Pipping Cork in the honour roll an extra incentive for Kerry

In attendance during the captains day ahead of the 2024 TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Championship Finals at Croke Park in Dublin is Kerry captain Niamh Carmody. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile

When Kerry won their last All-Ireland ladies football title in 1993, a record 11th, they had precisely 11 more titles than Cork. Neighbourly rivalry? It simply didn't exist.

The problem for Kerry was that when Cork did finally start winning, they couldn't stop, collecting 11 titles themselves between 2005 and 2016. They had an opportunity in 2020 to push out in front for the first time ever, not just ahead of Kerry but in the national roll of honour.

They couldn't take it though and here Kerry are now, favourites to finally grab number 12 themselves and to end the longest gap without success that they've ever experienced.

The principal motivation is, of course, to do themselves justice, particularly after final losses in 2022 and 2023 but jumping ahead of Cork is an added incentive.

"Yeah, it's always nice to get one over the neighbours," smiled Kerry captain Niamh Carmody. "But it would be just massive to bring the cup back to Kerry. It hasn't been down there in over 30 years so it would be a massive boost to the county, it would be a massive boost to ladies football down there.

"It's still very much a growing sport so it would be nice to bring an All-Ireland down for the younger girls to see success in their county."

Kerry's progress in the last five seasons under the joint management of Declan Quill and Darragh Long has been clear. They've won Division 2 and Division 1 league finals and are preparing to contest their third All-Ireland senior final but for the longest while there as Carmody grew up, it was all about Cork.

"Sure they were just phenomenal, the athletes they were producing in the noughties and from 2010 until 2017, it was nothing but Cork," said Carmody. "They produced some great football but it would be nice to go ahead of them in titles."

Carmody, as captain, will etch her name in history if Kerry can do it. Eileen Dardis - now living in Meath and the mother of Barry Dardis, a county title winner with Summerhill last October and a former Meath player - was the Kingdom's last captain in 1993. She collected her 10th All-Ireland medal on that occasion. Just the one would do for Carmody at this stage.

Whilst Dardis, nee Lawlor, played through the boom times with Kerry in the 1980s and early 1990s, Carmody's experience has often been bitter, particularly last season's final loss to Dublin. The Dubs led 0-11 to 0-3 after just 26 minutes and already the game was as good as over.

"We let that game go completely for the first 20 minutes," said Carmody. "We just couldn't get to grips with Dublin.

"We know this time that if we don't get at it from the start, the game could get away from you fairly quickly. So that will be a big focus. It's just to play from the get go and not let the occasion get to us."

Hannah Tyrrell scored eight of those first 11 Kerry points last year. But while that showed the power of the individual, it was all about the collective the year before when Meath prevailed.

"They really went for the counter attack and there was no team able to do it better than them," said Carmody of Meath. "We wouldn't have come up against a team that would have been as defensive since."

Placing more of an emphasis on strength and conditioning in the meantime has helped Kerry. Galway are surprise finalists of sorts, having been relegated from Division 1 earlier this season, and lost their opening Championship game to Cork. But it's been no great surprise seeing Kerry make it through. considering their development. Knocking out Meath, and also Armagh, who beat Kerry in the Division 1 league final, made the journey all the more enjoyable.

Kerry's array of attacking talent is equalled by their defensive strength - how about Kayleigh Cronin's semi-final performance in Tullamore? - so their favourites' tag is justified.

But after two final failures, they're surely not going to allow complacency to dash their All-Ireland dream. Team psychologist Claire Thornton has been a big help to the group and will undoubtedly get on top of any negative thoughts.

Carmody's own motivation comes from within.

"The most motivation I've felt is just coming from a personal performance level last year," she said. "I don't think I played great in the All-Ireland final. So I think it's mainly trying to work on getting more consistency in my performances. That's probably been the biggest learning from the final last year."