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.