The Kingdom scored 12 second half points - all from play - as they advanced against a Galway outfit who will rue ten first-half wides.

The Tribesmen couldn't buy scores in the opening quarter, despite dominating possession and it wasn't until the 19th minute in which they opened their account, following a Michael Lundy score.

Kerry had 1-5 on the board at this stage - including a James O'Donoghue goal - and although Thomas Flynn netted for Galway, Kerry led by 1-8 to 1-3 at the break.

Galway worked hard on the restart - with a Lundy goal giving them hope - but Kerry showed greater composure, with O'Donoghue finishing with 1-5, and substitute BJ Keane also impressive with three points from play.

Alan Mulholland was dealt a blow in the build-up to this game with Kildare native James Kavanagh pulling a quad muscle on Thursday night and thus inflicting a change to the starting 15.

John O'Brien replaced him in the Tribesmen line-up, with Kerry fielding an unchanged side from the team they had announced midweek.

In front of 37,886 spectators, Galway showed no ill effects of not having won a SFC game at Croke Park since 2001, as they stuck it to the Munster champions early on.

Galway had five of the six attacks in the opening seven minutes, but amazingly it was Kerry's lone attack which produced a score - a Donnchadh Walsh point after 30 seconds, with all of the Tribesmen's early efforts wide of the posts.

Galway dominated the possession statistics during this game, and while an early stat of 67% was reduced to 54% by the final whistle, ultimately it was Kerry's abilty to convert their chances which won this game for the Kingdom.

It wasn't all good for Kerry, and indeed when they lost talented midfielder Bryan Sheehan after just nine minutes through a hip injury one wondered how Fitzmaurice's charges would cope with this enforced loss.

But Sheehan's replacement David Moran put in a solid innings and added Kerry's second point within five minutes of his introduction.

Michael Geaney added a further point, before O'Donoghue claimed Kerry's only goal in the 12th minute.

Killian Young, Johnny Buckley and O'Donoghue combined, before the latter cut loose from Donal O'Neill and bagged his first goal of the summer to hand Kerry a 1-3 to 0-0 lead.

O'Donoghue and Declan O'Sullivan added points to ensure an eight-point advantage, before Lundy got Galway off the mark, in a move involving six different players.

Paul Geaney and Gareth Bradshaw traded points, but Galway were continuing to misfire, with Fiontain O Curraoin registering their tenth wide after 27 and a half minutes.

Geaney and Shane Walsh traded scores, before Flynn cut in for a well-worked goal, which lifted Galway and cut the gap to four points with as many minutes to go before the break.

Johnny Buckley ensured Kerry led by 1-8 to 1-3 at half-time, and the Kingdom again started brightly in the second half. Kerry bagged three of the first four points inside five minutes of the restart, but Galway again came good.

Bradshaw's second point, coupled with Lundy's 42nd minute goal after the Corofin clubman knifed through the Kerry defence, ensured a three-point gap.

Walsh cut the gap even further with a quick-fire point, however two rapid scores from Paul Geaney kept Kerry on top.

Half-time substitute Damien Comer, and Walsh cancelled these efforts out, but crucially Kerry finished strongly to ensure victory.

KERRY: B Kelly; M O'Se, A O'Mahony, S Enright; P Murphy, K Young, F Fitzgerald; A Maher, B Sheehan; M Geaney (0-1), J Buckley (0-2, 1f), D Walsh (0-2); P Geaney (0-4, 1f), Declan O'Sullivan (0-1), J O'Donoghue (1-5).

Subs: D Moran (0-1) for Sheehan (5); P Crowley for O'Mahony (45); Darran O'Sullivan for Declan O'Sullivan (51); BJ Keane (0-3) for Buckley (55); K O'Leary (0-1) for Walsh (59); M Griffin for O Se (65).

GALWAY: T Healy; D O'Neill, F Hanley, J Moore; G Bradshaw (0-2), G O'Donnell, P Varley; F O Curraoin, T Flynn (1-0); M Lundy (1-1), S Walsh (0-5, 3f), J O'Brien; M Martin, P Conroy (0-1), D Cummins.

Subs: S Armstrong for Cummins (HT); D Comer (0-1) for O'Brien (HT); K Kelly for Moore (49); E Hoare for Martin (56); C Mulryan for Varley (66).

REFEREE: Eddie Kinsella (Laois).