NL Roundup: Kerry Beats Monaghan at Inniskeen | GAA News

David Clifford kicked 0-6 for the Kingdom, while second-half substitute Conor McManus scored 0-5 for Monaghan

David Clifford was in his prime

A recap of the National Football League action on Saturday as inter-county Gaelic football resumed after a seven-month hiatus.

Monaghan 0-14 Kerry 0-17

David Clifford led the line for Kerry as they kept their Division 1 title ambitions alive with a three-point win at Inniskeen.

Peter Keane will be pleased with his team’s defensive solidity as they kept Monaghan largely frustrated by a victory that keeps the Ulster team in relegation danger.

Farney County struggled to deal with Clifford in the early stages, with Kerry’s captain scoring the opening two points and creating another for Tony Brosnan. While the Kingdom was the most impressive in the initial exchanges, the home team stayed in touch.

With Conor McManus starting on the bench, Seamus McEnaney’s charges were based on a wider range of scorers, with Andrew Woods, Dessie Ward, Fintan Kelly, Micheál Bannigan and Kieran Hughes all raising white flags.

It was Kerry who led 0-10 to 0-6 at the break, and both teams failed to convert on scoring opportunities.

Darren Hughes of Monaghan in action against David Moran of Kerry

McManus jumped in the second half and made a big impact contributing 0-5.

The three-time All-Star injected himself into his team’s attack, with some well-taken scores, and looked like a threat every time he gained possession.

Munster’s team appeared to be in control for most of the competition and had enough to withstand a late comeback from their hosts to seal the victory.

Monaghan: Rory Beggan (0-1 – 0-1 ’45); Kieran Duffy, Conor Boyle, Ryan Wylie; Ryan McAnespie, Fintan Kelly (0-1), Karl O’Connell; Darren Hughes, Kieran Hughes (0-1); Dermot Malone, Micheál Bannigan (0-1), Dessie Ward (0-1); Conor McCarthy, Andrew Woods (0-1), Shane Carey.

Subs: Conor McManus (0-5 – 0-2 free) by Conor McCarthy, Christopher McGuinness (0-2 – 0-1 mark) by Dermot Malone, Stephen O’Hanlon (0-1) by Andrew Woods, James McKenna by Karl O’Connell, Drew Wylie for Ryan McAnespie.

Kerry: Shane Ryan; Jason Foley (0-1), Tadhg Morley, Tom O’Sullivan (0-1); Paul Murphy (0-1), Peter Crowley, Gavin White (0-1); David Moran (0-1), Diarmuid O’Connor (0-1); Micheál Burns, Sean O’Shea (0-2 – 0-1 ’45), Ronan Buckley; Tony Brosnan 0-3, David Clifford (0-6 – 0-2 points, 0-1 free), Dara Moynihan.

Subs: Jonathan Lyne for Micheál Burns, Brian Ó Beaglaíoch for Dara Moynihan, Paudie Clifford for Ronan Buckley, Killian Spillane for Tony Brosnan, Tommy Walsh for David Moran.

A local spectator tries to watch the game in Inniskeen.

Division 2

Westmeath breathed fire into their promotional momentum, as a Jamie Ganoud goal helped them beat Leinster’s rivals Laois 1-18 to 0-13. County O’Moore could now find themselves in a relegation fight, ahead of their final game against Fermanagh.

Division 3

Leitrim handed him a Down pass, after Connacht County failed to line up a team as several players awaited coronavirus test results.

Division 4

Wicklow vs. Antrim was the first game of the day, marking the return of inter-county action after a seven-month hiatus.

And it was Garden County that was left without complete winners, beating the Saffrons 7-11 to 0-7.

Watch Inside The Game every Wednesday night on Sky Sports Mix. You can catch up on this week’s episode on the YouTube channel Sky Sports.