Glenisk O’Connor Park witnessed Kerry progressing to a third successive TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final, owing to a remarkable 16th-minute goal by Niamh Ní Chonchúir, giving them victory over Armagh in a tight semi-final fixture. The matchup concluded with Kerry leading 1-8 to Armagh’s 0-7. Five points ahead halfway through, Kerry sustained enough momentum in a low-scoring second half to secure their position in the championship final, where they’re set to take on Galway, hoping to redress their past final losses against Dublin and Meath.
Armagh displayed a spirited start to the battle, scoring points through the efforts of Eva Lavery, Blaithin Mackin, and Dearbhla Coleman. Despite the contribution of Kerry’s Siofra O’Shea and an early free kick scored by Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh, Niamh Henderson was able to increase Armargh’s lead to 0-5 to 0-2 in the first quarter.
However, the game shifted drastically when Armagh’s team captain, Clodagh McCambridge, had to be temporarily substituted due to a blood injury, resulting from a collision with Kerry’s Aishling O’Connell, who herself was side-lined for five minutes. Taking advantage of McCambridge’s absence, Ní Chonchúir seized the opportunity to secure an impressive goal against Armagh’s goalkeeper, Anna Carr.
This goal reignited Kerry’s determination. Further boosts from Danielle O’Leary, Ní Mhuircheartaigh, and the returned O’Connell, along with a 0-2 attack from captain Niamh Carmody, put the Munster champions at 1-7 to 0-5 lead at half-time.
Despite being dealt a minor setback when Carmody was temporarily dismissed from the field just prior to the break, the Kingdom ensured their 5-point advantage was preserved until her return. However, Armagh managed to notch some quick points via Niamh Coleman and Mackin’s free kick to increase the stress on Kerry’s side.
The Kingdom, who have been aiming for their first TG4 All-Ireland title since 1993, managed to control the ball for a considerable portion of the match yet only managed to open their scoring in the second half at the 49th-minute mark. This was due to a successful free kick from their central forward O’Leary.
Despite this, the 11-time victors managed to secure a 4-point lead. When Mackin was shown a yellow card in the 51st minute for a foul on substitute player Lorraine Scanlon, they managed to progress comfortably into the forthcoming Brendan Martin Cup final.
The match featured the following players:
From KERRY: C Butler, E Lynch, K Cronin, C Murphy, A O’Connell (scoring 0-1), D Kearney, A Dillane, M O’Connell, A Galvin, N Carmody (scoring 0-2), D O’Leary (scoring 0-2 from one free kick), N Ní Chonchúir (scoring 1-0), S O’Shea (scoring 0-1), E Dineen and L Ní Mhuircheartaigh (scoring 0-2 from two free kicks). They had A Harrington substitute for A O’Connell, H O’Donoghue for Ní Mhuircheartaigh, L Scanlon for Carmody, and K Brosnan for Ní Chonchúir on the bench.
On ARMAGH’s side, the team comprised A Carr, G Ferguson, C McCambridge, R Mulligan, C Towe, L McConville, D Coleman (scoring 0-1), N Coleman (scoring 0-1), C O’Hanlon, E Druse, A McCoy, B Mackin (scoring 0-2 from one free kick), E Lavery (scoring 0-2), N Henderson (scoring 0-1), and M McCambridge. The substitutions included L Kenny for C McCambridge, K Mallon for Lavery, N Reel for Henderson, L Kenny for Druse, and M Feehan for O’Hanlon.
The match was refereed by Shane Curley from Galway.
Tune in to our Inside Politics podcast for the finest political discourse and examination.