A clash of the green and gold armies.
There was nothing between Kerry and Donegal in their Fitzgerald Stadium clash in the first round of the League on Sunday.
It was a new look Kingdom outfit with four players making debuts. Micheal Burns, Sean Ó Sé and Cormac Coffey made their senior bows in the green and gold. All eyes, however, were on David Clifford. The Fossa club man who turned every GAA head in the country with a string of lethal displays in a terrific two year minor career was named at corner forward.
This is the big time, now. Clifford acquitted himself well in a tight game, notching a point from a free and setting up a couple of points for Barry John Keane on the other corner.
His day ended after 48 minutes when he was replaced by Jack Savage. He didn’t go to town, but an experience like this will be invaluable for him and his development as a player.
He lasted longer than Donegal’s League debutante, Nathan Mullins, the son of Dublin legend Brian who transferred to Declan Bonner’s side for the 2018 season.
Nathan Mullins gets a straight red Donegal reduced to 14 Men
— CLG Dhún na nGall (@officialdonegal) January 28, 2018
The St. Vincent’s club man received a straight red card after 15 minutes of play in Killarney for an incident involving Kerry midfielder Brendan O’Sullivan.
That didn’t hold back the men from the hills, if anything it seemed to spur them on in this contest. Paddy McBrearty’s reliable left boot kept them in it for much of it. He obliged on countless occasions from frees and from open play.
This game was all about Odhran MacNiallais, however.
A telling blow arrived for the men of the hills at the start of last season when the 25-year-old decided to take a year out of the game in order to travel to America.
Mac Niallais was dearly missed by Rory Gallagher, and by his county.
Today he scored a crucial 1-1 when the game was in the melting pot in the second half. After Paul Geaney pointed a penalty with Eamon Fitzmaurice’s men trailing by two, Donegal kicked on and looked for all the world as if they had this one.
Kerry goaled through Geaney and they were up by one deep in injury time.
Then Donegal sub Darrach O’Connor raised a late green flag.
Kerry tied it up, before Donegal went down to thirteen men, and lost this one by a point.
They will rue their two reds and four yellow cards.
NFL R1 @allianzireland
Full Time Kerry: 2-18(24)
Donegal: 3-14(23)— Kerry GAA (@Kerry_Official) January 28, 2018
This was a cracker. Gaelic football is back.
