Donegal inflict another defeat on Kerry
Kerry on the brink of relegation after fourth reverse of league campaign
O Se will now miss next weekend's game against Down, and younger brother Marc mostly likely will too: he retired after 28 minutes after sustaining a hard knock on his right hip, and unable to run it off, suggests a seriousness that could keep him out of action in the short term.
Donegal started with 10 of the team that took down Kerry last summer, (Kerry started with 10 of theirs, too), after two late changes, Declan Walsh replacing Anthony Thompson, and Ryan McHugh his brother Mark. Unlike Kerry, they found an easy spread of scorers, Ryan Bradley adding one before the break, plus a free from Colm Mc Fadden, their more direct and urgent football in stark contrast to Kerry.
Only two of Kerry's forwards could score, 0-4 of their six points, with three of those coming from Johnny Buckley - including one free. Darran O'Sullivan popped up for the other, midway through the second half, and beyond that no one else even came close. Donnchadh Walsh, Jonathan Lyne, James O'Donoghue and Michael Geaney hardly ruffled the Donegal defence, O'Donoghue actually replaced by a defender, Fionn Fitzgerald, after O Se was red-carded.
Kieran Donaghy did make a few threatening catches in front of goal late on, and fouled during one of them, Kerry were rewarded a penalty, and with that the chance to put a little more respect on the score: substitute Kieran O'Leary stepped up eagerly, yet Paul Durkan got a hand to it, thus adding a little more misery to Kerry.
DONEGAL: P Durkan; P McGrath, N McGee, E McGee; D Walsh, F McGlynn, R McHugh; R Kavanagh (0-1), N Gallagher; R Wherity, L McLoone (0-2), R Bradley (0-1); P McBrearty (0-1), M Murphy (1-5, two frees), C McFadden (0-2, one free).
Subs: M McElhinney for Wherity (53 mins), D Molloy for McBrearty (55 mins), M Smyt for Kavanagh (63 mins), G McFadden for Gallagher (65 mins).
KERRY: B Kealy; M O Se, A O'Mahony, S Enright; T O Se (0-1), K Young,P Crowley; K Donaghy, E Brosnan (0-1); J Lyne, D Walsh, J Buckley (0-3, one free); J O'Donoghue, D O'Sullivan (0-1), M Geaney.
Subs: B McGuire for M O Se (28 mins, inj), F Fitzgerald for O'Donoghue (47 mins), J Sherwood for Crowley (53 mins), K O'Leary for O'Sullivan (62 mins), A Garnett for Buckley (70 mins).
Referee: Derek Fahy (Longford).
