We didn’t win enough breaking ball at midfield, says Carr

TOM CARR was every bit as diplomatic in public as his players would have wished him to be after the topsy-turvy display that Roscommon gave in Croke Park yesterday.

He put forward reasons as opposed to excuses for their failure, praised his team for their character and in making the comment that the Kerry win was testament to their slick forward play, readily acknowledged the influence of man-of-the-match Darragh Ó Sé at midfield all through.

"He is one of the best footballers in the country, not just in terms of his skill, his size and his ability, but his leadership on the field. He's just one of the best players around," he said. More to the point, Carr readily conceded that their failure to service their forwards with the type of quality ball that the Kerry attack gained was crucial. He added: "our biggest difficulty was that we did not win enough breaking ball in the midfield. We were fairly outclassed."