Allianz FL D1: Donegal impress against Kerry

Allianz Football League Division 1

DONEGAL 1-22 KERRY 1-18

By Chris McNulty at Fr Tierney Park

Donegal maintained their excellent record at Fr Tierney Park as Jim McGuinness’s men overcame the reigning All-Ireland champions and Division 1 holders Kerry.

Nine two-pointers were kicked throughout an entertaining 70 minutes after which Daire O Baoill’s goal late in the first half proved crucial.

At one stage in the second half, Donegal led by eight points, but they were left with a late sweat when Kerry sub Donagh O’Sullivan plundered a goal in the 69th minute.

Sean O’Shea ended the day with 11 points to his name, having converted four two-point frees, but ended on the losing side with Donegal having done the spade work before a last-ditch Kerry rally.

Michael Murphy was brought from his winter hibernation and the Glenswilly man came off the bench to a huge Ballyshannon roar to kick two points.

The sun shone here on a crisp St Brigid’s day as Donegal extended their unbeaten run to 10 games at Fr Tierney Park - a sequenc stretching back to 2009.

Four minutes before half-time, Donegal landed a decisive blow. Shea Malone could have offloaded to O Baoill, but spun away to hand-off to Shane O’Donnell, who dinked into O Baoill. The Gaoth Dobhair man, in what seemed like the largest space available in Fr Tierney Park took receipt before rounding Shane Murphy, the Kerry goalkeeper, and firing to the net.

That put Donegal in front again and the hosts closed the first half with points by Conor O’Donnell and Peadar Mogan to lead 1-9 to 0-8 at half-time.

Donegal began brightly, enjoying a lot of possession, and Conor O’Donnell and Finnbarr Roarty curled over points inside the opening four minutes.

Roarty, the 2025 Young Footballer of the Year, hit a second point in the 11th minute after a monster two-point free by Sean O’Shea got Kerry iff the board.

Tony Brosnan had his target perfectly set when swinging over a delicious two-point effort in the 17th minute and, just five minutes later, followed up with a similarly splendid kick from wide on the right-hand side.

In between times, Mogan and Conor O’Donnell, from a free, raised white flags for Donegal.
O’Shea nailed a ’45 to put Kerry two in front, while Donegal saw spurned placed efforts by ‘keeper Gavin Mulreany and Conor O’Donnell during the same spell.

On 29 minutes, Donegal might have had a goal but Murphy denied Malone with a good save and the follow-up from Roarty was deflected away for a ’45, which Mulreany came up to convert.

Soon after, O Baoill fired to the net and Donegal seemed on their way.The full house went up in the Erneside town on Saturday with a capacity 9,000 wedging their way in to get a glimpse of a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland final.

The contest had the crowd on the edges of their seats and inside of Aras Aodh Ruadh, the venue’s clubhouse, there were some who had to stand on their seats to catch a view.

It was a clash, too, of two sides who opened on winning notes last weekend. Malone - on his League debut after turning attention to Gaelic football last year with Naomh Conaill having had a stint at Sligo Rovers - bagged the goal as Donegal returned to headquarters and earned a 1-20 to 0-20 win over Dublin that felt something like an early-season statement while Tomás Kennedy arrowed over a buzzer-beater in Killarney, where Kerry edged Roscommon 2-18 to 1-20.

David Clifford, who tormented Donegal when posting nine points in last year’s All-Ireland final, was absent despite being named by Kerry boss Jack O’Connor. The Fossa man and his brother, Paudie, were the notable absentees with Kerry fielding six starters from the day they captured Sam Maguire in July.

Donegal, for their part, included nine of those who walked behind the Artane Band at Croke Park, Jim McGuinness almost teasing the audience by naming Murphy among his replacements.
After 51-and-a-half minutes, Murphy zipped off the tracksuit just when Brosnan was watching a free trail wide and with Donegal seven to the good.

Donegal had started the second half with real purpose, Michael Langan arrowing over a pair of superb two-pointers and Roarty adding to his tally.

Malone fired over in the 42nd minute to stretch Donegal’s lead to eight, 1-15 to 0-10, but a couple of wonderful scores by O’Shea had Kerry back into it.

At the other end, the ever-industrious Hugh McFadden thumped over to raise an orange flag.

The nerves whistled as the clock ticked towards the end and Donegal were breached when O’Sullivan slotted home after the home side didn’t deal with a ball into the danger zone.

Murphy, though, had the final say, curling over with the last act of the afternoon.

Scorers for Donegal: Daire O Baoill 1-2, Michael Langan (2 2pt) 0-4, Conor O’Donnell (1f) Finnbarr Roarty 0-3 each, Hugh McFadden (2pt), Peadar Mogan, Ciaran Moore, Michael Murphy (1f) 0-2 each, Gavin Mulreany (’45), Shea Malone 0-1 each.

Scorers for Kerry: Sean O’Shea (4 2pt f, 1f, 1 ’45) 0-11, Tony Brosnan (2 2pt, 1f) 0-6, Donagh O’Sullivan 1-0, Armin Heinrich 0-1.

Donegal: Gavin Mulreany; Caolan McColgan, Brendan McCole, Peadar Mogan; Kieran Gallagher, Caolan McGonagle, Finnbarr Roarty; Hugh McFadden, Michael Langan; Daire Ó Baoill, Shane O’Donnell, Ciaran Moore; Conor O’Donnell, Jason McGee, Shea Malone. Subs: Ryan McHugh for Gallagher (44), Michael Murphy for Malone (52), Eoghan Ban Gallagher for O Baoill (62), Oisin Gallen for S.O’Donnell (62), Kevin Muldoon for C.O’Donnell (68).

Kerry: Shane Murphy; Evan Looney, Jason Foley, Dylan Casey; Armin Heinrich, Mike Breen, Tadhg Morley; Seán O’Brien, Cillian Trant; Joe O’Connor, Seán O’Shea, Micheál Burns; Killian Spillane, Tomás Kennedy, Tony Brosnan. Subs: Liam Smith for O’Brien (19), Charlie Keating for Breen (h-t), Darragh Lyne for Spillane (41), Donagh O’Sullivan for Burns (52), Ruairi Murphy for Trant (55).

Referee: David Coldrick (Meath)