NFL Division One Semi-final/ Kerry 1-15 Laois 0-10: Easter Sunday and high time to put on the summer suit and to be out checking the pulse of the Kerry team. Better still, a chance to be seeing how Micko's work in progress above in Laois is shaping.
The return of the native brought a good holiday into Fitzgerald Stadium and the maestro showed he hadn't lost an ounce of roguery, sending out a team which bore just an accidental similarity to the published lineout.
Would that his players shared the same lightness of touch and easy cutery. Laois looked at times like a side with genuine potential but the intricacy of their hand-passing threatened at times to wear out the leather of the ball. For a team who enjoyed a lot of possession they seemed to expend quite a bit of it on moving the ball across a line 35 yards in front of the Kerry goal. In the end the margin was about right.
"It's disappointing," said O'Dwyer afterwards. "Kerry were really sharp, they were more competitive. We had too many players out, we can't afford to be missing first-class players. We can't complain. I never worried about the league over the years."
Kerry duly advanced to a league final, a destination which hadn't looked likely when they started out with a loss to Mayo in Tralee back in early February. Kerry folk, being as finicky as they are about football, won't necessarily take immense satisfaction out of that. It's April and the Kingdom is measuring its men for blazers that might fit in September.
There are reasons to be cheerful. Kerry played a lot of quick, direct ball to the full-forward line yesterday. Kieran Donaghy, whom Jack O'Connor has shrewdly entrusted with a long and confidence-building league run, continues to develop and to catch high ball in the old style. Bryan Sheehan looks like being a genuine addition to a forward line which had become too dependent on the Gooch.
As usual, Gooch was at the centre of almost all things creative in the Kerry attack. When he caught a wonderful early ball from Tomás Ó Sé after 13 minutes and (despite the attentions of a couple of Laois defenders) squirmed free only to slot wide, he caused the first real ripple of excitement below the Reeks. Sheehan popped the 45 casually to make it three points apiece.
Sheehan was showing some of the style we have come to expect of players with South Kerry roots and his point from distance a couple of minutes later was the most sublime moment of a fine display.
Kerry people will have been reassured by the return to the colours of Séamus Moynihan recently. He looks as vibrant as ever, but most interest this year focuses on what Jack O'Connor can add to the mix. Sheehan should be there.
Donaghy will be. If Mike Frank (Russell) can be resurrected or Darren O'Sullivan gets a few canters on the firm turf perhaps there can be a happier ending.
Laois started well with a couple of Billy Sheehan points opening a margin but his old club-mate Donaghy was catching a lot of midfield, where Noel Garvan was showing signs of rustiness after a long lay-off. Kerry, with the platform of good possession, looked for early ball to a full-forward line from which Declan O'Sullivan absented himself to play his customary deep role.
It worked. Kerry pushed ahead through Sheehan points and the general industry of a hard-working half-forward line. The long ball into Gooch produced the odd flash but Pádraig McMahon was attentive in his marking and kept the damage down.
When McMahon slipped, though, it was costly. Kerry had opened up a three-point lead when in injury-time of the first half Gooch got a little space at last. Darragh Ó Sé pumped an early ball from midfield. It dropped into the arms of the one man on the pitch guaranteed to punish such a lapse; he swivelled and scored a superb goal.
After their tea Kerry continued to pull away and a gorgeous free from Sheehan set the pattern for a relaxed second half. Laois had hoped to beef their attack with a little experience, trading in a couple of Colm Kellys for Beano McDonald and Colm Parkinson. The impact was minimal.
Kerry introduced Darren O'Sullivan, though, and as in the All-Ireland final of last year his pace injected a current of excitement into the game. O'Sullivan scored a couple of points and made the argument for further showcase outings.
"We're happy we got through," said O'Connor. "These games are as good as a month's training. Fantastic league debut for Bryan Sheehan, he took his scores with great confidence. We're always keeping our eyes open for players, though. It's a long year. Darren O'Sullivan came on today and created a buzz and scored two points. It was good."
Many of the 15,000 crowd had begun streaming out 10 minutes before the end. Hard to blame them. Kerry didn't get the examination they might have hoped for. Laois looked like a side with their minds on the challenges of early summer. "We've had a few hard league games," said O'Connor. "Sure it wasn't any harm to get one not so hard."
KERRY: D Murphy; A O'Mahony, M Ó Sé, T O'Sullivan; T Ó Sé, S Moynihan, M Lyons; D Ó Sé, K Donaghy; P Galvin (0-3), E Fitzmaurice (0-2), B Sheehan (0-5, three frees), C Cooper (1-2), D O'Sullivan (capt), R O'Connor (0-1). Subs: E Brosnan for Fitzmaurice (57 mins); D O'Sullivan (0-2) for Sheehan (60 mins); Tommy Griffin for Donaghy, P Kelly for T Ó Sé (both 67 mins)
LAOIS: F Byron; J Higgins, D Rooney P McMahon; T Kelly, D Conroy, B McCormick (0-1); P Clancy (0-1), N Garvan; R Munnelly (0-1), B Sheehan (0-4), G Kavanagh (capt); P Lawlor, Colm Kelly (St Joseph's), Colm Kelly (Stradbally, 0-1, free). Subs: K Kelly for Conroy (32 mins); B McDonald (0-2) for C Kelly (Stradbally), C Parkinson for C Kelly (St Joseph's, both half time); I Fitzgerald for Lawlor (54 mins); D Miller for Garvan (55 mins).
Referee: Pat McEnaney (Monaghan).
