Early in the first half, a high pass came Donaghy's way. It picked the interest of observers looking for a sign of dominance in the magnified battle with Francie Bellew.

The ball slipped through Donaghy's grasp and limped over the sideline. A tiny jeer came from the stands and the television camera lingered over his boyish face.

Back in Donaghy's sitting room, O'Connor looks over to see if there's any reaction.

None. He wonders what was going through the full-forward's mind at the time. "Get out, win the next ball, win the game, " says Donaghy. "One lost ball? Forget about it.

Makes no difference. The next one's mine."

For any kid starting his first game in Croke Park, up against a leathery veteran of the big stage, an early setback like this could batter the confidence. Donaghy's different, though. He's not called 'Star' for nothing.

It was O'Connor who first put the tag on him. As a 16 year old, Donaghy began playing for the Austin Stacks third team, the C outfit, as it's known around Rock Street. O'Connor conducts this raggle-taggle orchestra and soon he spotted the potential and the heart in Donaghy. One night at training, after watching him pluck balls from three storeys up, the word dropped naturally from O'Connor's mouth.

'Star'.

O'Connor used the nickname 'Star' to push him, to goad him in training, to drive him to new heights. Donaghy grew into the name. Literally at first and now metaphorically.

Around Kerry, the name was being dropped in basketball and football circles as one to track for the future. In 2001, he was drafted onto the minor panel late in the season and saw some action as a first half substitute in the All Ireland semi-final. He might have played a greater role for the Kerry minors had he been part of his club's senior set up, but they blood their players gently in Tralee and 'Star' wasn't going to be rushed through the Stacks system.

His time would come. In 2004 Mickey Ned O'Sullivan was piecing together a team to take on All Ireland champions Kerry for the TG4 series, Underdogs. O'Sullivan had seen dozens of hopefuls audition for the two midfield spots, but he wasn't impressed. He told the production company he needed more time and he set about finding two unchiselled diamonds to power his side. He rang Charlie Nelligan, under whose nose most of Kerry's emerging talent had passed during his time as minor manager and asked him who he should call up. Nelligan didn't need time to think.

"Donaghy had been getting a run with the Kerry seniors before we brought him in for Underdogs, " says O'Sullivan.

"He was thin at the time but I knew if we got a hold of him we could build him up. We put him on a weights programme and I remember telling him it would take a while to fill out. Even now there's more strength to come from him. There's another two years before he'll reach his prime physically."

Before the climax of Underdogs, the county management still hadn't made their minds up on Donaghy. He was in and out of training sessions without really cementing a place in the squad. During the Underdogsmonths he was maturing not only physically, but mentally as well and his performance for O'Sullivan's team against Kerry . . . at midfield beside Cork's Pearse O'Neill - tipped the balance.

Last year was spent settling into the county scene and from the beginning of this year, since he turned his focus solely to football, his place on Kerry's starting 15 has been permanent.

Still, it's only over the past month that the glare of the country has come his way. In this time of easy hype, it's natural to look for the forensic tweezers, to poke through Kieran Donaghy's last two games in a green and gold jersey and usher the new dawn.

Since Kerry moved him closer to the posts they have scored seven goals and five of those had the full-forward's gloved hands all over them.

With Donaghy up front, there's a better shape about the team in general. There's also greater width and depth to the attack and natural penetration.

If his possession of the number 14 jersey is to direct the future of the game, then so be it. It's not something that concerns the football congregation of his county.

Donaghy is the latest in a line of effective, ball winning Kerry forwards that stretches back to 1932 and the successful conversion of legendary midfielder Con Brosnan to full-forward, through to John Dowling in the 50's and Tom Long in the 60's.

As a prototype, time and memory dictate that Eoin Liston is the reference point.

"This whole 'New Bomber' thing is probably putting a bit of unnecessary pressure on him, " says Liston.

There are as many differences as similarities between the two. Donaghy has the fast hands and the high leap; Liston had the quick feet and sharp skills.

Donaghy's strengths are in the air while Liston was equally as comfortable with the ball on the ground, soccer style.

"Don't forget that Donaghy has good feet, " says Liston.

"I've seen him come up through the ranks at Stacks. Any fella over six foot five who can kick a point from 50 yards out, off the ground is a good kicker of the ball. He's been doing that since he was 17 and I've seen him do it enough times now to know he has all the skills."

Last August produced the best club game of the season in Kerry. Kerins O'Rahilly's and Austin Stacks went at one another in a fiercely intense championship tie. Only one of the two Tralee teams would make it to the quarter final stage and it took two games to tear them apart. Donaghy's move to full-forward ultimately separated the two. He bagged 1-1 at full-forward . . .

the goal was one of the stand out moments of the championship - before he was moved back to midfield to keep the Stacks' engine ticking.

Liston, considered by many as a future Kerry manager, coached O'Rahilly's to championship success three years ago and was in Austin Stack Park to see Donaghy's display on both evenings. He believes Donaghy should have been tried at full-forward well before the Longford game.

"Unfortunately, we didn't experiment enough with him in the league. The big thing we learned after Tyrone twelve months ago was we needed some other method of getting the ball into Gooch [Colm Cooper]. I think it was obvious to most people after that game. Three or four high balls went in and Chris Lawn came out with each one. If we'd someone around the goal, breaking ball or winning it, Gooch could have had a few more scores. We haven't had anyone completely dominant in there [aerially] for a good few years and that's something we've missed. It's obvious to anyone who looks at the skills Donaghy has, that he's made for full-forward.

Definitely, he should have been tried there sooner."

O'Sullivan doesn't agree.

"I wouldn't find fault with the Kerry management for not trying it out in the league.

Kerry won the competition, so end of story really. I'd actually admire the Kerry management for saying 'look, everything else has failed, we've no other option but to put Kieran up there'. They needed a target man to balance the attack and he was the logical choice."

With the magnifying glass over his head, his temperament has been called into question and the nose-to-nose scene with Paul Hearty after he scored against Armagh has been held up as evidence.

Nobody morphs into the biggest name of the summer without coming in for some scrutiny.

"Nothing wrong with a bit of temper and aggression, " says Liston. "Anyway, there's enough senior players on the team to show him the way."

Somehow, it feels like the whole world is talking about him. Two games and a reputation has scarcely been moulded in such a short time.

Donaghy marches towards today with another point to prove, the hopes of a county on his tall shoulders and the gaze of the media on his back.

He carries the load easily, though. A 'Star' never feels the heat.