NFL Division One: Kerry 2-21 Armagh 0-17
It won’t make up for last year’s All-Ireland semi-final loss, but Kerry‘s 10-point win over Armagh in Tralee on Saturday evening will have slightly scratched an eight-month collective itch in the Kingdom. More than that, though, this win over the All-Ireland champions has eased Kerry’s relegation worries to the point that they can probably afford not to win away to Galway next weekend and still survive in Division One.
Armagh will likely avoid the drop too – their Ulster brethren Derry and Tyrone have their feet on the trapdoor – but they will smart from this loss, no one more so than Kerry legend and now Armagh coach, Kieran Donaghy.
Quite how much that defeat in Croke Park last July fired up Kerry for this mid-March contest is one thing, but Kerry certainly went at Armagh like a team with a score to settle.
It took just 30 seconds for David Clifford to draw a fine save from Blaine Hughes with a stinging shot, and the home side went about their work with ruthless efficiency.
David Clifford converted three close-range frees and brother Paudie followed up from play, and after an exchange of scores between Oisín O’Neill and Micheál Burns, Kerry’s first goal duly arrived.
Hughes botched a short kick-out, which was intercepted by David Clifford who set up Dylan Geaney to fire the ball past the Armagh goalkeeper to make it 1-5 to 0-1.
Geaney then set up David Clifford for a point, and while Armagh mined a couple of scores from Rory Grugan and Conor Turbitt, Kerry remained relentless and ruthless, and a second goal inevitably arrived.
Paul Murphy and Joe O’Connor started the move out of the Kerry defence before Dylan Geaney and David Clifford linked up to send Burns through, before he was dumped to the ground by Oisín Conaty for a penalty.
Paudie Clifford took the spot kick low and precise past Blaine, and the home side added points from Paul Geaney, Joe O’Connor, Jason Foley and two from David Clifford to give Kerry a 2-13 to 0-6 half-time lead.
Two early scores kicked Kerry’s lead out to 15 points early in the second half, so the best Armagh can take from the experience is that they won the last half an hour by 11 points to six.
Rory Grugan converted a couple of frees, Oisín O’Neill and Jarly Óg Burns tried to make things happen and Stefan Campbell came off the Armagh bench and scored two points.
Kerry got a tune out of Tony Brosnan off their bench too, the Dr Crokes man scoring three points, and the only concern – a big one – was the amount of pain midfielder Diarmuid O’Connor looked in after coming down heavily on his shoulder in the final minutes.
Kerry got the win they needed, Armagh will be more miffed at the manner of the defeat rather than the lost points, but Tyrone might be the biggest loser in all of this as they become more detached near the foot of the table.
KERRY: Shane Ryan; Paul Murphy, Jason Foley (0-0-1), Dylan Casey; Gavin White, Mike Breen, Brian Ó Beaglaoich; Diarmuid O’Connor, Joe O’Connor (0-0-1); Micheál Burns (0-0-1), Paudie Clifford (1-0-2, 1-0 pen), Seán O’Brien (0-0-1); David Clifford (0-0-10, 7f), Paul Geaney (0-0-1), Dylan Geaney (1-0-1).
Subs: Tony Brosnan (0-0-3) for D Geaney (50 mins); Graham O’Sullivan for Ó Beaglaoich (57); Conor Geaney for Burns (61); Killian Spillane for P Geaney (66); Ruairi Murphy for J O’Connor (66).
ARMAGH: Blaine Hughes; Aidan Forker, Barry McCambridge, Paddy Burns; Connaire Mackin, Greg McCabe, Peter McGrane; Ciarán Mackin, Oisín O’Neill (0-1-2, 1 2pf, 1f); Jarly Óg Burns (0-0-1), Rory Grugan (0-0-7, 4f), Darragh McMullan; Conor Turbitt (0-0-1, f), Andrew Murnin (0-0-1), Oisín Conaty (0-0-1).
Subs: Ben Crealy for Murnin (temp, 11-14 mins) and for Connaire Mackin (32); Stefan Campbell (0-0-2) for Forker (h/t); Shane McPartlan for Turbitt (51); Jemar Hall for McMullan (55); Joe McElroy for Ciarán Mackin (62).
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork).
