Inspirational O’Se pushes Kerry into early control

Kerry 1-21, Roscommon 3-10

It's reasonable to assume that at the very least, it would have been a major struggle to win had he not been able to resume his place in the team, such was the huge influence he exerted. And, it was especially significant in the first half when the Munster champions laid the foundations for their victory, building up a lead which was to sustain them through a few surprisingly difficult phases later on.

Wayward Roscommon paid a high price for failing to take any one of three goal chances early in the game, when they were also badly exposed at the heart of their defence by the excellence of Declan O'Sullivan and Colm Cooper. And, frustratingly for manager Tom Carr and a huge following, their success in converting three chances later in the game proved to be more a face-saving exercise than a genuine bid at recovering.

From an early stage, it was obvious that Kerry were performing at a much higher level than they managed in the Munster final with Darragh O'Se making his presence felt from the throw-in. In time, the mastery he achieved (against Seamus O'Neill) had the double effect of giving the Kerry forwards a fairly continuous supply of quality ball and denying the Roscommon attack of even a decent service.

And, to make matters worse for the Westerners, Frankie Dolan was nowhere near the type of kicking form which earned him 13 points against Kildare. Additionally, Kerry captain Mike McCarthy kept a tight rein on him for most of the game.

Returning from an ankle injury for his first competitive game since the county championship tie against Glenflesk six weeks ago, Darragh O'Se helped set up Kerry's goal in the 3rd minute with a ball to Cooper from which Declan O'Sullivan scored with ease. In time, O'Sullivan's probing play and reliable finishing was to cause big problems for full-back David Casey while Cooper, likewise, prospered on the service he received.

While Darragh O'Se's play was inspirational as Kerry quickly gained control, several other key factors came into play. One was their propensity to win vital possession from broken play. Another was the important support play of Dara O'Cinneide, in providing a valuable link between defence and attack. And, among the backs, Tomas O'Se was a powerful figure on the right wing, while Declan O'Keeffe's authoritative play around the goalmouth was needed at times when Roscommon threatened when the ball was played in high.

Marc O'Se experienced problems with Gary Cox, who was to emerge their most consistent forward, and he didn't finish the half. Only on occasions did Seamus Moynihan make his presence felt with a few determined clearances.

Trailing 1-4 to 0-3 by the 15th minute, Roscommon's position deteriorated steadily after Karol Mannion missed a good chance of a goal and Frankie Dolan blew the ball over the bar in the 22nd minute when Mannion was better placed to try for a goal but passed. Kerry continued to pick off scores at an impressive rate, with Mike Frank Russell doing well from limited possession and the crafty Liam Hassett also contributing.

Apart from general play, Dara O Cinneide's accuracy from placed balls was important and the net result was that Kerry were seven points clear before Roscommon were boosted by two good points from wing-back Paul Noone and Seamus O'Neill.

Once more, however, they wasted a goal possibility when, after turning Moynihan, Mannion kicked harmlessly into O'Keeffe's hands. And, the tactic of giving David Casey a free role (after Michael Ryan took over at full-back and they withdrew their centre-forward) proved to be of little benefit to their hard-pressed forwards. At the break, it was 1-11 to 0-7.

The first ten minutes of the second half belonged almost totally to Kerry, in terms of them stretching their lead to eleven points and almost getting a goal when a shot from O'Cinneide in the 40th minute was deflected by Ryan. Cooper was majestic, Sean O'Sullivan much more involved and after switching to centre-forward, Declan O'Sullivan worked hard to support Darragh O'Se as he began to show signs of tiring and Eoin Brosnan tried to reproduce his Killarney form.

While Roscommon continued to struggle, they showed admirable commitment and it was to be rewarded with three goals in the space of eleven minutes. The first came from Mannion in the 48th, Cox got the next (from a Dolan quick free) and the third came from Dolan himself after substitute Nigel Dineen dispossessed Moynihan. On the negative side, on at least four occasions good moves out of defence, sparked in the main by Francie Grehan, were spoiled by some appallingly bad distribution.

While Francie Grehan was more to the forefront, Roscommon achieved an important grip in defence over the last quarter and they also did better at midfield and up front. The cumulative effect was that Kerry were continually forced back on the defensive. Notably, however, while Dolan's goal reduced the margin to five points, in the remaining eleven minutes of normal time Roscommon had just one score.

Similarly, a chastened Kerry added just one other (Cooper) point. Without Darragh O'Se and their early advantage on the scoreboard, it's doubtful if they would now be looking forward to playing Tyrone.

Scorers: Kerry D. O'Cinneide 0-8 (0-5 frees, 0-1 fifty); D. O'Sullivan 1-2; C. Cooper 0-4; L. Hassett, S. O'Sullivan and M.F. Russell 0-2 each; J. Crowley 0-1. Roscommon: F. Dolan 1-3 (0-2 frees); G. Cox 1-2; S. Lohan 0-3; K. Mannion 1-0; P. Noone and S. O'Neill 0-1 each.

KERRY: D. O'Keeffe; M. McCarthy (capt.), S. Moynihan, T. O'Sullivan; T. O Se, E. Fitzmaurice, M. O Se;. D. O Se, E. Brosnan; S. O'Sullivan, D. O Cinneide, L. Hassett; M.F. Russell, D. O'Sullivan, C. Cooper. Subs: J. Sheehan for M. O Se (26th minute); J. Crowley for Russell (52nd); A. MacGearailt for S. O'Sullivan (64th); S. Scanlon for Brosnan (70th).

ROSCOMMON: S. Curran (capt.); R. Cox, D. Casey, J. Whyte; M. Beirne, F. Grehan, P. Noone; S. O'Neill, S. Lohan; G. Cox, G. Lohan, D. Connellan; J. Dunning, K. Mannion, F. Dolan. Subs: M. Ryan for G. Lohan (25th minute); G. Aherne for R. Cox and J. Tiernan for Connellan (second half);N. Dineen for Dunning (42nd); B. Higgins for Mannion (63rd).

Referee: B. White (Wexford).

*Attendance: 56,296.