Monaghan made a disappointing start to the All-Ireland series following a heavy defeat to Kerry at Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney.
Kerry were the superior outfit throughout, Jack O’Connor’s men were full value for a 0-24 to 1-11 victory.
The Kingdom made a blistering start and got off the mark after just 20 seconds. Paudie Clifford with the opening score.
Gary Mohan restored parity from an advanced mark 60 seconds later and the Farney men almost scored a goal on three minutes.
Conor McCarthy collected a delightful pass before shooting straight at Kerry goalkeeper Shane Ryan.
Kerry subsequently found another gear. The hosts started dominating the possession stakes resulting in seven successive scores.
Tom O’Sullivan and David Clifford registered two points each with Paul Geaney, Tony Brosnan and Paul Murphy also on target.
Micheal Bannigan registered Monaghan’s first score from play on 19 minutes but Kerry still trailed 0-8 to 0-2.
Kerry quickly recovered momentum. Seven unanswered points saw Jack O’Connor’s men lead 0-15 to 0-2 at the break.
David Clifford opened Kerry’s second-half account within a minute of the restart. 60 seconds later Monaghan spurned a goal chance.
Stephen O'Hanlon and Micheal Bannigan combined to set up Andrew Woods, the latter palmed the ball wide from close range.
Monaghan show slight improvement
Monaghan replied with two quickfire scores. Andrew Woods slots over a mark before Conor McCarthy added a delighful effort from play, however the Farney men were still 12 points down.
Kerry had a healthy spread of scorers throughout. Corner-back Tom O’Sullivan scored his third point on 47 minutes as Kerry led 0-19 to 0-4.
Monaghan’s Gary Mohan scored the game’s only goal on 58 minutes. The midfielder pounced after Shane Ryan fisted away Conor McCarthy’s dropping ball.
Conor McManus reduced the margin to ten points eight minutes from time, the sides cancelled each other out thereafter as Kerry claimed a convincing victory.
WATCH: FULL-TIME HIGHLIGHTS.
Kerry do the business in Killarney.@Kerry_Official 0-24@monaghangaa 1-11#GAANOW pic.twitter.com/HephoJNQBn
— The GAA (@officialgaa) May 18, 2024
