NFL/Division 2A/Kerry 2-10; Armagh 2-9: It was billed by Kerry boss Páidí Ó Sé as a game that the Kingdom simply had to win. After a game played with championship fervour, the home side recovered from a disastrous start to grab the vital league points at a packed Austin Stack Park, Tralee that maintains their push for a quick return to the top flight. Ó Sé was a relieved man as Kerry came back from a start that saw them concede two goals inside the opening three minutes.
Armagh got off to a whirlwind start as Eamon Fitzmaurice started in the corner and Michael McCarthy went to full back for Kerry. Within 65 seconds, Armagh struck for a goal when a long ball by Kieran McGeeney found Stevan McDonald and his cross was finished to the net by Paddy McKeever. Kerry had hardly a chance to draw their breath when McDonald again blasted the ball to the net. However, late in the half, Séamus Moynihan inspired a revival and they crashed two goals to the Armagh net to lead 2-7 to 2-5 at the interval.
The second half was damp squib compared to the first, with Kerry's full forward line of Dara Ó Cínneide, Liam Hassett and Aodhan Mac Gearailt looking all at sea and, despite good ball, they never looked like scoring. Armagh were running into an outstanding Kerry defence in which Mike McCarthy at full back was superb.
Moynihan and Tomás Ó Sé ruled midfield and so, despite two frees from Oisín McConville and a John McEntee point from play, Armagh couldn't find the top gear they needed. They lost Enda McNulty who was red-carded in the 53th minute and that was that. Kerry's only second-half scores were two Noel Kennelly points in the 53th and 56th minute and a long-range free from Ó Cínneide in the 65th.
KERRY: D O'Keeffe; M Ó Sé, E Fitzmaurice, M McCarthy; J Sheehan, T Ó Sé, T O'Sullivan; D Ó Sé (0-1), S Moynihan; S O'Sullivan, N Kennelly (1-5, three frees), E Brosnan (1-0); D Quill (0-1), A MacGearailt, I Twiss (0-1). Subs: D Ó Cínneide (0-2, frees) for I Twiss, E Galvin for M Ó Sé, L Hassett for D Quill, K Lynch for A Mac Gearailt.
ARMAGH: B Tierney; E McNulty, J McNulty, J Donaldson; K Hughes, F Bellew, A McCann; P McGrane, J Toal; D Marsden (0-2), J McEntee (0-1), O McConville (0-6, all frees); P McKeever (1-0), S McDonnell (1-0), K McGeeney. Subs: A O'Rourke for J McNulty, P Loughran for P McKeever, K McElvanna for K Hughes.
Referee: M Walsh (Limerick)
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