NFL Division 1: Donegal 1-22 Kerry 1-18
Dáire Ó Baoill netted a crucial first-half goal as Donegal toppled Kerry in Ballyshannon.
Donegal are unbeaten in their last 10 games at Fr Tierney Park and a record crowd, a capacity audience of 9,000, bore witness to a day of super scores under a St Brigid’s Day sun.
Ó Baoill’s goal put Donegal into a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. By half-time, points by Conor O’Donnell and Peadar Mogan had them 1-9 to 0-8 in front.
On the resumption, Michael Langan landed a pair of rousing two-pointers to stretch the hosts’ lead and Finnbarr Roarty – maintaining the form that saw him crowned 2025 Young Footballer of the Year – added his third of the afternoon.
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By then, Donegal were nine in front, 1-14 to 0-8, but had to hang on a little in the last minute after Seán O’Shea spurred Kerry into a fightback and sub Donagh O’Sullivan plundered a late goal
“Good, I suppose,” mused Donegal manger Jim McGuinness afterwards. “In the main good. A lot of positives.
“There’s things to work on, to be honest, but at the same time, it felt comfortable enough for most of it. It gives us four (leauge) points, which is the most important thing of all.
“We can now start to look at different things and different scenarios and more game time for different people as well.”
Donegal were still leading by seven and Tony Brosnan had just spurned a free when Michael Murphy was thrown on for his first taste of competitive action since the All-Ireland final.
“He had a surgery after the final and we’ve been trying to manage him and build him up from that,” said McGuinness. “It’s been a long enough road, actually, since that. It’s great to have him back on the pitch.”
Of the teams that walked behind the Artane Band before last year’s All-Ireland final, Donegal fielded nine, with six of Kerry’s starters playing here. That number didn’t include David Clifford, the Fossa man not on the bus despite having been named in the team.
But O’Shea had his shoulder firmly to the wheel, an 11-point haul which included four sumptuous two-point frees. Brosnan also weighed in with a couple of monster scores.
Kerry inched their way back and there was just over a minute to go when O’Sullivan finished low after a scramble in the Donegal area.
Briefly, Kerry might have sensed they could snatch something, but Donegal broke their next attack and Murphy curled over to close the deal.
“Disappointed with the result, but in the circumstances happy enough,” said Kerry manager Jack O’Connor. “Certain periods, the five minutes before half-time, and maybe the 10 minutes after half-time, they killed us.
“Early in the second half it looked like we were going to get a bit of a beating. I’d be happy with a lot of aspects of our display and we dug in. We made a game out of it. In the last 10 minutes there I thought we were the team in the ascendancy. We had half a sniff. Overall Donegal were the better team but I’d be happy with our attitude and hunger.”
DONEGAL: G Mulreany (0-0-1’45); C McColgan, B McCole, P Mogan (0-0-2); K Gallagher, C McGonagle, F Roarty (0-0-3); H McFadden (0-1-0), M Langan (0-2-0); D Ó Baoill (1-0-2), S O’Donnell, C Moore (0-0-2); C O’Donnell (0-0-3, 1f), J McGee, S Malone (0-0-1). Subs: R McHugh for Gallagher (44 mins), M Murphy (0-0-2, 1f) for Malone (52), E Gallagher for Ó Baoill (62), Gallen for S O’Donnell (62), K Muldoon for C O’Donnell (68).
KERRY: S Murphy; E Looney, J Foley, D Casey; A Heinrich (0-0-1), M Breen, T Morley; S O’Brien, C Trant; J O’Connor, S O’Shea (0-4-3, 4tpf, 1m, 1’45), M Burns; K Spillane, T Kennedy, T Brosnan (0-2-2, 2tpf, 1f). Subs: L Smith for O’Brien (19 mins), C Keating for Breen (h-t), D Lyne for Spillane (41), D O’Sullivan (1-0-0) for Burns (52), R Murphy for Trant (55).
Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).
