Kennedy goal the difference as Kerry hold off Kildare rally under new hooter rule
Liam Smith of Kerry in action against Callum Bolton of Kildare during a challenge match at Cedral St Conleth's Park in Newbridge, Kildare. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
No Jack O'Connor, no problem for Kerry who signed off on their programme of games for 2025 with another morale boosting win in Newbridge.
All-Ireland winning manager O'Connor is attending the RTÉ Sport Awards this evening so ceded the reins to Aodan MacGearailt while coach Cian O'Neill and new selector Kieran Donaghy were visible figures on the sideline.
Working off essentially a development panel, with only Jason Foley and Mike Breen retained from the All-Ireland final team, Kerry built up a big early lead and used that as a cushion to eke out a narrow win.
Kerry used 28 different players in total and Tomás Kennedy, who featured briefly in last summer's Championship, struck the goal that ultimately separated the teams.
That goal came in the 15th minute, leaving the Kingdom 11 points ahead at that stage, but they played into the stiff wind in the second-half and clung on for a two-point win, matching their narrow win over Tipperary last weekend.
Former minor and U-20 Donagh O'Sullivan struck both of Kerry's two-pointers on the evening while Cillian Trant scored three points and will look for further NFL game time having featured earlier this year.
It was Kerry's last challenge game before their McGrath Cup opener against Clare on January 6. Kildare will play Wexford in the O'Byrne Cup on January 3 and experimented here too with just five of their Tailteann Cup wnning team lining out. Eoin Cully and Alex Beirne did the bulk of their scoring with eight points split between them.
Both halves ended immediately after the hooter sounded, as per the new regulations. That was significant in the second-half as with two points between the teams, Kildare could have potentally won possession and worked an equaliser under the rules that existed last summer.
Kerry lined out with 10 of the team that started the challenge against Tipperary last weekend.
Foley, Breen, Darragh O'Connor (Kenmare), Keith Evans and Daragh O'Connor (Kerins O'Rahillys) were the five additions.
Kerry played with the stiff wind initially so their task was to put as much daylight as possible between themselves and Kildare by half-time. They kicked two two-pointers, both struck by O'Sullivan, as well as the Kennedy goal, and hit the interval with a 1-14 to 0-6 lead.
The Munster champions hinted with a strong opening quarter, when they led 1-8 to no score, that they might put significantly more on the board.
They registered that 1-8 from just 10 scoring chances, displaying impressive efficiency.
Kennedy found space - too much, in truth - behind Kildare's Dean O'Donoghue for the Kerry goal, latching onto a long delivery and slipping the ball low to the net.
Ryan Sinkey, one of those Kildare starters from the Tailteann Cup final, stopped the rot with back-to-back points in the 16th and 17th minutes.
That gave the crowd of around 1,500 something to finally shout about and Sinkey added a third before Tailteann Cup Player of the Year Beirne and U-20 Eoin Cully found their range.
Impressive blocks deep in their own defence by Foley, Evans and Trant saved Kerry leaking further points in the first-half.
The Kingdom took an age to return to the pitch for the second-half, leaving Kildare standing for five minutes. Chances are it was all the paperwork associated with half a dozen substitutions than any mind games.
Ruairi Murphy, part of last summer's panel, had a point attempt after the restart but the violent swing on the ball, taking it well off target, underlined the strength of the breeze.
Kildare, who have lost Mick O'Grady, Niall Kelly and Daniel Flynn to retirement, capitalised at the other end with five points in a row. Liam Kelly, an U-20 for Kildare last summer, was among the scorers.
Kerry rang the changes throughout the second-half, making a triple change and then a quadruple change.
Veteran Kevin Feely's introduction for Kildare, just a fortnight after the Leinster club final with Athy, was interesting. Clubmate Sean Moore was rewarded for his fine autumn form with a call up too.
Kildare kept the foot down in the second-half with Cully and Neil Flynn slotting important scores before 2025 U-20 Ben Loakman knocked over a late two-pointer, reducing the deficit to just two.
Tomas Kennedy 1-2, Donagh O'Sullivan 0-5 (2 tp), Cillian Trant 0-3, Keith Evans 0-2, Ruairi Murphy 0-2, Armin Heinrich 0-1, Liam Smith 0-1, Daragh O'Connor (Kerins O'Rahillys) 0-1, Darragh O'Connor (Beaufort) 0-1.
Alex Beirne 0-4 (2 frees, 1 tpf), Eoin Cully 0-4 (1 free), Ryan Sinkey 0-3, Neil Flynn 0-2, Callum Bolton 0-2, Ben Loakman 0-2 (tp), Liam Kelly 0-1, Darragh Ryan 0-1.
Michael Tansley; Tadhg Morley, Jason Foley, Darragh O'Connor (Kenmare); Armin Heinrich, Mike Breen, Eddie Healy; Liam Smith, Cillian Trant; Donagh O'Sullivan, Ruairi Murphy, Thomas O'Donnell; Daragh O'Connor (Kerins O'Rahillys), Tomas Kennedy, Keith Evans.
Paddy Lane for Smith, Ciaran Collins for Kennedy, Evan Boyle for O'Sullivan, Liam Evans for Breen, Dan Murphy for Foley and Daniel Kirby for O'Donnell (all h/t); Cathal Brosnan for Trant, Sean O'Connell for Morley and Cian O'Grady for Murphy (all 52); Kieran O'Sullivan for Darragh O'Connor (Kenmare), Paul O'Shea for Daragh O'Connor (Kerins O'Rahillys), Darragh O'Connor (Beaufort) for Evans and Sean Broderick for Tansley (all 55);
Cian Burke; Liam Kelly, Ryan Burke, Dean O'Donoghue; Darragh Ryan, James Harris, Sean Moore; Dan Lynam, Callum Bolton; Brian McLoughlin, Alex Beirne, Neil Flynn; Eoin Cully, Ben Loakman, Ryan Sinkey.
Tommy Gill for O'Donoghue (h/t); Kevin Feely for McLoughlin (49); Darragh Swords for Sinkey (53); Cathal White for Moore (55); Didier Cordonnier for Cian Burke (55); Sam Doran for Flynn (61); Niall Dolan for Beirne (65); Ciaran Flanagan for Bolton (66).
Brendan Cawley (Kildare).
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