| Kerry make it tough going over Limerick
win  The
priority has been more on evolution than revolution since Pat O’Shea
became Kerry manager.
The Killarney man has tried to blood the odd rough diamond among their
necklace of polished stars. The result of this policy was a laboured defeat
of a hard-working but limited Limerick outfit.
Kerry newcomer Ronan Hussey was prominent in a first-half the Kingdom
edged by 0-5 to 0-4.
The decisive thrust of the game arrived three minutes before the end when
Mike Frank Russell used all of his guile to fire to the net after pouncing
on a loose ball on the edge of the small square.
At that stage Limerick were in the ascendancy and had levelled the scores
at 0-8 apiece.
Faced with what might have been an embarrassing result at the start of
a new era in Kerry football the All-Ireland champions dug deep to show
that they have mastered the art of winning without playing well.
The only downside for the Pat O’Shea was the deserved sending-off
of Dara O’Se for striking a player. This dismissal continues the
Kingdom’s habit of having a player sent-off in each of the matches
they have played in the league so far.
Limerick boss Mickey Ned O’Sullivan has consistently been one of
the best managerial performers in Gaelic football.
Each year he must scratch among the ashes of the previous season’s
panel many of whom have “opted out” or been snapped up by
the hurlers.
This Limerick team is at its best when on the attack. Micheal Reidy and
Jason O’Brien are quality attackers and they will score against
most opposition.
This was a hugely-experimental Kerry line-up and manager O’Shea
said afterwards that the result was what mattered most.
He said: “Limerick are a decent team and they will always put it
up to you so it’s great to come away with the win and remain joint
top of the league.”
But fans of the Kingdom will be dreaming of the bright futures ahead for
the likes of Donnacha Walsh and Ronan Hussey as the next generation of
Kerry greats begins to emerge even as the current crop enter their prime.
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