Words of encouragement kept pals playing (3,5)
I believe the answer is:
pep talks
'words of encouragement' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I can't judge whether it can be defined by this definition.
'kept pals playing' is the wordplay.
'playing' indicates anagramming the letters.
'kept'+'pals'='keptpals'
'keptpals' with letters rearranged gives 'PEP TALKS'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for pep talks that I've seen before include "Inspiring speeches" , "Morale-boosters" , "Speeches to instil enthusiasm" , "Homilies urging listeners to greater evergy or action" , "Homilies urging more spirit and effort" .)