Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh masterclass fires Kerry into All-Ireland final
ON SONG: Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh of Kerry celebrates after scoring her side's first goal during the TG4 LGFA All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final match between Kerry and Mayo at Semple Stadium in Thurles, Tipperary. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
A winning start to a fairly important weekend for Kerry. The Kingdom women withstood the wind in their faces and Mayo’s second-half comeback efforts to book back-to-back All-Ireland final appearances.
Ahead by 1-10 to 0-4 at the turnaround, Kerry’s nine-point interval advantage proved sufficiently sizable. That is not to say it was a comfortable second period for the Kingdom. Anything but.
The Connacht champions, backed by the elements, slowly chipped away at the near double-digit gap with points from a subdued Rachel Kearns, sub Sinéad Walsh, and Lisa Cafferky. Their comeback effort then gathered a burst of pace on the three-quarter hour mark when Deirdre Doherty, on the field hardly a minute, finished a flowing move involving Tara Needham and Aoife Geraghty.
The gap down to five, the game back on.
Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh crucially kicked the semi-final’s next score to stem Mayo’s revival and their momentum.
Indeed, on both occasions in the final quarter when Michael Moyles’ side closed to within four, it was Ní Mhuircheartaigh who delivered important points to maintain healthy separation.
She finished the fixture with 1-10, Kerry finished with a second successive All-Ireland final appearance secured.
After the two teams swapped a pair of points inside the opening 12 minutes, Kerry cut loose.
Over the ensuing seven minutes, the Kingdom hemmed in the Connacht champions and refused to let them out. Refused to let them breathe. 1-7 without reply. More than a score a minute. Relentless and ruthless.
Come the 19th minute of this All-Ireland semi-final, the scoreboard read 1-9 to 0-2 in Kerry’s favour. Mayo went from being in the game to watching the game. Goalkeeper Laura Brennan’s restarts either went out over the sideline or into a gold pair of hands. Their own 45-metre line became a Berlin Wall they didn’t have the tools to abseil over.
Corner-forward Hannah O’Donoghue skipped menacingly to the top of the queue for this unanswered 1-7 Kerry sequence. First with the right boot, then directly after with the left. Emma Costello was next. The centre-back charged through the middle and fired over.
On a rare occasion that Mayo broke free, Lisa Cafferky was shunted out over the Kinane Stand sideline by Eilís Lynch and Aishling O’Connell. The turnover ended with Ní Mhuircheartaigh splitting the posts, her third of the evening.
It was Ní Mhuircheartaigh who palmed a Danielle O’Leary handpass to the net on 18 minutes. No time for celebration, mind. With the wind at her back, there was hay to be saved. In the subsequent action, Ní Mhuircheartaigh, forced a turnover and swelled her tally.
Sinéad Cafferky’s 22nd minute point was Mayo’s first in 10 minutes. It left them nine adrift. Nine was still the difference when the hooter sounded for half-time.
Nine shrunk to four in the 54th minute. The margin didn’t shrink enough, though, for the Connacht champions.
Their late attacking efforts were spoiled by some careless use of possession and some brilliant Kerry interceptions, such as one from the veteran Louise Galvin.
A third All-Ireland semi-final defeat in-a-row for Mayo and back-to-back semi-final defeats to Kerry.
For the Kingdom, in the absence of captain Siofra O’Shea, they moved within an hour of a first All-Ireland title in 30 years.
L Ní Mhuircheartaigh (1-10, 0-4 frees); H O’Donoghue (0-3); E Costello, N Ní Chonchúir, D O’Leary (0-1 each).
S Howley (0-3, 0-2 frees); D Doherty (1-0); C Needham, S Cafferky (0-2 each); A Geraghty, R Kearns, S Walsh, L Cafferky (0-1 each).
C Butler; E 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.
A Harrington for O’Donoghue (HT, inj); M O’Connell for A Galvin (46); C Evans for Ní Chonchúir (51); E McGlynn for Carmody (60).
L Brennan; C McManamon, D Caldwell, S Lally; T O’Connor, E Ronayne, K Sullivan; A Geraghty, C Needham; S Cafferky, S Howley, S Mulvihill; T Needham, R Kearns, L Cafferky.
S Walsh for Mulvihill (26); D Doherty for Kearns, L Wallace for O’Connor (both 44 mins); M Cannon for T Needham (49); F McHale for Howley (54).
G Chapman (Sligo)
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