Donegal 1-22 Kerry 1-18: A dominant display by Donegal seals a memorable win against All-Ireland champions Kerry
Donegal secured a crucial win over Kerry as they went secured a second win from two games in Division One of the National Football League.The Kingdom came to the north-west hopeful but murmurs went around the ground when David Clifford was removed from the squad list prior to the throw-in.Without their talisman, Kerry were less devastating in attack but still kept themselves in the race with the weapons at their disposal.Jim McGuinness’s side, led by four going into the break, deservedly so after their pressure campaign in the middle of the field paid off.Both sides put high pressure on the kick-outs, with Gavin Mulreaney finding his way around the press, but Shane Murphy saw his long kick-outs broken up and contested well by Michael Langan and Hugh McFadden.Dáire Ó Baoill was effective in attack, scoring 1-1 in the opening period and getting into position to get more.Shea Malone was been kept largely quiet but played a huge part in the goal, breaking the lines before offloading to Shane O’Donnell, who made the killer pass.Kerry were limited to two-point shots, but their shooters have tipped over three orange flags, they were missing the force of nature that is David Clifford in the forward line.Tony Brosnan was the most productive forward in the opening period for the Kingdom, scoring five, with Seán O’Shea accruing the rest from dead balls.The second half (and certainly last quarter) may have been more even, but Dongeal were still in control over their own fate in the end.Kerry were left relying on Seán O’Shea from the dead ball to keep them in the race, but Donegal were always a pace and a half to the good.Dáire Ó Baoill was a breath of fresh air in attack as the Gaoth Dobhair man scored another two points in the second half for the home side and was a constant problem drawing defenders and making runs to create space.Finnbarr Roarty was a double-edged sword, sniffing out attacks at the back and popping up with some good scores in the other end.The real winners, though, were Michael Langan and Hugh NcFadden in midfield, 0-6 between them (three 2pt) and dominant in ball contests throughout the game, stopping the transition between phases for Kerry by and large and getting Donegal on the front-foot post-turnover.
