Kerry 2-18; Roscommon 1-20
It was daylight robbery as Kerry snatched the spoils with a late point as the hooter sounded - and it was so unfair on the Rossies who had played their hearts out, a bit like their fellow coutrymen St Brigid’s against Dingle the previous week, to leave Fitzgerald Stadium, in Kilarney empty-handed.
Teenager Tomás Kennedy was the Kerry hero as he rose to catch a long free from Sean O Shea before flicking it over the bar.
The visiting team were unhappy with referee Brendan Cawley who appeared to overlook a foul on a Roscommon player moments before awarding the home side a last chance to take the honors.
The question of whether the hooter had sounded before the ball cleared the crossbar was also on the post-match menu - but the result stood and Kerry are off and running once again.
The Roscommon players were clearly unhappy on two fronts trudging off the pitch - no doubt believing that fortune favors not so much the brave as the home team.
Kerry appeared like the all-conquering team they were from last year as they raced into a six-point second-half lead and augmented it to seven when they seemed to be cantering to a first brace of league points.
While young Kennedy was the toast of the home following his late score in a 1-3 account on his personal ledger, it was David Clifford who after another majestic showing which yielded 1-8 to his personal tally, was the star turn on the team and indeed on show in this compulsive encounter.
It was predictable that minus their Brigid’s contingent, the Rossies would find it hard to get into the groove. With Kerry’s dominance threatening to overflow into a thrashing for the visitors as they went six behind, they found a vein of form as Daire Cregg and Eoin Colleran landed points and the influential Diarmuid Murtagh raised a green flag in the 27th minute before Cregg pointed again to level it at 1-5 to 0-8, just beyond the half hour.
This in turn woke up the men in green and gold and young Kennedy’s hand saw him gain possession from a high ball and he goaled from the tightest of angles to give the hosts a 1-9 to 1-6 lead at the short whistle.
Both sides had moments in the opening phases of the second half but Kerry kept their advantage of 1-12 to 1-9 when Tony Brosnan was taken down and the unerring Clifford slotted home to make it a six point advantage - with O’Shea adding to give them a seemingly unbeatable seven up going down the final straits.
Fair play to the Connacht men, they refused to lie down. Cregg was unremarkable as he slotted over six points, Murtagh added a free, and sub Jack Duggan raised two white flags as the away team forged their noses in front by 1-18 to 2-14.
Clifford and Murtagh were majestic as they traded two-point scores and hardly a person present wouldn’t have settled for a share of the spoils.
Kerry, however, always have a trick up their sleeve and it came courtesy of young Kennedy - a dream ending for the winners and a nightmare for the long journey home for the game Rossies.
Kerry: S Murphy; E Looney, J Foley, D Casey; A Heinrich (0-1), M Breen, T Morley (0-1); S O'Brien, L Smith, J O’Connor (0-1), S O'Shea (0-1m), M Burns (0-2), D Clifford (1-8 (1-0 pen, 1 tp, 0-1f, 0-1m), T Kennedy (1-3 (0-1m), T Brosnan (0-1) Subs: D Roche for T Morley (temp, 21-23), C Trant for L Smith (49), K Spillane for T Brosnan (57), R Murphy for M Burns (61), D O’Sullivan for S O’Brien (67), EHealy for T Morley (69).
Roscommon: A Brady, P Gavin, C Keogh, E McCormack, E Ward, R Daly, S Lambe, K Doyle (0-1), C Ryan, D Ruane, E Smith (0-1), D Heneghan, D Murtagh (1-06, 1 tp, 1 tpf, 0-1f), D Cregg (0-9, 1 tp, 0-3f), E Colleran(0-1) Subs: J Tumulty for E Colleran (47), P Carey for D Ruane (55), J Duggan (0-2) for K Doyle (57), C Lennon for Smith (61), RHughes for D Heneghan (64)
Ref: B Cawley (Kildare)
