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Aoife Dillane, Hannah O’Donoghue and Emma Dineen scored to give Kerry their first TG4 All-Ireland senior football title since 1993 with a dominant win over Galway in Croke Park on Sunday.
Experienced attacker Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh also scored an impressive 0-6, as the Kingdom team lifted the Brendan Martin Cup for the 12th time in their history that day. This put them ahead of provincial rivals Cork at the top of the table in the competition.
Kerry captain Niamh Carmody and Galway player Roisin Leonard exchanged early points before the Kerry Kingdom side led by two points thanks to the hard work of Dineen and midfielder Anna Galvin.
Although Galway reduced the deficit to a minimum thanks to a fine strike from Olivia Diverley, Kerry were more clinical in front of the posts.
The Munster champions were firmly in control thanks to five unanswered points from Corca Dhuibhne ace bowler Ní Mhuircheartaigh, including two brilliant contributions of the match.
Eventually, Galway responded with their second point of the game through Leonard, but defenceman Dillane fired a curling shot beyond goalkeeper Dearbhla Gower’s area, giving Kerry a 1-8 to 0-3 lead before half-time.
Olivia Divilly gave Connacht the lead when play resumed with a brilliant solo goal, but Mary O’Connell soon joined her midfield partner Galvin on the scoresheet for Kingdom.
Teen star Niamh Divilly made up for her sister Olivia’s earlier shortcomings with a strong performance, but while Dineen and Ní Mhuircheartaigh quickly raised the white flag, Kerry still took the initiative.
Olivia Divilly scored from close range in the opposition’s stadium, but the end result was unexpected when O’Donoghue fired a pinpoint shot into the Galway goal from Ní Mhuircheartaigh’s pass shortly after she came on as a substitute.
Kerry were now unstoppable and in the final quarter Dineen added a third goal for the team, with O’Donoghue (2 points) and evergreen Lorraine Scanlon also adding a point each.
Galway did find the target at this crucial juncture through Andrea Terrill, Charlotte Cooney, Leonard, Olivia Develey and Shona Hynes, but Daniel Moynihan’s Westsiders failed in their quest for a first All-Ireland senior title in 20 years.
Scorers – Kerry: L Ní Muircheartaigh 0-6 (4f ), E Dineen, H O’Donoghue 1-2 each, A Dillane 1-0, M O’Connell, A Galvin, N Carmody, L Scanlon 0-1 each.
Galway: O Divilly 0-4 (2f), R Leonard 0-3 (2f), C Cooney, N Divilly, A Trill, S Hynes 0-1 each.
Kerry: C Butler; E Lynch, K Cronin, A Dillane; A O’Connell, C Murphy, D Kearney; M O’Connell, A Galvin; N Carmody, S O’Shea, N Ní Conchúir; D O’Leary, E Dineen, L Ní Muircheartaigh. Subs: H O’Donoghue for Ní Chonchúir (43), L Scanlon for Kearney (48), K Brosnan for Carmody (52), C Lynch for Dillane (54), K O’Sullivan for Ní Mhuircheartaigh (57).
Galway: D Gower, M Jordan, S Ní Loingsigh, K Geraghty; C Cooney, N Ward, A Ní Chellagh; M Green, A Davoren; N Diveley, L Ward, O Diveley; E Rennie, L Coone, R Leonard. Subs: Trill for Rennie (24), E Gavin for Ní Cheallaigh, M Banek (both 38), S Hynes for Green (47), A Morrissey for Diveley (49).
Referee: Jonathan Murphy (Carlow).
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