Kerry 2-11 Westmeath 0-7: There was no welcoming party for Páidí Ó Sé on Saturday night as Kerry put Westmeath to the sword to move to six points in the Division One A table. Afterwards a disappointed Ó Sé said: "We were well beaten on the night and there is no doubting Kerry were the better side. I am disappointed for my lads, they did not perform and it's an uphill battle now. It was a very difficult night for me and a game I could have done without playing against my own county."
Kerry dominated with Tomás Ó Sé scoring a memorable goal and Darragh Ó Sé lording it at midfield and firing over a superb 57th-minute point. Kerry opened explosively when Colm Cooper played a neat one-two with Liam Hassett before pointing. Cooper added a second minutes later.
Kerry used the long ball to telling effect as the Ó Sés punished Westmeath. Declan Quill set up Dara Ó Cinnéide for a point and he extended Kerry's lead with a fine left-footed point. Westmeath did not help their cause by employing Dessie Dolan as an extra defender and they kicked four wides in the opening 25 minutes.
When Quill was fouled in the 22nd minute, Ó Cinnéide pushed Kerry five points clear but they had to wait until injury-time in the opening half before they increased their lead with another Ó Cinnéide free.
Westmeath opened their account on the restart when substitute Martin Flanagan pointed but Quill responded for Kerry with a superb effort. Then the game was virtually decided as a contest when Kerry struck two goals within a minute.
Firstly, in the 41st minute Hassett spread the ball wide to Tomás Ó Sé 50 metres out and he knifed his way through the Westmeath defence before blasting the ball to the roof of the net for a goal.
Then, while Westmeath were trying to get up off the canvas, Kerry attacked with menace again as Cooper gained possession, drew the cover and passed to Hassett, who rifled the ball past Gary Connaughton. At 2-7 to 0-1 , it was left to Dessie Dolan, in the main, to rack up a couple of points but the Leinster champions were second best as Kerry sounded a warning that they mean business again this season.
KERRY: D Murphy; A O'Mahony, M McCarthy, T O'Sullivan; T Ó Sé (1-0), S Moynihan, B Guiney; D Ó Sé (0-1), W Kirby; L Hassett (1-1), P Kelly, E Brosnan (0-1); D Quill (0-2), D Ó Cinnéide (0-4, two frees), C Cooper (0-2): Subs: P Galvin for P Kelly (half-time), B Sheehan for Hassett, N Kennelly for Ó Cinnéide.
WESTMEATH: G Connaughton; J Davitt, D O'Donoghue, J Keane; M Ennis, D Healy, D McDermott; R O'Connell, D O'Shaughnessy; D Heavin, J Brennan, J Fallon; A Lambden, D Glennon (0-2), D Dolan (0-3, one free). Subs: M Flanagan (0-1) for A Lambden (20 mins), D Mitchell for J Brennan (43 mins), David Glennon (0-1) for J Fallon (45 mins), D Gilmartin for D McDermott (55 mins), P Tormey for D O'Shaughnessy (63 mins), C Galligan for M Flanagan (67 mins).
YELLOW CARDS: None.
Referee: T Quigley (Wexford).
