Kerry will travel to Clones next Sunday to face Monaghan as Division 1 leaders after a nine-point win over Donegal at a wet and windy Killarney this afternoon put the Kingdom top of the league with a superior scoring difference to Armagh and Mayo, with all three teams having taken five points from the first three rounds.
Victory in Fitzgerald Stadium was built on a seven-point half-time lead playing with a strong gale, but Kerry manager Jack O'Connor will surely be more pleased with how his team won the second half by two points playing against the elements.
David Clifford’s fortuitous goal was central to Kerry finally putting the meek Donegal challenge to bed, though Sean O’Shea’s seven points and all round contribution was key for Kerry, as was the graft of Adrian Spillane and solid performances at the back from Dan O’Donoghue and Tadhg Morley in particular.
As for Donegal, it was hard to fathom what their plan of attack was. Declan Bonner’s team might have been reasonably confident of turning over that 0-09 to 0-02 half-time deficit, but they never really looked able to go after Kerry or the deficit in any meaningful way.
Indeed, Kerry started the second half with a clear message that they wouldn’t be sitting back on their lead when, inside the first minute after the restart, the excellent O’Shea saw his low shot come back off the post with Shaun Patton beaten in the Donegal goal.
Five minutes later Jack Barry almost beat Patton only to see his looping shot for a goal drift just wide, so when the inevitable Kerry goal came it was no surprise. No surprise, either, that it came from David Clifford, though he has scored prettier ones.
Clifford was on the field just 10 minutes when he took possession, rounded Ethan O’Donnell and bore down on goal, and though he completely miscued his kick it still deceived Patton and squirmed past him to make it 1-09 to 0-03.
By the time the contest was done, Clifford had hit the crossbar with another shot as Kerry looked streets better then Donegal in every facet of the game.
Testing conditions aside, the first half was a hard watch. The first score came from a sideline ball, which O’Shea expertly guided over in the third minute, and when Killian Spillane pointed two minutes later Kerry looked set to make the very most of the strong wind on their backs.
The early Donegal tactic seemed to be to keep it out of Kerry’s hands as much as anything. And for a five-minute spell they did just that, throwing the ball around the middle of the park, with Kerry content to fill the space behind them with plenty of bodies and cut off the channels.
Donegal managed fisted points from Eoghan Ban Gallagher in the ninth minute, and Shane O’Donnell in the 12th minute to level the score, but those were their only two scoring attempts in the entire first half.
O’Shea kicked Kerry’s next two points as the home side started to pick holes and gaps in a Donegal formation that never seemed quite sure whether to stick or twist against a strong wind.
Kerry’s willingness to press up with the advantage was illustrated with corner back Dan O’Donoghue coming forward to kick the home side into a 0-05 to 0-02 lead, before Paul Geaney added number six.
By the interval points from O’Shea (free), Paudie Clifford and Killian Spillane had Kerry leading 0-09 to 0-02, and whatever about the wind and driving rain, Donegal still had a mountain to climb.
O’Shea’s shot off the Donegal post was an early warning that Kerry wouldn’t be sitting back on their lead, and Donegal seemed to have little idea of how to switch up their gameplan.
Their third point didn’t arrive until the 46th minute from Conor O’Donnell – 36 minutes after their second – and though Paddy McBrearty picked off a couple of scores in the second half there was little threat to most of what Donegal did.
Indeed, Donegal’s afternoon was summed up in the 65th minute when Ryan McHugh fluffed a pass to McBrearty with the goal at his mercy after Jack Savage’s wayward sideline kick had set the Donegal defender away.
Kerry will go to Clones next Sunday in confident mood after this result and performance; Donegal have much to work on before Tyrone come to Ballybofey the evening before.
Kerry: Shane Ryan, Dan O'Donoghue 0-01, Jason Foley, Tom O’Sullivan, Paul Murphy, Tadhg Morley, Brian Ó Beaglaioch, Diarmuid O’Connor, Jack Barry, Adrian Spillane, Seán O’Shea 0-07 (0-02f, 0-01 s/l), Dara Moynihan, Paudie Clifford 0-01, Paul Geaney 0-01, Killian Spillane 0-02.
Subs: Stephen O’Brien for A Spillane (temp, 14 to 22 mins), David Clifford 1-01 for K Spillane (44), Stephen O’Brien for A Spillane (54), Tony Brosnan for P Geaney (58), Jack Savage for P Clifford (65), Greg Horan for Jack Barry (67).
Donegal: Shaun Patton, Caolan Ward, Brendan McCole, Eoghan Ban Gallagher 0-01, Ryan McHugh, Paul Brennan, Ódhrán McFadden Ferry, Jason McGee, Ciaran Thompson, Peadar Mogan, Shane McDonnell 0-02, Hugh McFadden, Patrick McBrearty 0-02 (0-01f), Rory O’Donnell, Conor O’Donnell 0-02.
Subs: Stephen McMenamin for P Brennan (40), Niall O’Donnell for R O’Donnell (44), Oisin Gallen for H McFadden (50), Daire Ó Baoill for S O’Donnell (67), Ethan O’Donnell for O McFadden Ferry (70).
Referee: Maurice Deegan (Laois)
