Ponderous build up play played into the hands of a hungry Kerry team salivating at the thought of white and red jerseys coming towards them to make contact.

For now, we won't get too hung up on the fact that we only have two teams left in the last 12.

What's much more important is that we now have a provincial champion capable of going the whole way in 2012.