Allianz National Football League Division One:
Monaghan v Kerry (Sunday, 3pm, Clones)
THE winter coat has been shed, and that makes Kerry a different animal altogether.
They come up the road to Clones in form that is typical for the time of year, having begun with a couple of equally recognisable defeats. In the last decade, they have lost 11 of the 20 games they have played in the opening two rounds of the National League - an extraordinarily high loss percentage for the Kingdom.
This season was the third time in ten years they have lost their opening two games in the top flight. It’s the eighth year in ten they’ve lost at least one of them. But as sure as the sun will set tomorrow evening, Kerry will be playing in the top flight next year. No matter how difficult they may appear to make it for themselves, it’s just their home.
They will travel up the N52 on Saturday off the back of three consecutive wins, which quickly loosened any slight clench that this might be the season when two opening defeats catch up on them.
“That’s often the case that they take a wee while to get going,” said Monaghan boss Malachy O’Rourke.
“The last three games they’ve picked up points and they’re going well. They’ve a number of men back fit again.
“That’s why you want to be in the first division; you want to test yourself against the best teams and the best players. It gives you a better idea going forward of exactly where you’re at, who’s acquitting themselves well, who isn’t doing as well and how you’re generally doing as a team.”
St Tiernach’s Park is a place that no visiting team really wants to go. Of Monaghan’s last 29 league and Championship games at the venue, they have won 24 and drawn one. Of the four they lost, one was by a point (2015 v Cork), another by two points (2016 v Mayo) and the other by a goal (2014 v Donegal).
Only Dublin, who wiped them by 11 points last March, have gotten out of Clones easily. And yet, you could argue that the campaign as it stands suggests Monaghan still have something to prove in the top flight.
Neil Loughran, Andy Watters and Cahair O'Kane run the rule over this weekend's match-ups in Division One:
Wins over promoted pair Down and Roscommon - the latter narrowly on the opening day, before the Rossies found their feet - have been their only source of points so far. But then they would argue that winning in Tyrone, Donegal and Kerry last term was plenty of food for the doubters.
Kieran Hughes is again only fit for a place on the bench as his brother Darren and Neil McAdam pair up again at midfield. Daniel McKenna is expected to again partner Conor McManus inside, while Thomas Kerr is preferred to Conor McCarthy in the half-forward line.
Kerry travel without injured captain Bryan Sheehan, but have the luxury of replacing him with David Moran, who makes his first appearance of the season. It’s Brian Kelly’s turn in the number one jersey ahead of Brendan Kealy as Eamonn Fitzmaurice continues to keep a good eye on both his ‘keepers.
Paul Geaney and Killian Young both return to the subs after long spells out, and with the likes of Barry John Keane and Jonathan Lyne also in reserve, Kerry have a stronger bench.
“We know if we play as we did against Cork the last day there’ll only be one winner, so we have to produce a really good performance,” said O’Rourke.
Monaghan’s need may be greater, but Kerry won’t want any final day worries going into a derby with Cork. A draw.
TEAM NEWS
Monaghan: R Beggan; C Walshe, D Wylie, R Wylie; D Mone, F Kelly, K O’Connell; N McAdam, D Hughes; S Carey, D Malone, T Kerr; R McAnespie, D McKenna, C McManus; Subs: M Keogh, C Boyle, J McCarron, K Duffy, V Corey, N McKeown, K Hughes, O Duffy, C McCarthy, B McGinn, F McGeough
Kerry: B Kelly; M Ó Sé, M Griffin, S Enright; P Crowley, A O’Mahony, F Fitzgerald; K Donaghy, D Moran; J Buckley, P Murphy, D Walsh; D O’Sullivan, C Cooper, S O’Brien; Subs: B Kealy, K Young, A Fitzgerald, BJ Keane, P O’Connor, B O’Sullivan, P Kilkenny, J Lyne, P Geaney, A Walsh
