Two of the most resourceful managers in existence to face each other in Killarney

Jim McGuinness and his Conallach gang will finally make their way to Kerry today to face the men of the Kingdom.

This game was postponed two weeks ago when Storm Éowyn prevented the Donegal team from making their way down to Kerry but it was clear that both teams took advantage of the delay to get in some extra training and both teams won their first games in the national league last week.

Donegal had a four-point win over Dublin in Ballybofey as Kerry snatched the points from Derry with the Geaneys of Dingle playing a strong role in the victory. Conor Geaney scored two goals in the first half, one of which was set up by his brother Dylan, and their cousin Paul came on as a substitute to score two more goals and create another in injury time as Kerry came from behind to beat their opponents.

Derry were far better for long periods of the game, however, and Paddy Tally will be sorely disappointed that they failed to win the game when they were five points ahead with four minutes remaining. The new rules certainly played a part in the resilience but Jack O’Connor and the locals who will be at the Geraldine Stadium this evening will be expecting a better display from start to finish.

Donegal had a more comfortable win over Dublin the night before and were four points clear of the capital’s men. The Donegals had the upper hand in the first half and were 0-11 to 0-6 ahead at the break thanks to the 0-6 scored by Daire Ó Baoill Ghaoth Dobhair, two one-point scores and two other two-point scores.

Donegal managed to hold off a young Dublin side in the second half and a tough clash is expected today in Killarney. Donegal won the last league match between the western teams in 2023 but Kerry defeated the Connells narrowly in 2022 and in 2020 when they travelled south.

The new date for this match means that the teams will be playing five consecutive weekends, which will put both squads under pressure and Jim McGuinness is already calling for an extra substitute to be allowed into games due to the impact of the new rules. We could see some changes from last week, but with two of the most resourceful managers in existence coming together, we may see a few new tricks in Killarney.