Hurling & Camogie

Kingdom finish strongly to see off determined Derry challenge in Allianz Hurling League opener

Derry Mark Craig, Corey O'Reilly and Richie Mullan with Dan Goggin of Kerry during the NHL match played at Celtic Park Derry on Saturday. Picture Margaret McLaughlin 4-2-2023.
Derry Mark Craig, Corey O'Reilly and Richie Mullan with Dan Goggin of Kerry during the NHL match played at Celtic Park Derry on Saturday. Picture Margaret McLaughlin 4-2-2023. Derry Mark Craig, Corey O'Reilly and Richie Mullan with Dan Goggin of Kerry during the NHL match played at Celtic Park Derry on Saturday. Picture Margaret McLaughlin 4-2-2023.

Allianz Hurling League Division 2A: Derry 0-14 Kerry 2-22

A POWERFUL final quarter saw Kerry run out handsome winners over Derry at Celtic Park on Saturday.

Free-taker Padraig Boyle top scored with 11 points, while second half majors from Eoin Ross and Paudie O’Connor drove the final two nails into Derry’s coffin.

However, despite the one-sided scoreboard Derry impressed in spells against the strongly favoured Kerrymen. The Oak Leafers' hurling was neat and clean, while they harried and harassed their opponents up until the hour mark when their lung bursting efforts finally took a toll. New manager Johnny McGarvey certainly looks to have stamped his mark with only three week’s work banked in the build up to the new season.

Cormac O’Doherty stationed himself in a largely effective sweeper role, before pushing forward late in the game when Derry required scores.

Despite playing into the breeze, wafting in from the Foyle Bridge side, Kerry drew first blood when chief target man Padraig Boyle converted an early free.

Two James Friel points, however, handed Derry an early one point lead. Indeed the young Swatragh player impressed throughout the 70 minutes. Better news for Derry soon followed when Kerry’s Colin Walsh was given his marching orders for a strike in the 4th minute of play.

The Kingdom didn’t panic, however. A brace of points from play by Daniel Collins and that man Boyle restored Kerry’s lead to 0-6 to 0-2 after fifteen minutes.

Derry’s best score of the first half from Paul Cleary left the home side trailing 0-8 to 0-5. But despite playing with just fourteen men, the visitors stretched their lead to six points with points from the dancing Shane Conway and a third from midfielder Daniel Collins.

Derry hit a decent spell late in the half with points from John Mullan, who beautifully robbed his man of the ball before converting, and Cormac O’Doherty’s first score of the game.

Two Boyle frees deep into injury time left Kerry in control at the break, leading 0-13 to 0-8.

Derry started the second half brightly, despite facing a head wind and an eye-stinging sun when it appeared in the skies. Richie Mullan’s 50th minute point pulled the scoreboard back to 0-16 to 0-14.

But after that the Oakleafers ran out of steam. Kerry, conditioned supremely by recent Munster League contests with Limerick and Cork, finished with some aplomb. Stephen Molumphy’s side hit an unanswered 2-5 to romp home as Derry legs tired all across the pitch.

Derry: E Mullholland, S Cassidy, M Craig, R Mullan, S F Quinn, R Mullan (0-1), M McGrath (0-1), C O’Reilly (0-1), J Mullan (0-1), C O’Doherty (0-4 frees), P Cleary (0-1), D McGilligan, J Friel (0-5 frees), P Neilis, R McSorley

Subs: C O’Kane for R Mullan (h-t), C Quinn for R McSorley (51), C Gough for P Neilis (60), A Duffin for P Cleary (65), D Kelly for C O’Reilly (70)

Kerry: J O’Halloran, C O’Keeffe, T Brick, E Murphy, E Leen, M Boyle, E Ross (1-1), F McKessy, D Collins (0-3), S Conway (0-2), C Walsh, D Griffin (0-2), N Mulcahy, D Goggins (0-1), P Boyle (0-11 frees)

Subs: K O’Connor for T Brick (HT), B Barrett for N Mulchay (HT), K Carmody (0-2) for D Goggin (55), P O’Connor (1-0) for E Murphy (55), P Lucid for P Boyle (63)

Ref.: C McDonald (Antrim)