Report by Daragh Ó Conchúir
Kerry and Offaly came through their Glen Dimplex All-Ireland intermediate championship quarter-finals Saturday at FBD Semple Stadium in very different ways, but the result is the same with the sides now playing group winners Kilkenny and Cork respectively in the last four.
Those semi-finals will take place in a fortnight’s time, on Saturday, July 27.
Offaly blew last year’s beaten finalists Meath away with a stunning display of attacking endeavour and finesse. Becky Bryant got them off to a brilliant start with a drilled finish to the net, and though Amy Gaffney replied in kind with a low shot, the Royals were always struggling to hang on to their opponents' coattails.
Olivia O’Halloran also raised a green flag for Meath, but they were in big trouble at the interval trailing by 2-13 to 2-1, and when Bryan snaffled her second goal early in the second half, there was no way back.
Meath were able to threaten themselves but had no answer to Offaly’s scoring power as the midlanders prevailed with plenty to spare, on a scoreline of 5-18 to 3-6.
The battle between Kerry and Galway was much keener, with the verdict in doubt right down to the final whistle. That said, from the moment Patrice Diggin drove over a shot from 50m, Kerry were never in arrears.
Galway did get to parity on a number of occasions but could never edge ahead. It often had the appearance of a personal competition between Kerry freetaker Jackie Horgan and her counterpart, Aoibheann Barry.
Three points from Horgan opened a four-point gap but Barry also hit a treble to bring it back to one. Again, Horgan and Barry exchanged three points each and they were level at 0-8 apiece before Diggin nosed Kerry ahead at half-time.
The Kingdom managed to put three points between them and their gritty opponents once more early in the second half but Barry was to the fore as Galway drew level.
But Kerry always found another gear when required and made the critical run down the stretch, with Amy O’Sullivan, Kate Lynch and Horgan splitting the posts to register a famous victory, by 0-15 to 0-13.
