Mischief and mayhem defined duo who set tone for local foes - Paul Galvin v Noel O'Leary
Kerry’s Paul Gavlin grapples with Cork’s Noel O’Leary during a league game at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 2012. Photo: Stephen McCarthy/SPORTSFILE
If the Noel O'Leary-Paul Galvin duels that decorated the Cork-Kerry showdowns of the 2000s and beyond were notable for their uncompromising physicality, then perhaps it should be defined by the story that emerged shortly after the 2010 All-Ireland final.
Cork had finally gotten over the line in the All-Ireland final after seeing off Down. The Rebels had gone close before, with plenty of near misses and heartbreak, particularly for the likes of O'Leary who had been on the go for a decade at that stage.
