Kerry 4-14
Armagh 0-11
By Daire Walsh
KERRY manager Mark Bourke hailed his players as the reigning TG4 All-Ireland champions delivered silverware in his first season in charge as they dethroned Armagh to win their 13th Lidl National Football League Division 1 crown.
Bourke and his charges will now turn their attention to the defence of their TG4 All-Ireland crown after Danielle O’Leary struck a magnificent haul of 1-5 at Croke Park on Saturday evening to impressively claim the crown.
“They bought into everything straight away,” said Bourke. “The environment was outstanding to begin with and if the environment is right, all I have to worry about is the facilitating of the training sessions and the game plan.
“I felt that there really was very minimal work for me from my side of it. It was just to get the management team together. Margaret Slattery and Nora O’Connor (selectors) were outstanding.
“They know the girls, they’ve been with the girls for the last number of years. At different levels, at minor and juvenile level and club level. All I had to do was make sure I picked people who knew what they were doing and facilitated it. It was great.”
Armagh, who defeated Kerry in last year’s league final, were chasing the game after early Kerry goals from Niamh Carmody and O’Leary.
“I felt actually the first five or 10 minutes we were playing okay,” said Armagh joint manager Darnell Parkinson. “We probably missed a few chances just to sort of settle the nerves. Getting ourselves ticking over, get the scoreboard ticking over.
“Then obviously they get a goal and then you have to chase a team like Kerry. They’re so good at football, they’re so comfortable on the ball, that’s when they will hurt you.
“It’s disappointing enough to concede a goal off a situation where effectively we’re under control, on our own kick-out. Something that we had worked on, too, but after that it was a case of almost any sort of half chance that we did have, it didn’t go our way. Any sort of half chance they had, it seemed the ball was in the back of the net or going over the bar.”
The impressive Carmody pointed after the early goals before Armagh finally got up and running with three unanswered points from Lauren McConville and Eve Lavery (two).
Inside forwards Niamh Henderson and Niamh Reel (free) were also on hand to raise white flags in response to Jadyn Lucey and O’Leary at the opposite end, before a third goal courtesy of Lucey on 28 minutes propelled Kerry towards a 3-4 to 0-5 interval buffer.
O’Leary added to her tally on the resumption with another fine point, but the Kingdom faithful breathed a sigh of relief when Aoife McCoy and Niamh Henderson both went close to shaking the opposition net.
Yet Kerry continued to possess a potent attacking threat and after centre half-back Kayleigh Cronin broke free for an excellent point, a speculative strike from distance by Lucey dropped into the net for her second goal (and Kerry’s fourth) on 37 minutes.
This effectively eliminated any prospect of a dramatic fightback from Armagh, but Kerry still kept the scoreboard ticking over with four points without reply courtesy of Carmody, O’Shea, Niamh Ní Chonchúir and O’Leary.
To Armagh’s credit, they did persevere with their challenge during the closing quarter of the game with substitutes Caoimhe McNally and Kelly Mallon finding the target to supplement four additional points from Reel. Yet with O’Leary (two), O’Shea and Rachel Dwyer all firing over scores of their own, Kerry eased towards a deserved victory.
Scorers – Kerry: D O’Leary 1-5, J Lucey 2-1, N Carmody 1-2, S O’Shea 0-3 (2f), K Cronin, N Ní Chonchúir, R Dwyer 0-1 each.
Armagh: N Reel 0-5 (4f), E Lavery 0-2, L McConville, N Henderson, C McNally, K Mallon 0-1 each.
KERRY: ME Bolger; R Rahilly, D Kearney, E Lynch; A O’Connell, K Cronin, A Dillane; M O’Connell, A Galvin; C Evans, N Ní Chonchúir, N Carmody; D O’Leary, S O’Shea, J Lucey. Subs: R Dwyer for Lucey, L Boyle for Carmody (both 45), C McCarthy for Dillane (51), F O’Donoghue for Rahilly (53), N Quinn for Ní Chonchúir (57).
ARMAGH: A Carr; M Ferguson, C McCambridge, L Kenny; L McConville, C Towe, R Mulligan; N Coleman, C O’Hanlon; E Druse, B Mackin, E Lavery; N Reel, A McCoy, N Henderson. Subs: G Ferguson for Kenny (11), K Mallon for Druse, C McNally for Lavery (both 40), E McGeown for Coleman (53), M McCann for Towe (57).
Referee: Shane Curley (Galway).
