Allianz National Football League Division One
Kerry 1-10 Monaghan 2-8 26/2/17
Monaghan moved top of the NFL Division One after round three thanks to a hard-earned win over Kerry in Killarney on Sunday. After a bright start while playing into a stiff breeze, Monaghan fell behind to a David Moran goal and Kerry threatened to pull away, but the visitors hung in and with Jack McCarron finding the net, they closed a five-point deficit to two (1-5 to 1-3) by half-time.
Gavin Doogan netted Monaghan’s second goal on 40 minutes and with McCarron, Kieran Hughes and Conor McManus adding points, they led for most of the second half, helped by stout defending at the other end that restricted Kerry to five pointed frees. The hosts had Bryan Sheehan sent off late on, while Monaghan had earlier lost four players to injury.
Monaghan make the much shorter trip to Omagh to face Tyrone next Saturday evening.
Kerry: B Kealy (0-1f); S Enright, M Griffin, K Young; T Morley (0-1), P Crowley (Capt.), R Shanahan; D Moran (1-0), J Barry; J Lyne, P Murphy (0-1), K McCarthy; J Savage, P Geaney (0-3f), J O’Donoghue (0-3f).
Subs: S O’Brien for Savage (H-T), BJ Keane (0-1f) for Geaney (50 mins), A Spillane for McCarthy (52), A Maher for Barry (black card, 55), D O’Sullivan for Crowley (61), B Sheehan for Moran (64).
Monaghan: R Beggan (0-1f); R Wylie, D Wylie, F Kelly; K O’Connell, C Walshe (Capt.), J Mealiff; D Hughes, K Hughes (0-2); K Duffy, S Carey, G Doogan (1-0); D Malone, J McCarron (1-3, 0-1f), C McManus (0-2).
Subs: N McAdam for Walshe (inj., 29), R McAnespie for Mealiff, O Duffy for D Hughes (both inj., H-T), C McCarthy for O Duffy (inj., 45), T Kerr for Malone (64).
Referee: D O’Mahoney (Tipperary).
By cshalvey Mon 27th Feb
