Seán O'Shea says Donegal exposed Kerry in key battle at Croke Park

Michael Bolton

Kerry forward Seán O'Shea expressed his disappointment as Donegal inflicted a heavy defeat on the Kingdom in the Division One final in Croke Park last Sunday.

In a repeat of last season's All-Ireland final, Jim McGuinness' side laid down a marker with a 13-point win.

Should Kerry retain their All-Ireland title, this defeat will soon be forgotten. With the likes of Gavin White and Paudie Clifford still to return, Jack O'Connor's side will be stronger as the year goes on.

However, losing a final in that fashion is never easy for a team, with O'Shea admitting it felt like a heavier loss than 13 points.

“You have to look in the mirror first and analyse your own performance. And then you look at it from a broader perspective as a team as a whole.

“That's just the feeling of disappointment after a performance like that, individually and as a group. That will sting after a game like that, especially with it being a final in Croke Park.

“We fought back a bit near the end and put a bit of a reflection on the scoreboard that maybe didn't justify the performance. I don't know, was it 13 points in the end? But it was probably a heavier defeat than that, given the way the two teams played.

“We just have to take it on the chin and realise that on the day we weren't anywhere near the pitch of it, we weren't good enough. Full credit to Donegal for the performance they put in, too.

“There's been plenty of time for reflection this week now, and then we have to park it and look forward to the Championship and try and find areas to improve.”

After the defeat, O'Connor said Kerry were off the pace, with the warning signs already evident during the week after their draw against Armagh in the final round of the week, which secured their place in the final.

Kerry were also bringing players back from the club All-Ireland finals, while injuries had an impact throughout the campaign.

Donegal prepared for the final with a win over already-relegated Monaghan.

However, the Kerry forward is not viewing the turnaround as an excuse.

"That was a seriously intense game as well. As players, you never go into a game thinking you are tired or don't feel great.

"You are recovering as well as you can. Donegal had a game the week before as well, and they weren't off either. We just have to take it on the chin and realise we weren't anywhere near good enough."

Much was made of Donegal's tactics in the All-Ireland final last July, as their zonal defence was picked apart by Kerry's forwards.

However, it was the battle for kick-outs that was crucial on Sunday, as Donegal dominated both their own restarts and Kerry's kick-outs.

Despite being without Shaun Patten, goalkeeper Gavin Mulreany marked a player for Kerry's kickout, freeing up another defender.

O'Shea said Donegal's approach to the kickout and their success in winning the breaking ball made a huge difference.

"If you can turn a screw on the kick-out, you can get a serious advantage, and they definitely dominated us in the kick-outs, both on ours and their own kick-outs.

“There are a couple of different aspects to the breaking ball.

"There's the tactical aspect where you're trying to time when you're coming into the break zone. You're trying to see which direction the midfielders are jumping from, which way the ball might land off them.

“And then you just have to be brave as well at the end of it to get in there and put the body on the line and get the breaking ball, whether it's bouncing or getting down over it.

"That was a huge difference, and they also set up differently defensively as well. Gavin Mulreany kind of played as a sweeper, which was one of the major differences from last year."