Kerry supporters in the sun-splashed crowd of 17,582 at Fitzgerald Stadium Killarney yesterday could not have felt more indebted to Michael Francis Russell.

The silken skills of the Laune Rangers raider and more specifically his superbly taken second-half goal, ultimately proved the major difference in a slick-moving Munster Senior football semi-final that did not quite turn out to be the formality that had been anticipated for the All-Ireland champions.

Russell, already with three classical points under his belt, came to Kerry's rescue during moments of real crisis midway through the second half to beat Limerick goalkeeper Alan Kitson with a searing left-footed shot drilled inside the near post. The score was the one that finally crushed the exuberance of a brave and technically sound Limerick side.

Willy Kirby, one of three Kerry substitutes to be sprung from the bench as the alarm bells rang in Paudi O Se's ears, laid on the chance for Russell with a deftly-placed ball down the left flank.

The goal gave Kerry their best lead of the afternoon, 1-11 to 0-8, in the 21st minute of the second half. More importantly it helped to restore the champions' composure that had been seriously threatened by Limerick's not-an-inch style of play that had repeatedly denied key Kerry players of the space they would have expected.

The competitive nature of the battle was reflected in the fact that Kerry had only a mere three points to spare midway through the second half and by this stage O Se was well into the process of making substitutions and rearranging his forces, hoping for the gap to widen on the scoreboard.

Maurice Fitzerald was called ashore in O Se's second-half reshuffling. The Kerry manager explained afterwards: "Maurice was after spending a week in bed with tonsillitis and he hadn't done that much training last week but the thing about it is that the game today is more than a 15man game."

Kerry had been pegged back twice in the second half to three-point margins and, as if to show that the Limerick challenge was still alive and well, full-back Diarmuid Sheehy chased upfield and took on the entire Kerry cover to score a hugely inspirational point.

Kerry did not look too comfortable at half-time either when leading by 0-9 to 04, having messed up chances. This was largely due to close Limerick marking within scoring range. "Let's say I wasn't so much worried as concerned when they came at us in the second half," admitted the Kerry manager before adding, "They (Limerick) had nothing to lose coming to Killarney and we had prepared very thoroughly for this game."

"Limerick county is a sporting county of all codes, very much a little like Cork between the rugby and the soccer and the hurling. They read the Kerry situation very well. They isolated where Kerry were strong and they tried their very, very best to meet the challenges of those areas and they did for quite some time". "It was a great, great goal, one of those days when Mike Frank was really on fire. He was on fire from the very beginning. It was a fantastic score and up to then it was touch and go," said O Se.

The Kerry manager also felt it only fitting to give credit to Limerick's midfield challenge provided inspirationally by Jason Stokes and John Quane. "They showed a raw strength as well as their football and fitness levels. They competed well and broke the ball down when it was not cleanly caught. We knew that would happen and fortunately had the man waiting for the break."

One can only imagine what would have happened had the only goal of a tense match fell to Limerick and not Kerry. Both teams carved out goal chances in the first half, during which Limerick manager Liam Kearns felt his side were losing the game. Colm Hickey must have stopped Kerry hearts when his goal-worthy shot was somehow saved by Declan O'Keeffe.

Hickey was one of a number of Limerick forwards to be quick off the mark to win possession ahead of their markers and most of the reassurances from the Limerick rearguard was repeatedly provided by Stephen Lucey, Damien Reidy, Conor Mullane and Diarmuid Sheehy.

Apart from Sheehy, the entire Limerick half-back line figured in the scoring. But there was never any denying the superior skills and precision of the Kerry side when they were given the space to operate.

Seamus Moynihan, as always, produced high levels of anticipation and drive from the full-back position. Thomas O Se, Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Tom O'Sullivan got many moves off the ground from the half-back line while Darragh O Se got through lots of good work in midfield.

Russell, O Cinneide and John Crowley were never less than a consistent threat to the Limerick rearguard and Fitzgerald had three beautiful points before being replaced.

But Kerry were too often unsure of themselves, during the first half especially, in the last third of the pitch.

"The Munster final is the last thing on our minds at the minute. We first have to get back and organise ourselves and take it from there," the Kerry manager said afterwards.

Kerry: M F Russell 1-4; J Crowley 0-3; M Fitzgerald 0-3, one free; D O Cinneide 02; N Kennelly, W Kirby, D O Se 0-1 each.

Limerick: M Reidy 0-3, frees; N Hunt, M Gavin, C Mullane, S Lucey, C Hickey, J Quane, D Sheehy 0-1 each.

Referee: B Crowe (Cavan)

Attendance: 17,582.