Round Two of Division I of the Allianz Football Leagues sees Kerry and Mayo go head-to-head on Saturday night in Austin Stack Park, Tralee (throw-in 7pm). Ahead of the game, Kerry forward Donnchadh Walsh has been talking to GAA.ie and admits that the Kingdom are expecting the men from the West to come to Tralee and make it difficult for the home side. Juveniles (Under 16 Years of Age) are FREE admission for the game, while adult tickets are €12.00 if purchased before matchday. Match-Day Prices are Adult €15.00, while concessions (Student/OAP) are €12.00 and available at the venue on matchday with valid I.D. Tickets are available for purchase in selected SuperValu and Centra stores nationwide; full details of which shops apply can be found at http://www.gaa.ie/tickets/where-to-buy/
***Saturday February 11
Allianz Football League Division One
Kerry v Mayo, Austin Stack Park, Tralee, 7pm – eir Sport
Contrasting starts for these teams ensure Saturday’s match in Tralee should be a highly competitive affair.
Monaghan carved out a win over Mayo in Castlebar punishing a couple of lapses in Green and Red concentration, especially at the outset of the second half.
Kerry’s nice mix of youth and experience posted a fine 2-17 total in Letterkenny with Eamonn Fitzmaurice beginning to integrate some recent All Ireland minor winners.
That burst of underage glory combined with Kerry’s excellent record at Post Primary level means the locals are adamant about the quality of footballer being developed.
Fitzmaurice, though, is a shrewd operator and won’t want to overburden them too quickly even if Jason Foley, Jack Savage, Jack Barry, and Tom O’Sullivan appear ready to deliver.
“They all did really well and it’s great education for the lads,” Fitzmaurice admitted. “It is a big step-up. No matter how much a player is told that, he must experience it."
Mayo commenced their match with seven of the team that lost the All Ireland Final replay to Dublin, but Monaghan were primed for a battle.
“We conceded a goal at the start of the second-half, put ourselves back into the game, but we started slowly in the first-half as well, Stephen Rochford remarked.
“Once again we had pulled ourselves back so a patchy performance and something that we need to rectify within the next seven days.
“We need to get quicker out of the blocks and certainly we need to make better decisions when we're on the field and in possession.”
At O’Donnell Park Kerry, inspired by the clinical Paul Geaney, edged comfortably ahead before Donegal embarked on a late rally to narrow the gap significantly.
“Donegal got a bit of momentum and we were probably tiring,” was Fitzmaurice’s assessment. “We had a lot of younger lads on the field.
“Maybe there was a small bit of absence of leadership. It’s something we will have to look at for next weekend. I don’t want to take from the result, though, as it was a very positive performance.” Can Kerry deliver a similarly dynamic display against a determined Mayo outfit?
KERRY: Brian Kelly; Ronan Shanahan, Mark Griffin, Killian Young; Jonathan Lyne, Peter Crowley, Tadhg Morley; David Moran, Jack Barry; Adrian Spillane, Paul Murphy, Donnchadh Walsh; Jack Savage, Paul Geaney, James O'Donoghue.
MAYO: David Clarke; Donie Newcombe, Keith Higgins, Paddy Durcan; Colm Boyle, Stephen Coen, David Drake; Donal Vaughan, Tom Parsons; Fergal Boland, Kevin McLoughlin, Jason Doherty; Evan Regan, Alan Freeman, Cillian O'Connor.
