By Cian O'Connell

A fourth Allianz Football League win pocketed meant Kerry manager Peter Keane left Tuam Stadium satisfied on Sunday.

Kerry's mix of emerging and established players dovetailed nicely with the returning Tommy Walsh making a valuable contribution, especially with a couple of important fetches when the issue was delicately poised in the second period.

"He didn’t too bad at all did he," Keane reflected. "He got a great couple of balls in front of the Galway dug out in the second half. 

"It is great to have him back, to have him as an option. His handling was very good- he handled a lot of nice ball in the first half; low ball into him that he was able to spray around."

Walsh's performance was one of the many encouraging aspects for Kerry, who were roared on by a vocal and large travelling support in the west.

In the closing stages Tomas O Se announced his arrival on the inter-county stage with a critical point and assist. "He offered energy which was required," Keane remarked. You needed fresh legs at that point."

Having led at the interval by five Kerry were pegged back by Galway, who hit the front late on before three points on the spin from Keane's outfit proved decisive. "That game could have gone any which way at that time," Keane commented. 

"Galway were coming and they were coming and they got the goal at a great time to put them totally back into the frame.  "We were coughing up a bit of ball and you can feel it here: the wind is quite strong. We had the wind in the first half, but it certainly wasn't anything like that. 

At the end of both halves Galway had players sin binned which mattered deeply according to Keane. "We had a purple patch just before half time which probably helped us and coincided with them missing the guy with the black card as well," Keane acknowledged. "But we are relatively happy.”

Kerry are gaining in confidence and momentum too.