‘We looked tired, a wee bit lethargic’

With the gunsmoke still clearing from the battlefield, Jim McGuinness was trying to puzzle out what had happened and was starting to regret his side’s conservatism.

“We wanted them to push up [late in the game[ but in the first half when we were turning ball over we wanted them to get at Kerry, there was no movement,” he said.

“Ryan McHugh, we couldn’t get him up the field, Rory Kavanagh, Frank McGlynn — excellent decision-makers, players with pace. Those were gaps in our game plan, gaps we needed to fill with corner stones.