Kerry back on track with win over the Rossies

NFL DIVISION 1, ROUND 4

Roscommon 1-13 Kerry 1-19

KERRY came, Kerry conquered and Kerry have all but ensured their Division One status for another year. All in all, then, a good day’s work in Dr Hyde Park against a Roscommon team that needed the win and the points every bit as much as Kerry did, but who are now almost guaranteed to return to Division Two after two seasons in the top tier.

That’s how much rested on this fixture and just how much those two home defeats to Mayo and Monaghan painted Kerry into a corner they simply had to get out of last Sunday. With Dublin and Tyrone still to come south to the Kingdom, two points against a struggling Roscommon team was simply not negotiable for Kerry who will possibly need another brace of points to be absolutely sure of playing top flight football next season.

To that end Kerry went about their business against Roscommon with a marked improvement in attitude and execution to what they displayed (or didn’t) against Monaghan a week previous in Killarney. Certainly manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice was pleased with the collective mental strength shown by his players throughout, and especially when Ciaran Murtagh’s sweetly converted 67th minute penalty cut a six-point Kerry lead to just one point. In the remaining seven minutes the visitors mined a goal and two points. Roscommon came up empty.

There was certainly a marked improvement on the returns from the forward unit. Four starting forwards scored two points each from play, while three defenders and midfielder David Moran also registered points from play. Whatever that might say about Roscommon’s propensity to allow Kerry backs sneak forward unchecked, from Kerry’s point of view it was a significant improvement on the static nature of the team against Monaghan.

Indeed, much of this victory rested with Moran who ran the show from midfield. His winning of primary possession was a vital platform on a day when Roscommon played with high intensity and tackled hard and often, and he brought an assurance and power to the Kerry midfield on a day when Jack Barry underwhelmed before being withdrawn after 30 minutes, with Anthony Maher lending more experience in his stead.

Donnchadh Walsh’s involvement had ended six minutes earlier for a black card body check on Enda Smith - at a time Kerry were leading 0-8 to 0-5 but neither change unduly upset the visitors and they led 0-12 to 0-7 at the break.

Having played with a strong wind five points seemed a minimum requirement lead. Paul Geaney scored six points (four frees) in that opening half, with Barry John Keane, Jack Savage, Moran and defenders Paul Murphy, Shane Enright and Peter Crowley adding the rest to leave Kerry comfortable but not unassailable at the interval.

Donie Smith’s frees and a pair from play from Cian Connolly had kept Roscommon in touch on the scoreboard but the home side were guilty of taking one pass too many on occasion as they hunted a first half goal; the nearest they came was an Enda Smith shot well pushed away by Brendan Kealy in the seventh minute.

The introduction at half time of Diarmuid Murtagh gave Roscommon a fresh impetus and a scoring outlet in the second half, but despite his notable contribution the home side still trailed 0-10 to 0-16 by the 58th minute. Despite a gutsy effort there was little to suggest that Roscommon could overturn the deficit, a job made even more difficult when wing back John McManus was shown a red card for throwing his hand into James O’Donoghue’s face as the pair engaged in a clumsy bout of shoving.

The next eight minutes, however, saw Diarmuid Murtagh convert two frees after Ciaran Murtagh’s point from play for the hosts, and when Paul Geaney and Darran O’Sullivan missed scoreable chances, there was slight unease about Kerry, again, not closing out a game in which they had been largely dominant.

Barry John Keane edged Kerry four clear but then Enda Smith won a penalty on the edge of the square, which Ciaran Murtagh slammed past Kealy to make it 1-13 to 0-17. It raised the optimism on the terraces but on the field Roscommon couldn’t summon the endeavour that carried them over the wining line 13 months ago in Killarney.

O’Donoghue tapped over a close-range free and then Kevin McCarthy (pictured) worked hard to tee up Paul Geaney for a quintessential Paul Geaney goal. With that went the last puff of Division One life for Roscommon. Kerry have two weeks to consider an altogether different future. Dublin come to Tralee on March 18 with records and reputations and plenty more on the line.

ROSCOMMON: D. O’Malley (0-1, f); D Murray, S Mullooly, N McInerney; J McManus, S McDermott, C Devaney; E Smith, T O’Rourke; F Cregg (0-2), R Stack, S Killoran; D Smith (0-3f), C Murtagh (1-2, 1-0 pen), C Connolly (0-2). Subs: C Cafferkey for McDermott, D Murtagh (0-3, 2f) for Connolly (h-t), N Kilroy for D Smith (44 mins), B Murtagh for Cregg (57 mins), P Brogan for Murray (64 mins).

KERRY: B Kealy; S Enright (0-1), K Young, R Shanahan; P Crowley (0-1), T Morley, P Murphy (0-1); D Moran (0-1), J Barry; K McCarthy, J Savage (0-2), D. Walsh; BJ Keane (0-2), P Geaney (1-6, 0-4f), J O’Donoghue (0-4, 2f). Subs: S O’Brien (0-1) for Walsh (bc) (25 mins), A Maher for Barry (31 mins), M Griffin for Crowley (41 mins), D O’Sullivan for Savage (52 mins), J Lyne for Young (55 mins), M Geaney for Keane (68 mins).

REFEREE: B Cassidy (Derry)