Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Killian Young admits Kerry were more vigilant in the closing stages of Saturday’s victory over Dublin after surrendering their lead so late in last year’s All-Ireland final.
Like Jack O’Connor, the half-back acknowledged beating Pat Gilroy’s side in Croke Park was important, given September’s disappointment.
With seven minutes left in normal time on Saturday, Kerry were five points to the good — one better than they were at the same stage five months ago — and they pushed on to widen the margin to six.
"We’ve put that behind us now," said Young about defeat in the decider. "Maybe in the last five minutes you might be a bit conscious of the lead and more aware of what’s around you, you’re more tuned in. It’s a lesson learned. We’ve to put the head down and get on with it. We came up here to win and we set our standards high."
Young heralded the contribution of the Kerry’s tyros to the victory. Peter Crowley, Brian McGuire and James O’Donoghue hardly looked out of place while Paddy Curtin neatly set up Darran O’Sullivan for the game’s only goal. Shane Enright and Barry John Keane, players who saw some game-time in last year’s league, also made notable contributions.
"It’s a heavy schedule in March, I think there are four games in a row, so there’ll be a lot of rotation. But it’s great experience for the young fellas. I thought they did a fantastic job. Their communication was brilliant, there were a couple of forwards who were doing a lot of rotating and switching.
"The boys were well able to react and change and stuff like that. I think the younger fellas are maturing well."
Young knows there are calls for an infusion of young blood into the team, especially in defence.
"There’s pressure in the county with success at minor and U21 level lacking, but in fairness to Kerry we’re still bringing a few fellas through and I think the boys are showing great attitude. I presume the training last year is standing to them and they seem bigger and stronger from the winter."
In no way was Young declaring the win over Dublin a flawless performance. The 12 wides at half-time was a glaring statistic while it was obvious they had problems at the restart in the opening 35 minutes.
"The first half was a bit tight. We conceded a few kick-outs and things like that, probably about eight or nine in a row. Thankfully, we sat down at half-time and turned it around, and I thought we dominated the second half. Both teams are always going to be a bit rusty. Maybe it’s not the best football to the eye but we’re thankful we pulled through and we’ll put the heads down and work forward."
Kerry host Armagh next Saturday, and Young isn’t certain what number of points they’ll need to make the semi-finals. "It’s a tricky one, isn’t it? We haven’t set standards or heights or a goal of how many points (to get). We’re taking one game at a time, we’re not going to get carried away."
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