Hannah Tyrrell produced a game for the ages as she inspired Dublin to their first All-Ireland senior title in three years.
Tyrrell scored eight first-half points and set up two further scores as Kerry were outperformed in the decider for the second year in a row.
Watched by a 45,326 crowd in Croke Park, Dublin led 0-11 to 0-4 at half-time. Kerry twice made it a five-point game in the third quarter and Emma Costello was relentless in her quest to attack but the Blues’ hold of midfield was never relinquished. Dublin brought in Niamh Hetherton and her physical presence heaped more pressure on Kerry’s back-line.
Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh fashioned a palmed goal in the 55th minute thanks to tenacious work by substitute Amy Harrington along the endline. She followed it up with another free to cut the margin to four but the Brendan Martin Cup was Dublin’s.
The Pale VS The Kingdom
Dublin were off the mark after 15 seconds through Tyrrell and again 30 seconds later as Tyrrell turned over a ball from a kick-out and Orlagh Nolan applied the finishing point.
Pressing hard on Kerry’s restarts, Dublin were ravenous and while Ní Mhuircheartaigh sent over a free she won herself the next two points came at the other end, both of them from the immense Tyrrell.
Dublin were rapid with their kick-outs and Kerry looked stuck on their heels. After Niamh Carmody arrowed over a point, Abby Shiels was quickly putting the ball into play, Lauren Magee drove forward and assisted her old midfield colleague Jennifer Dunne to score.
Danielle O’Leary, the best Kerry forward by far in the opening half, did well to win and lay off a ball for Ní Mhuircheartaigh in the 14th minute but the Kerry captain’s goal effort fizzed over the bar to bring The Kingdom to within a couple of points.
That turned out to be Kerry’s last score for 16 minutes by which time Dublin had put considerable daylight between the two teams. Tyrrell penalised a soft free conceded by Cáit Lynch on the flying Caoimhe O’Connor and Tyrrell was involved again in the next as O’Connor opened her account.
Kerry did have a half goal chance in the 18th minute but Lorraine Scanlon’s effort was easily blocked by Eilish O’Dowd.
Seconds later, Tyrrell was scoring her third point from play and her fifth of the half came four minutes later when Lynch was again deemed to have upended O’Connor unfairly.
Kerry were struggling to get the ball out of their half and dissent saw a free brought forward, which Tyrrell converted. The Na Fianna woman’s eighth point of the game was a lovely effort as she weaved her way into space to slot over a point.
Ní Mhuircheartaigh eventually broke that six-point spell with a free before half-time when Hannah O’Donoghue was fouled but so much of the damage had been done.
By Kenneth Fox
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