After five rounds in the Allianz Football League, Kerry sit at the top of the table after a strong showing over Mayo this weekend.
Armagh continued to impress and could very well make a final spot if they finish strongly this weekend, while elsewhere wins for Monaghan and Dublin aided their survival hopes.
Armagh 1-12 Kildare 0-10, Athletic Grounds
Armagh continued their surge at the top of the Division One table, getting the better of Kildare in a tenacious battle at the Athletic Grounds.
At times it looked like Armagh wanted to make life more difficult for themselves, but a composed showing in the second half by Kieran McGeeney’s men, added to Kildare’s poor discipline saw them home.
Stefan Campbell proved to be a fantastic addition off the bench, an impact late on when Armagh needed something to see off the Lilywhites, he added two superb points while setting up two more for the ever accurate Rian O’Neill, which helped keep their opponents at arm’s length in a frantic finish.
Kerry 1-12 Mayo 0-14, Austin Stack Park
Kerry look to be in the driver’s seat for a spot in the league final next month, after they secured a narrow one point win in a frantic contest in Tralee.
Their forward line again showed real scoring prowess, with Tony Brosnan managing to goal early in the opening half, giving them a 1-6 to 0-6 lead at the break.
Mayo to their credit looked a strong side, Ryan O’Donoghue every hit as impressive as David Clifford in the opposition, he managed six converted frees and a pointed mark, five of which came in the second half.
Matthew Ruane drew them level in the 63rd minute, before Clifford and O’Donoghue would exchange frees, in a dramatic final few minutes.
A careless foul by Aidan O’Shea on Stephen O’Brien handed Clifford a tap over free in the 76th minute, Mayo tried to level matters late on but an effort from Lee Keegan sailed wide of the uprights.
Monaghan 1-12 Donegal 0-10, Páirc Seán MacCumhaill
Monaghan ended Donegal’s unbeaten streak in Ballybofey, a streak that goes back to 2010 as they keep their Division One survival hopes alive.
Monaghan did all of the damage in the opening half, they dominated proceedings against a stiff breeze, Andrew Woods hit the back of the net which proved to be a big score for their momentum.
The result is a great one for Monaghan in the hopes of being survivors in Division One, the win giving them a lifeline which takes them to four points while Donegal are just a point better off on five.
The visitors looked stronger all afternoon and hit three wides, before Kieran Duffy showed the way with a point from distance toward the end of the second half.
Donegal cut the lead to two before Monaghan capitalised again late on, Gary Mohan however had a chance to seal it but Shaun Patton made a great point blank save in the Donegal net, but clever scoring late on saw them victorious.
Dublin 0-13 Tyrone 0-8, Healy Park
Dublin have ended their recent spell of poor form in the division, with a victory over the All Ireland holders in Omagh. A much needed win for the Dubs but it keeps them rooted bottom of the table.
Their opening half performance was nothing short of what we have known from them, they looked error free in the opening half having kicked ten unanswered points, to demonstrate their dominance on the game with eight different scores on the board.
Tyrone were down to 14 men early in the second half with Padraig Hamsey seeing red, he was black carded earlier for another rough challenge. Despite the man advantage they took their chances in the second half, but the Dubs proved too strong to break down in the second half.
Diarmuid Kearney
Diarmuid Kearney is a freelance Sports Journalist based in Co Kerry. He has more than 5 years experience covering domestic and international soccer for different media organisations, while also working for local and national print and digital organisations covering GAA.