All-Ireland SFC: Kerry 3-18 Roscommon 0-17
A 10-point win is a 10-point win in any money, but Kerry packed this victory, more or less, into a 10-minute window in the second half when David Clifford, Paul Geaney and Gavin White raised green flags to catapult their side from a five-point lead into a 14-point one.
That is the long and the short of this Group 2 opener, played under tar-melting temperatures in front of a paltry 6,814 spectators in Fitzgerald Stadium.
Having been somewhat flattered to lead by five at the interval having played with a stiff breeze in Killarney, Kerry needed Clifford’s 50th-minute goal to kill off the Roscommon resistance and start to put the game beyond the visitors.
Kerry had Diarmuid O’Connor back in midfield after a two-month absence – and he marked his return with two points in a solid performance – but Paudie Clifford’s absence was more keenly felt by a Kerry side that seemed to lack energy for much of the first half.
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Roscommon took the lead in the first minute through Ronan Daly’s point, and four minutes later Brian Stack doubled their lead, and the seven changes manager Davy Burke made from the team that were beaten by Galway seemed to have the desired effect.
Kerry were back to parity by the ninth minute through Paul Geaney’s mark and a Diarmuid O’Connor point, but Keith Doyle kicked Roscommon back into the lead after 12 minutes.
Kerry were back in front two minutes later when Clifford converted a two-point free on the sideline. Then Eddie Nolan and Joe O’Connor traded points, and Ben O’Carroll levelled it at 0-5 apiece in the 25th minute.
Seán O’Shea converted a two-point free, and though Daire Cregg’s 27th-minute point halved the deficit, Diarmuid O’Connor and Joe O’Connor raised white flags and then a breach of the three-up rule by Roscommon presented O’Shea with another two-point free, which he converted to see Kerry take a 0-11 to 0-6 half-time lead.
The sides exchanged two points apiece in the 15 minutes after the restart before Clifford cut through the Roscommon defence to score the game’s first goal to make it 1-13 to 0-8.
Kerry added two more points before O’Shea and Paul Geaney played a slick one-two for the latter to tap in a goal on 54 minutes as the Kingdom went 2-15 to 0-8 clear.
Kerry’s third goal arrived on the hour mark with White palming Paul Geaney’s inviting pass, and though Roscommon finished with two-point scores from Daly, Conor Cox and Diarmuid Murtagh, this was as elementary a win for Kerry as was expected.
Kerry now prepare for a rematch with Cork in a fortnight back in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, while Roscommon host Meath the same weekend in Dr Hyde Park.
KERRY: Shane Ryan (0-0-1, 45); Dylan Casey, Jason Foley, Tom O’Sullivan; Brian Ó Beaglaoich (0-0-1), Mike Breen, Gavin White (1-0-0); Diarmuid O’Connor (0-0-2), Barry ‘Dan’ O’Sullivan; Joe O’Connor (0-0-2), Seán O’Shea (0-2-3, 2 tpf, 1f), Micheál Burns; David Clifford (1-1-1, tpf), Paul Geaney (1-0-1, 1m), Dylan Geaney.
Subs: Tony Brosnan (0-0-1) for D Geaney, Graham O’Sullivan for M Burns (both 47 mins); Killian Spillane for D Clifford (61); Tadhg Morley for B Ó Beaglaoich, Mark O’Shea for B D O’Sullivan (both 62).
ROSCOMMON: Conor Carroll; Niall Higgins, Brian Stack (0-0-1), David Murray; Senan Lambe, Ronan Daly (0-1-1), John McManus; Eddie Nolan (0-0-1), Keith Doyle (0-0-1); Dylan Ruane, Enda Smith, Conor Hand; Daire Cregg (0-0-1), Ben O’Carroll (0-0-2), Ciaráin Murtagh (0-0-2, 1f).
Subs: Diarmuid Murtagh (0-1-1) for K Doyle (42 mins); Tim Lambe for D Ruane (52); Shane Killoran for E Smith, Ciaran Lennon for S Lambe (both 55 mins); Conor Cox (0-1-1, 1f) for C Hand (57).
Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).
