Superior Kerry forced to cling on

NFL Division One final/ Kerry 3-11; Galway 1-16: So it was redemption for Kerry at Croke Park. After a run of traumatic experiences at the headquarters venue in recent years, the Munster champions completed phase one of an impressive rehabilitation under new manager Jack O'Connor by taking the Allianz NFL title in a lively finale against Galway.

Although the margin was melting away by the final whistle, Kerry deserved the victory as they had controlled the match for most of the 70 minutes. Not for the first time in the counties' recent meetings Galway will be crestfallen at the defeat and the manner of it.

For too long they played a cautious, conservative game and only when they fell eight points adrift with only 10 minutes left did they display any urgency.

To their credit, Galway nearly made it. Inspired by a driven Michael Donnellan, they were taken to within touching distance by an unanswered goal and four points and O'Connor afterwards acknowledged that another two or three minutes could have proved fatal.

But ultimately Kerry's ability to hold a lead and strike for critical scores dictated the terms of the match. Their inside forwards racked up 2-4 from play and radiated danger every time they attacked. Declan O'Sullivan was passed fit to start at centre forward and gave Paul Clancy a scary tutorial in the implications of centre-back play, which Galway's latest pivot worked hard at absorbing. Despite some excellent contributions, O'Sullivan's tendency to go deep from the 40 was again in evidence and he definitely poses more of a scoring threat at full forward.

Yet it's hard to fault Johnny Crowley coming in on the edge of the square and being on hand to bag two goals, created by Colm Cooper.

The loss to Kerry's centrefield of Darragh Ó Sé didn't end up being of vital significance. Joe Bergin caught some hard ball but Seán Ó Domhnaill used his height to break everything and whereas he never missed, Kerry competed well on the loose ball.

Once more Séamus Moynihan stood out for Kerry. His redeployment to the half backs was shrewdly adjusted by O'Connor in order to take care of Galway's nominal corner forward Tommie Joyce, who adopted his customary deep-lying role. Moynihan's presence disrupted Joyce's ability to win possession and direct it into the forwards, especially his brother Pádhraic, with whom he has a seemingly telepathic understanding.

The match was unduly influenced by a 10th-minute goal, which propelled Kerry into a lead that Galway never regained. Declan O'Sullivan and Cooper combined to create a chance for Crowley and his shot for goal was parried into the net by Alan Keane for a 1-1 to 0-2 lead.

If Moynihan's exceptional form continued so did his old Tralee RTC team-mate Pádhraic Joyce's. Attitudes to the All-Ireland final of four years ago were dominated by their expected one-on-one confrontation but on this occasion they both shone, even if in the latter's case not quite as brightly as in the semi-final pyrotechnics against Tyrone.

In the first half Galway sought out Joyce with every long-range delivery and he responded with three points from play, all showcasing the art of getting off shots in the least-promising situations. His dependability ultimately became a problem for Galway as everything was signposted in his direction.

As a result Micheál Meehan got little opportunity to build on his recent form until he was withdrawn to the half forwards in the final quarter.

There were also situations where Galway players appeared shot-shy, as if subconsciously waiting for a shooter to make himself available rather than taking on the burden themselves.

To be strictly fair, eight Galway players scored from play but many attacks broke down because of indecision. And at one stage Pádhraic Joyce found himself on the endline with no-one within sight and surrounded by defenders and was forced to kick the ball high into the air in an apparent attempt to await the arrival of his colleagues.

Kerry worked on that weakness and crowded their opponents' more laboured build-ups. The defence held its structure well. Michael McCarthy - solid at full back if guilty of one moment of madness - conceded scores off Joyce but nothing from this galaxy could have prevented that.

A further problem for Galway was the at-times-wayward distribution of the ball to the forwards.

Delicately balanced at half-time with Kerry 1-8 to 0-9 ahead, the match maintained its pattern of Galway moving up onto their opponents' shoulders before drifting back a little. But the end of the third quarter promised more as replacement Nicky Joyce came on to provide at last an alternative target in the full-forward line.

Within a minute the margin was a point, 0-12 to 1-10, and the crowd of 28,072 looked in for a climactic conclusion. It was, but not as anticipated. In the space of a few minutes Kerry put the trophy on the mantelpiece. In the 55th minute Declan O'Sullivan dropped a long ball in on Cooper who, with Micheál Comer slightly ill-adjusted, won possession and managed to slip the ball to Crowley, who shot into the net.

Shortly afterwards Eoin Brosnan added a point and then Crowley laid off a ball to Moynihan, who was footblocked by Keane for a penalty. Michael Russell - unlucky not to flash home a scintillating goal just after half-time when his snap shot hit the bar - calmly converted.

Galway got a lifeline within seconds when McCarthy threw a suicide pass across his own goal to Tom O'Sullivan. Donnellan was alert to it and nipped in for a goal.

The momentum switched immediately for the final minutes.

Galway set about the task of chipping away the lead and Kerry were unable to reassert their control. Four points flew over and the margin was down to one.

On the last kick-out with Galway needing possession for one last pop, the ball bobbled loose and fittingly Moynihan came up with the final possession.

KERRY: D Murphy; S Moynihan, M McCarthy, T O'Sullivan; T Ó Sé (capt; 0-1), E Fitzmaurice, A O'Mahony; E Brosnan (0-2), W Kirby; P Galvin, D O'Sullivan, L Hassett (0-1); C Cooper (0-1), J Crowley (2-0), MF Russell (1-6, goal penalty, three frees). Subs: D Ó Cinnéide for Crowley (62 mins); M Ó Sé for Galvin (66).

GALWAY: A Keane; M Comer, G Fahey, K Fitzgerald; D Meehan (0-1), P Clancy, S de Paor (0-1); J Bergin (0-1), S Ó Domhnaill; M Clancy (0-1), M Donnellan (1-4, two frees), J Devane; M Meehan, P Joyce (0-5, two frees), T Joyce (0-1). Subs: N Joyce (0-2) for Devane (50 mins); D Savage for M Clancy (54); C Monaghan for Comer (64).

Referee: P McEnaney (Monaghan).