Kerry manager Jack O’Connor was relieved to see his side pick up their first two points of the National Football League Division One season on Sunday when they edged Derry by three points at Austin Stack Park.
The Kingdom were 0-15 to 1-9 winners over the team they defeated in last year’s final as they came back from defeats to Dublin and Cork to put their first league points of the season on the board, that despite the Ulster side dominating the first half.
But O’Connor’s men did what was needed after the break, outscoring the Oak Leafers by six points to get the win, and the Kerry boss believes it was down to the overall strength of his panel, as some of the younger Kerrymen try to fill the boots of those who have departed from last year’s league and All-Ireland winning panel.
"It was important to get a win on the board and it validates what we are doing in training," he was quoted as saying by the Irish Independent.
“While I would say that relegation is still a live possibility, at least we are off the mark, and we can build on that.
"Young Kieran O'Leary came in, and contributed in the last ten minutes. I'm just glad that we got through, as it would have been a tough prospect heading to play Galway (in their next NFL outing) without any points.
"It gives us a boost now and lifts the morale and we are facing another tough game again next week above in Salthill and it was important that we were going up there with a couple of points."