Allianz Football League Division One: Derry 1-24 Kerry 5-15
OF all the new rules that put on their Sunday best in Celtic Park, the one Jack O’Connor felt was most impactful was the need to keep three men up the pitch.
The Kerry boss admitted Derry had been victims of a “smash and grab” in Celtic Park, where the Kingdom hit three goals in the dying minutes to win a chaotic encounter by 1-24 to 5-15.
The past masters of kick-passing, Kerry were far from at their best yet on the occasions they were able to lift their heads and move the ball fast by foot, they hurt Derry.
“The three-up is a big one,” said the four-time All-Ireland winning boss.
“If there was no other rule than that, it will help the game and the transition from defence to attack no end. Every attack last year by in large was a slow attack. Now you can transition by foot.
“That is how we got the two goals in the first half. We turned them over and broke hard, we kicked and linked inside.
“Obviously the kickouts are more interesting. A lot of kickouts up for grabs, breaking ball. I thought Diarmuid O’Connor was immense today. Really showed his metal because he was up against a big man in Glass and a monster in Tohill.”
Kerry host Donegal on Saturday afternoon in the refixed game from round one, with Jim McGuinness present in Celtic Park following his own side’s win over Dublin on Saturday night.
With his tongue firmly implanted in his cheek, O’Connor referenced that “I think the whole country knows they have a lot of training done. Probably a good bit more than us. So… I’m trying to be as diplomatic as I can there.”
As for Derry, they played most of the football but went down to a second straight defeat. With only two more home games, they’re looking at a battle to retain their Division One status eleven months after winning it.
Paddy Tally confirmed after the game that Ballinderry duo Gareth McKinless and Niall O’Donnell are both out injured for the long term.
2023 Allstar centre-back McKinless has suffered a torn cruciate ligament. It’s understood that he played through the injury in his club’s recent All-Ireland semi-final and final games.
O’Donnell suffered a torn hamstring in the semi-final win over Austin Stacks and has undergone surgery to repair it.
“Gareth has a bad injury. Gareth won’t be playing this season. He’s done his cruciate and so he’s out,” said the Oak Leaf boss.
“And Niall O’Donnell has gone through a surgery there for a hamstring injury so now he’s going to be out for a considerable amount of time as well.”
There was better news regarding the trio of Padraig McGrogan, who was togged in boots and kicking about in the warm-up, as well as Conor McCluskey and Niall Loughlin.
All three are expected to be back in action next month in good time for championship, which would help beef up a side whose inexperience was perhaps evident in the second half.
“I’m really disappointed because I thought we made a big improvement from last week’s performance against Tyrone and I think we’re much, much better today,” said Tally.
“But you can’t give away five goals in a game and expect to win. It’s just impossible so I think that’s the biggest learning point first.
“The last ten minutes seemed like as if it lasted for a week.
“Is it very difficult to get game management into those last ten minutes because you can’t use a short kick-out or you can’t go back to the keeper so it’s difficult and you rely on possession at that point.
“It is helter-skelter and it seems to be the nature of the game now.”