Galway found the going tough against a rampant Kerry outfit in the Lidl NFL division one final at Croke Park on the weekend.
Losing by 5-11 to 1-10, Galway Ladies' manager Maghnus Breathnach knew his side had come up against a juggernaut in full flow.
“We got off to a decent start, but I’d say we gave Kerry 2-2 from turnovers. To go in seven points down at half-time, it’s a large lead.
"When you’re chasing a game ,then there’s more gaps for the opposition, and in fairness to Kerry, they’re a very, very serious outfit going forward,” says Breathnach.
"A very physical team and quick team as well, Kerry have been up here now four times in the last 12 months, and this is Galway’s first time since 2020."
"They have their routine down to a tee there and they’re well capable of dealing with the expectation of playing matches up here in Croke Park.
“In terms of us, we probably looked nervous there at stages in the first half, while Kerry were in full flow.”
Kerry's 12th Lidl NFL 1 crown was produced with a comprehensive display, with Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh, Hannah O’Donoghue and captain Siofra O’Shea all scoring goals to complement a two-goal salvo from Niamh Ní Chonchúir.
Their first win win since 1991, Kerry took control after a Leanne Coen point had edged Galway in front, but Niamh Carmody responded swiftly with a similar score at the opposite end. Last year’s skipper Anna Galvin subsequently moved the Kingdom into the ascendancy with a sharp score on the turn, before Ní Chonchúir rattled the net on the stroke of 10 minutes.Buoyed by this score, Kerry scored another goal on the first-quarter mark when marauding full-back Kayleigh Cronin passed the ball inside for Ní Mhuircheartaigh to palm home.
Galway attempted to build momentum with Olivia Divilly and Roisin Leonard points each side of a fine effort from distance by Lorraine Scanlon for Kerry, while Leonard knocked over her second free in the 20th-minute.The Munster outfit continued to play with great confidence, however, as Ní Chonchúir and Ní Mhuircheartaigh (free ) contributed additional points to give them a 2-5 to 0-4 cushion at the break.
After Galvin, Ní Mhuircheartaigh and Carmody registered consecutive points for the Kingdom on the restart, O’Shea released Ní Chonchúir at the end of a powerful run for her second goal on 38 minutes.Within seconds, Hannah O’Donoghue got on the end of a move that was instigated by Carmody for yet another goal, and the Beaufort attacker followed up with three points in succession to leave Kerry with an unassailable 4-11 to 0-4 lead.
Kate Slevin finally responded for the westerners with a point and the Claregalway corner-forward, who has represented the Republic of Ireland in underage soccer, also converted a 45th-minute penalty to provide her team with some form of solace. But Kerry grabbed a fifth goal through O’Shea, and although Slevin (two ), substitute Shauna Brennan (two ) and Divilly kicked unanswered points late on, Galway’s search for a breakthrough division one success will continue into 2024.
Scorers for Kerry: N Ní Chonchúir 2-1, H O’Donoghue 1-3, L Ní Mhuircheartaigh 1-2 (0-2f ), S O’Shea 1-0, N Carmody, A Galvin 0-2 each, L Scanlon 0-1. Scorers for Galway: K Slevin 1-3 (1-0 pen, 0-2f ), R Leonard (2f ), O Divilly, S Brennan 0-2 each, L Coen 0-1.
KERRY: ME Bolger; E Lynch, K Cronin, C Murphy; A O’Connell, E Costello, C Lynch; L Scanlon, M O’Connell; N Carmody, N Ní Chonchúir, A Galvin; H O’Donoghue, S O’Shea, L Ní Mhuircheartaigh.Subs: A Harrington for M O’Connell (43 ), C Evans for Ní Chonchúir (49 ), A Dillane for Murphy, L Galvin for Costello (both 52 ), F Tangney for O’Donoghue (53 ).
GALWAY: A Griffin; K Geraghty, S Ní Loingsigh, E Gavin; C Cooney, N Ward, A Molloy; A Davoren, S Divilly; L Coen, L Ward, O Divilly; E Noone, R Leonard, K Slevin.Subs: C Trill for Gavin (25 ), S Brennan for Leonard (h-t ), T Leonard for E Noone, H Noone for Molloy (both 39 ), L Noone for S Divilly (43 ).
Ref: Jonathan Murphy (Carlow ).
