We knew Limerick would put it up to us, says Ó Sé

WITH Munster title number 68 secured, Kerry and Paídí Ó Sé march one step closer to the All-Ireland SFC crown.

But with the mindset scarred by the happenings of the past two years, these will be careful steps. No one is getting carried away just yet.

Indeed, many of the home supporters clearly have concerns about several aspects of the game not least the way that Limerick highlighted their vulnerability under pressure. The Kerry manager readily admitted that he shared some of these concerns.

"There's no doubt that we have plenty of room for improvement. That goes without saying. Having said that, it was a game we were just delighted to get out of the way and I have no doubt that the lads will respond.''

But he was not taking way from the win. Limerick, conquerors of Munster champions Cork were a serious threat and were treated as such. "I don't think we would have won the game if we weren't properly prepared. I watched Limerick play Cork and you would have had to be impressed by them. We were 'very up' for the game. We had a lot of preparation done and we discussed it at length. We had the opposition sussed out,'' he added. Ó Sé gained added satisfaction for the day, as Sunday's success, the sixth Munster title won under his management, was crucially his first in Fitzgerald Stadium. His very first was against Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 1996, followed by wins over Clare in Limerick ('97), Tipperary in Thurles ('98), Clare again at the Gaelic Grounds (2000) and Cork once more in Páirc Uí Chaoimh the following year. Cork triumphed in the '99 decider at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and in the semi-final replay there last season.

While conceding that Limerick had "run them ragged" for the opening 10 minutes of last Sunday's final, it wasn't as if the Kerry players had been taken by surprise, he insisted. "We had discussed that there would be a few hairy periods during the game, that Limerick would have their moments and that we'd have to weather the storm. And, that was what we did really. I think our experience told there''

While delighting in the performance of Eoin Brosnan at midfield, Ó Sé put felt that problems encountered initially by the Crokes man and Séamus Scanlon related to getting to grips with Declan O'Keeffe's kick-outs and the power of the Limerick duo.

"They got the penalty and missed it and I suppose that from really there we took over. But, there were occasions, even in the second half after Séamus Scanlon was sent off, when they looked like coming back. "Then, Dara Ó Cinnéide kicked a very good point and he kicked a very good free afterwards. It steadied the ship up that bit more.''

Allstar midfielder Darragh Ó Sé appeared on the sideline on several occasions, indicating that he was about to be introduced. However, it transpired yesterday that he was never going to play.

"What we didn't want to do was bring him on and do more damage to the ankle,'' explained Páidí. "But, he played a big part in the team talks and all of that. We are fortunate now that he has three weeks to get it right. We just hope we have him for the next game.'' But Ó Sé's loss was eased somewhat by an outstanding display by Eoin Brosnan. Praising the Dr Crokes man for the huge contribution he made after receiving a head injury in a clash with Stephen Kelly, the Kerry manager said he would be hoping to get more out of him in the All-Ireland quarter-final.

"It was a big performance. Often when you make switches, you can discover things and certainly Eoin put his mark on yesterday's game. He had a big part in the goal, which came at a crucial time for us. What I was very impressed with was that he did the bread-and-butter stuff, like catching, kicking, blocking and defending.

"He had to change his game yesterday from attacking all the time.''