Kerry 1-8 Dublin 0-6
LAST year’s NFL Division One champions Kerry defeated 2023’s TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winners Dublin at Parnell Park with a 1-3 from Emma Dineen helping them to a 1-8 to 0-6 victory.
Before this afternoon, in the first fixture of the Lidl National Football League Division 1 campaign, the last time these teams had met was when Dublin won the All-Ireland SFC crown.
The defending Division One champions game got off to the perfect start when a point from Jadyn Lucey gave them the lead after just 27 seconds before Katie Brosnan and Dineen gave the Kingdom a more comfortable advantage.
Dublin opened their account with a point from centre half-back Martha Byrne a little over 21 minutes into the play, but this was immediately cancelled out at the opposite end by Lucey’s second of the half.
The Dubs missed a huge opportunity to close the gap when full-forward Niamh Hetherton fired wide during a goalscoring opportunity with Dineen scoring her second point of the afternoon to give Kerry a 0-5 to 0-1 cushion at the interval.
At the break, Dublin introduced team captain Carla Rowe and Kate Murray. However, after Dineen and Hetherton swapped points in an initially cagey third-quarter, the Kingdom’s own substitute Hannah O’Donoghue released Dineen for a palmed goal off a quick break in the 41st minute.
Two points from Niamh Carmody meant Kerry were nine points to the good with just 13 minutes remaining.
Dublin did get into a rhythm with scores from Hetherton, Rowe (free) and two from Murray, but it wasn’t enough to defeat Kerry, who secured all three points.
