Kelly played on the NUI Galway team that lost the 2018 Sigerson Cup final.[2] He was still on the NUI Galway team when the university won the 2022 Sigerson Cup, the only player to have featured in both games.[3]
In the 2022 All-Ireland quarter-finalbetween Armagh and Galway at Croke Park, he — along with Armagh joint[7] captain Aidan Nugent — was controversially[8][9][10][11] shown a straight red card following a brawl before extra-time. Television cameras could not detect any involvement by Kelly in the violence, apart from annoyance and efforts to point out that Armagh's Tiernan Kelly had attempted to gouge the eyes of Kelly's teammate Damien Comer.[12] Kelly was later described as a "sacrificial lamb".[13] Kelly would have missed the semi-final against Derry had referee David Coldrick's decision stood. But it was set to be overturned in the absence of any wrongdoing on Kelly's part.[14]Colm O'Rourke later wrote in the Sunday Independent: "Seán Kelly acted with incredible restraint during the fracas at the end of normal time, but was put on death row for next weekend's All-Ireland semi-final. He did not deserve that and his gesture in immediately shaking hands with Aidan Nugent after both were sent off by David Coldrick said a lot about the man."[15] O'Rourke wrote elsewhere in the same publication: "If anything, Kelly was the closest thing to Mother Teresa, as he looked more a peacemaker than a combatant and showed remarkable restraint in not flattening Tiernan Kelly [who had just gouged the eyes of Damien Comer]".[16]
^Brosnan, Maurice (20 February 2022). "'I am so happy for them. Finally, one of the Tierneys has it!'". The42.ie. The late Pádraig Kelly was a central part of that UCG team too. His sons, Eoghan, Seán and Paul, all started this week for NUIG. Two of them are on the Galway squad alongside Matthew.