Dublin 0-18
Kerry 1-10
Report by Daire Walsh
Hannah Tyrrell came away with an outstanding haul of 0-8 at Croke Park as Dublin claimed their sixth TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title with a comprehensive final win over Kerry.
Appearing in their first Brendan Martin Cup decider since losing out to Meath in 2021, the Leinster champions were in control right from the start. Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh was scorer-in-chief for the Kingdom with 1-7, but the Munster outfit ultimately fell short in the senior showpiece for the second year in succession.
Playing in their ninth senior final in just 10 years, Dublin stormed into the game with points from Tyrrell and Orlagh Nolan inside the opening 60 seconds. The Kingdom subsequently got up and running with a close-range free by stand-in captain Ní Mhuircheartaigh, but Tyrrell restored the Jackies’ two-point cushion with a similar effort at the opposite end.
The former Ireland rugby international maintained her excellent start to the contest with a second point from play, while Jennifer Dunne also joined the Dublin scoresheet in direct response to a score by Kerry wing-forward Niamh Carmody.
Ní Mhuircheartaigh fired over a point after being released on goal in the 13th-minute, but with Nolan exerting a major influence at centre-forward, Dublin were dictating affairs in GAA HQ. A sequence of six points without reply – five of them from the majestic Tyrrell and one via the boot of Caoimhe O’Connor – put Mick Bohan’s side in a powerful position and it took a Ní Mhuircheartaigh free to bring their lead down to seven (0-11 to 0-4) at the interval.
Although Kerry made a bright start to the second half with unanswered points from Carmody and Ní Mhuircheartaigh, Kate Sullivan and Dublin captain Carla Rowe were on hand to cancel out these efforts in swift fashion. Ní Mhuircheartaigh’s dead-ball prowess yielded two more points for the Kingdom, only for Dublin to move all of nine points clear (0-17 to 0-8) on 48 minutes with four scores on the bounce courtesy of Niamh Hetherton, Rowe (two) and Dunne.
To their credit, Kerry fought until the bitter end and Ní Mhuircheartaigh’s palmed finish to the net on 55 minutes formed part of a mini revival from them in the closing stages.
It wasn’t to be for the Kingdom, however, as inspirational skipper Rowe kicked a superb point on the run to seal another All-Ireland success for Dublin.
Scorers – Dublin: H Tyrrell 0-8 (4f), C Rowe 0-4 (1f), J Dunne 0-2, C O’Connor, O Nolan, K Sullivan, N Hetherton 0-1 each. Kerry: L Ní Mhuircheartaigh 1-7 (0-6f), N Carmody 0-2, A O’Connell 0-1.
DUBLIN: A Shiels; L Caffrey, A Kane, N Crowley; L Magee, M Byrne, N Donlon; J Dunne, E O’Dowd; C O’Connor, O Nolan, K Sullivan; H Tyrrell, C Rowe, J Egan. Subs: E Gribben for Egan (h-t), N Hetherton for Kane (42), S Aherne for Sullivan (53), D Lawless for Gribben (59).
KERRY: C Butler; É Lynch, K Cronin, C Murphy; A O’Connell, E Costello, C Lynch; L Scanlon, L Galvin; N Carmody, N Ní Chonchúir, A Galvin; H O’Donoghue, D O’Leary, L Ní Mhuircheartaigh. Subs: M O’Connell for Galvin (h-t), S O’Shea for O’Donoghue (42), A Harrington for Ní Chonchúir (47).
Ref: Shane Curley (Galway).
