ALLIANZ NFL DIVISION ONE/Kerry 1-16 Monaghan 1-12:MONAGHAN ARRIVED in Kerry with a bit of a mountain to climb to survive in Division One. The summit of their achievement was losing by four points, but within minutes of the final whistle, their small band of supporters gave them a standing ovation off the field. Word had gotten through; they'd survived anyway, edging out Derry by virtue of their scores-for – the basis for separating two teams level on points difference when part of a three-way tie.
It was that close, and the implications being what they are, little wonder manager Séamus McEnaney was beaming in the Killarney sunshine afterwards. Kerry manager Jack O’Connor looked pleased himself, given his team had dismissed their relegation fears with a bit of style, and later he announced that veteran defender Mike McCarthy would be returning to training this week.
So, while Derry and Tyrone make the drop to Division Two, Monaghan can look forward to another season in the top flight. They’d planned an evening out in Killarney last night, regardless of the result, although it was presumably far more enjoyable based on the final outcome here.
“I said if it came down to the last game in Killarney for us to stay in Division One, by hook or by crook, we were going to stay there,” said McEnaney. “And I think the fair reflection on Monaghan’s season is to stay in Division One. It’s seriously important. We’re after working five hard years to get to Division One. So I’m delighted for the lads. I think it’s very important for the future of Monaghan football. And the lads showed serious commitment out there again. It could have got away from us early on. They stuck to their job and we got our just rewards.
“Look, we beat Tyrone. We beat Derry. We’re entitled to stay up.”
Hard to argue with that. Monaghan did compete well throughout with the reigning league and All-Ireland champions, and although they never got closer than three points within the closing stages, they never once let Kerry relax. Both teams lost key players early on; Tomás Freeman retired early for Monaghan with a twisted ankle, and Kerry lost Colm “Gooch” Cooper with a cut over his right eye. They both lost players later on as well when Rory Woods was sent off on a second yellow card, on 53 minutes, while Declan O’Sullivan was handed a straight red on 70 minutes for an off-the-ball strike on Dick Clerkin.
The two goals were effectively what decided the result. Monaghan’s Conor McManus converted a penalty just before half-time to bring them back in touch, at 0-9 to 1-4, but they could never get ahead. And Kerry ultimately pressed on with their goal on 50 minutes, beautifully set-up by Kieran Donaghy and brilliantly finished by team captain Bryan Sheehan. Paul Galvin returned from an eight-week suspension with some sublime form, hitting three sweet points; Donaghy collected three equally impressive points himself, and Tomás Ó Sé marked his first start of the season with a fine defensive display, including one trademark run-and-score from deep within his own half.
“We possibly could have won it by more,” declared O’Connor. “I thought their goal before half-time was a little bit against the run of play and it kept Monaghan in it. There were one or two incidents up the other end where I thought we possibly could have gotten penalties. But Monaghan showed great spirit and character, kind of a mirror image of their manager, a very spirited man, Séamus McEnaney. I am delighted for them as well that they stayed up because I think they deserved it.”
Truth is Kerry played within themselves, essentially doing enough to win, but when playing well, they played very well. Sheehan was a late replacement for Donnacha Walsh and had a fine game, as did Séamus Scanlon at midfield, and when Michael Quirke was introduced he made some fine marks to underline Kerry’s adaptability to the experimental rule. Darran O’Sullivan was typically busy and shot two good points in either half, and Daniel Bohan and Kieran O’Leary also chipped in with a point each – demonstrating that even with their high-profile losses from last year, Kerry still have a formidable panel.
“I think this league in many ways has been better for us than last year’s,” added O’Connor, “because we have found out more about players. It has been a massively competitive league. Every team this year gave a great account of themselves. We are glad to have survived it and found out about our team. It was very encouraging. We are happy overall with the way fellas applied themselves.”
Before closing, O’Connor spoke about the importance of McCarthy’s return: “I think he was vital to our success last year and I think he can be a big part of our attempt to regain the All-Ireland this year. He is a great stabilising influence and the lads have an awful lot of respect for him so it is great to see him back. Sure, the sight of Killarney on a day like this with a good crowd and a high-paced game is enough to bring any fella out of retirement.”
No one could argue with that either.
KERRY: B Kealy; M Ó Se, T Griffin, T O’Sullivan; D Bohan (0-1), T Ó Se (0-1), K Young; S Scanlon, A Maher; Darran O’Sullivan (0-2), Declan O’Sullivan, P Galvin (0-3); C Cooper (0-1), K Donaghy (0-3), B Sheehan (1-4). Subs: BJ Keane for Cooper (eight mins, inj), M Quirke for Maher (48 mins), B Guiney for T O’Sullivan (66 mins), K O’Leary (0-1) for Darran O’Sullivan.
MONAGHAN: S Duffy; N McAdam, JP Mone, D Mone; D Hughes (0-2, one free), V Corey (0-1), C Walshe; D Clerkin, P Finlay (0-2, two frees); S Gollogly, D Malone, K Hughes; C McManus (1-3, one pen, two frees), C Hanratty (0-1), T Freeman. Subs: R Woods (0-2) for T Freeman (7 mins, inj), M McElroy for Malone (27 mins), D Freeman (0-1) for McAdam, D McArdle for K Hughes (both half time), F Caulfield for Gollogly (56 mins).
Referee: Maurice Condon (Waterford).
