Hannah Tyrrell and Carla Rowe star as Dublin reclaim All-Ireland crown
WE DID IT, BABY: Player of the match Hannah Tyrrell of Dublin celebrates with her daughter Aoife, age 7 weeks, alongside the Brendan Martin Cup. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Start as you mean to go on. Lay down a marker or two. Dictate the terms of reference.
Scoring two points within the first 45 seconds and winning a first half by seven points, Dublin certainly ticked all the boxes as they won this final wire-to-wire.
Hannah Tyrrell’s scoring exploits may have concluded in the 27th minute but she was a most merited player of the match having shown the way in a first half for the ages when she scored eight points and was involved in the build-up of another two.
Ably assisted by captain Carla Rowe who delivered in the second half and the sterling roles filled throughout by Australia-bound Jennifer Dunne and Leah Caffrey further out the field, Dublin matched their male equivalents in ending a three-year spell without an All-Ireland senior title.
For Kerry, there will be massive regrets. Full of vitality in the league and demonstrating their character in the All-Ireland series, it appeared they had learned their lessons from 12 months ago when Meath had made mincemeat of their kick-outs.
However, history repeated in the most haunting way as they were prevented from getting any foothold from their restarts in the opening period and suffered as a consequence. Kerry joint manager Declan Quill rued the team’s performance at that time as “passive” and it was an appropriate description for a group who knew that they couldn’t be.
Not after last year. Not after what they did to Dublin on their own patch in the All-Ireland series knowing there was bound to be a reaction for them.
“We were standing off them,” rued Quill. “I don't know, it's very hard to put your finger on it. Like, the group were so calm, they were so ready. The difference between this year and last year, like, I thought they were ready to explode into the game and go on and win it for the first time in 30 years. But look, it doesn't happen every day and today wasn't going to be our day.”
Dublin set the agenda and were clearly adopting the hook or by crook approach. On the few occasions, Kerry threatened to break in for goal opportunities, clever fouls were committed.
On the odd occasion, Kerry had numbers on the break a Dublin infringement put paid to their momentum. Street smarts that may have been punished more sternly by a different referee.
Nevertheless, their cold pragmatism complemented their obvious skill levels.
In front of 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.
As Siofra O’Shea made a cameo appearance from the bench following his cruciate tear, Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh fashioned a palmed goal in the 55th minute thanks to tenacious work by substitute Amy Harrington battling with Lauren Magee along the endline.
Ní Mhuircheartaigh followed it up with another free to cut the margin to four but if Rowe already had one hand on the Brendan Martin Cup she had two when she sent over her fourth point with the last play.
Dublin had been 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 Tyrrell, who Bohan credited afterwards.
“I wouldn’t say she saw last October that she was going to win an All-Ireland. In fairness to her, she turned that one around. She put on a huge performance.”
H. Tyrrell (0-8, 3 frees); C. Rowe (0-4, 1 free); J. Dunne (0-2): O. Nolan, C. O’Connor, N. Sullivan, N. Hetherton (0-1 each).
L. Ní Mhuircheartaigh (1-7, 0-6 frees); N. Carmody (0-2); A. O’Connell (0-1).
A. Shiels; L. Caffrey, N. Donlon, N. Crowley; L. Magee, M. Byrne, A. Kane; J. Dunne, E. O’Dowd; C. O’Connor, O. Nolan, K. Sullivan; H. Tyrrell, C. Rowe (c), J. Egan.
E. Gribben for J. Egan (h-t); N. Hetherton for A. Kane (42); S. Ahern for K. Sullivan (53); D. Lawless for E. Gribben
C. Butler; A. O’Connell, E. Lynch, C. Murphy; K. Cronin, E. Costello, C. Lynch; L. Scanlon, C. Lynch; N. Carmody, N. Ní Chonchúir, A. Galvin; H. O’Donoghue, D. O’Leary, L. Ní Mhuircheartaigh (c).
M. O’Connell for L. Galvin (h-t); S. O’Shea for H. O’Donoghue (42); A. Harrington for N. Ní Chonchúir (48).
S. Curley (Galway).
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