April Fools' day failed to raise many laughs in Dublin's dressing-room at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney yesterday. A poor performance in going down to Kerry complemented gloomy dispatches from the treatment room.
Ian Robertson - an All Star nomination last year at full forward - has sustained a fractured bone in his leg. And Colin Moran, similarly honoured last year and one of the best young players in the country, pulled a hamstring, which leaves him extremely doubtful for the Leinster under-21 final against Meath.
"Ian has fractured a bone," confirmed manager Tom Carr. "It's the same leg as his previous injury but a different bone. He's in plaster for the next two or three weeks before he has another X-ray. He's a huge concern for the championship."
Moran had been playing well up to his withdrawal, particularly considering his under-21 exploits on Saturday. After the brief revival against Donegal, before the enforced break, yesterday's result and - more particularly - performance will come as a major disappointment for Dublin. Kerry played only in fits and starts but still won pulling up.
"It's a battle for us now," said Carr, who said the league would now be used to prepare for the championship. Kerry's view of the afternoon was predictably more upbeat. After a lengthy All-Ireland hangover, the team went into yesterday's match propping up Division 1A with no wins to date. But the month off has clearly helped to sort out difficulties.
Darragh O Se shone yesterday, and one fine catch helped put the game beyond doubt in injury-time. He fed Michael Francis Russell, whose high ball was deflected by substitute William Kirby into Aodan Mac Gearailt, who finished the chance despite the best efforts of covering Dublin defenders.
The central feature of an undistinguished match, pockmarked by errors and misjudgments, was that Dublin failed to make the best of their chances during periods of control in the first half. Kerry, on the other hand, chugged along and exploited their possession with telling scores and kept Dublin in it by also shooting a mountain of wides.
Dublin started brightly and led by three points after the first quarter. It was a poor return for the amount of ball they had. The re-jigged attack brought Niall O'Donoghue in for the selected Robertson. O'Donoghue started well on the 40, getting on to a lot of ball but he isn't physically equipped to compete consistently in the half forwards and eventually Des Farrell moved out.
Inside Vinny Murphy was troubling Seamus Moynihan - and even got into an altercation with Kerry goalkeeper Declan O'Keeffe - but this novel scenario faded although the Dublin veteran had a good goaling chance in the 58th minute but rather than latch on to Homan's ball, he feebly punched it and the chance went unconverted.
The fragility of the early three-point lead was demonstrated in the 22nd minute when a free from an otherwise unenthusiastic-looking Maurice Fitzgerald fell for Mac Gearailt who shrugged off the attentions of Peadar Andrews to slip the ball into Dara O Cinneide, who squeezed in the goal.
Dublin managed to restore the lead, but their hold on the match had been irretrievably shaken. Kerry squared off the match shortly into the second half and the game turned. The depressing thing for Dublin was that Kerry were only playing fitfully.
Michael Francis Russell wasn't killing himself but still ended up with four points. Noel Kennelly came in for the second half and added punch to the half-forward line. Centrefield had much the better of things and at the back the defence came together convincingly with Kieran Scanlon playing well and delivering a fine ball into Russell for his fourth score.
Carr's variations didn't work out tremendously well either. Ken Darcy did kick a point within seconds of taking the field and the pace did pick up for the final quarter but the high level of shot conversion - no first-half wides - flagged. Wayne McCarthy missed a couple of frees and his replacement, the long-injured Declan Darcy, hit the post with the sort of free he'd normally kick in his sleep.
Kerry: D O'Keeffe; M Hassett, S Moynihan, M McCarthy; T O Se, E Fitzmaurice, K Scanlon; D O Se (0-1), D Daly; D O'Dwyer, M Fitzgerald, B Sheehan; MF Russell (0-4), D O Cinneide (12, two frees), A Mac Gearailt (1-0). Subs: N Kennelly (0-2, one free) for Sheehan (half-time); W Kirby for O'Dwyer (60 mins).
Dublin: D Byrne; M Cahill, P Christie, C Goggins; S Ryan, J McGee (0-1), P Andrews; C Whelan (0-1), E Sheehy; C Moran (0-2), N O'Donoghue, S Connell (0-1); D Farrell (0-2, one sideline), V Murphy (0-1), W McCarthy (0-1, a free). Subs: T Lynch for Cahill (34 mins); D Homan for Moran (42 mins); K Darcy (0-1) for O'Donoghue (47 mins); M Casey for Ryan (57 mins); D Darcy for McCarthy (67 mins).
Referee: M Daly (Mayo).
