National Football League finals: Kerry picked up the first piece of silverware in Jack O'Connor's latest term in the Kingdom with a narrow 1-15 to 0-15 win over Derry. The defending champions refused to concede defeat throughout a tight contest but Kerry kept their noses in from to claim the title.
Having lost out to the same opposition in last year’s decider, Kerry extracted a measure of revenge in front of a sparsely populated Croke Park and laid down a marker that they are well equipped to mount another serious All-Ireland challenge in the process.
Colm Cooper, with six of his side’s total, was well supported in attack by Tommy Walsh, Kieran Donaghy and Darren O’Sullivan while replacements Tadhg Kennelly and David Moran also looked sharp when introduced.
Their defence was given a stern examination by the Bradley brothers, Eoin and Paddy, and Mark Lynch, but restricted the Derry attack to shooting from distance for most of the 70 minutes.
Trailing 0-2 to 0-0, Kerry got the game’s only goal in the ninth minute as Donncha Walsh linked up well with Micheal Quirke before opting for precision and placing his shot into the bottom corner.
It gave the Kingdom a lead they would never relinquish as, despite coming within a point on several occasions, Derry could not quite manage to get back on level terms.
In the curtain-raiser at headquarters, Cork were crowned Division Two champions with a comfortable win over a lacklustre Monaghan.
The foundations for Cork’s triumph were laid in the first-half where, with Donnacha O'Connor and Daniel Goulding chipping in with three points apiece, Conor Counihan’s side opened up a 0-10 to 0-4 lead.
That six-point advantage would prove insurmountable for Monaghan as, despite grabbing the first three scores after the break, they succumbed to a 1-14 to 0-12 defeat.
Pierce O'Neill, Daniel Goulding and Patrick Kelly all pointed for Cork with Monaghan offering little in reply, before a James Masters goal sealed the win.
National Football League final results
Division One
Kerry 1-15 Derry 0-15
Division Two
Cork 1-14 Monaghan 0-12
Division Three
Down 1-14 Tipperary 0-18
Division Four
Sligo 1-12 Antrim 1-10