Gaelic Games

Kerry power to 12-point victory ending Meath’s chances of reclaiming league title

Round-up: Late goals from Kate Sullivan and Caoimhe O’Connor help Dublin turn things around against Mayo

Kerry's Niamh Carmody had an excellent game in her team's league win over Meath. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho
Kerry's Niamh Carmody had an excellent game in her team's league win over Meath. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho
Sat Feb 25 2023 - 20:49

Kerry 1-18 Meath 0-9

Niamh Carmody scored 1-4 and Kerry powered their way to a 12-point victory and ended Meath’s chances of reclaiming their Lidl NFL Division One with a superb performance in Brosna.

Carmody was the star while Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh also scored 0-7 for the Kingdom in a win that nudges Kerry ever closer to a place in the final for the first time since 2008.

The sides swapped scores early in the game with Meath’s Amy O’Leary getting her side off the mark with a sweet point in the second minute but Erica McGlynn punched over for Kerry two minutes later after Siofra O’Shea initially hit the post.

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Kerry, playing with the aid of a swirling breeze, were putting a lot of heat on the Meath kick out and Louise Galvin got on the end of Monica McGuirk’s kick to punish the Royals and push Kerry 0-2 to 0-1 ahead.

Kerry’s goal came in the fifth minute. Ní Mhuircheartaigh put pressure on the Meath kick out again and she found wing forward Carmody off the shoulder. The latter had work to do but drove to the net from an acute angle.

Kerry were in control now, and O’Shea hit a fine effort off the crossbar but Ní Mhuircheartaigh made no mistake in the 10th minute with a lovely point to push Kerry 1-3 to 0-1 ahead.

Niamh O’Sullivan and McGlynn traded scores but a Ní Mhuircheartaigh free pushed Kerry 1-5 to 0-2 ahead although Aoibhin Cleary got one back for the visitors.

Ní Mhuircheartaigh responded once more with a free after a foul on Anna Galvin but Meath were to strike for two points on the bounce from Niamh Gallogly and Ciara Smyth to leave them just four behind, 1-6 to 0-5.

The last act of the first half fell to Lorraine Scanlon who scored a point on the stroke of half time following fine work from Aoife Dillane to see the home side take a 1-7 to 0-5 lead in at the break.

The second half belonged to Kerry completely as they outscored Meath by 0-11 to 0-4. Carmody popped over four superb efforts for the winners with Ní Mhuircheartaigh adding four more (two frees) with the Meath reply coming from Stacey Grimes (two) while Ciara Smyth and Aine Sheridan added one each.

In the finish it was Kerry who held all the aces and with five wins from five Croke Park could beckon.

KERRY: C Butler; E Lynch, K Cronin, A Dillane; A O’Connell, C Lynch, L Galvin (0-1); L Scanlon (0-2), M O’Connell; N Carmody (1-4), N Ní Chonchúir, A Galvin; S O’Shea (0-1), E McGlynn (0-2), L Ní Mhuircheartaigh (0-7, four frees).

Subs: E Costello for M O’Connell (40 mins), C Murphy for L Galvin (44), R Dwyer (0-1 free) for McGlynn (51), F Tangney for Ní Mhuircheartaigh (53), C Evans for Ní Conchúir (55), C O’Brien for E Lynch and K Brosnan for O’Shea (both 57), C Dillon for Carmody and E Riordan for A O’Connell (58), C McCarthy for Scanlon, K A Hanrahan for A Galvin and M Collins for A Dillane (all 60).

MEATH: M McGuirk; A Sheridan (0-1), MK Lynch, K Newe; N Gallogly (0-1), S Melia, A Cleary (0-1); M O’Shaughnessy, A O’Leary (0-1); M Thynne, M Byrne, C Smyth (0-2); A Leahy, S Grimes (0-2, two frees), N O’Sullivan (0-1).

Subs: K O’Donnell for Melia (38 mins), R Casserly for Byrne (44), A Sherlock for O’Leary (46), O Mallon for Smyth (48), Melia for O’Shaughnessy (53).

Referee: Shane Curley (Galway).

Dublin 2-11 Mayo 2-7

Kate Sullivan and Caoimhe O’Connor both found the net at DCU St Clare’s as Dublin produced a remarkable second-half turnaround to defeat Mayo in their Lidl NFL Division One clash.

Six points behind after Sinéad Walsh had bagged goals either side of the interval, Mick Bohan’s side were staring down the barrel of a third defeat in just five games. However, they dug deep and with Sullivan and O’Connor scoring during a dramatic finale, they ultimately came out on top.

Dublin enjoyed a bright start to this contest with unanswered points from midfielder Jennifer Dunne and team captain Carla Rowe (free). Mayo attacker Tara Needham and her Sky Blues opponent Sullivan proceeded to trade scores, before a mini scoring burst from Walsh helped the visitors to establish a foothold.

The McHale Rovers club star chipped over a fine point in the 10th minute and also rattled the net just shy of the first-quarter mark after Dublin goalkeeper Abby Shiels struggled to deal with a high ball in towards the square.

Needham and Shauna Howley subsequently knocked over successive points to offer Michael Moyles’s charges additional breathing space, before Dublin registered their first score in 22 minutes through a fisted effort by Jodi Egan on the stroke of half-time.

This meant Mayo brought a 1-4 to 0-4 cushion into the break and their position became even stronger on the restart. After Sinead Cafferky had cancelled out a Hannah Tyrrell free, Walsh gathered a long delivery close to the Dublin goal and fired powerfully beyond the reach of Shiels.

The visitors remained in the driving seat when Howley and Cafferky responded to a brace of Tyrrell frees, but the dead-ball accuracy of the latter ensured Dublin reduced their deficit to a manageable four points on 50 minutes.

Tyrrell then turned creator for Sullivan’s close-range finish and when Dunne split the uprights with four minutes remaining, Dublin were back on level terms and with momentum behind them. Indeed, despite Tyrrell dragging a 58th-minute penalty wide of the target, O’Connor clinically rounded off a breakaway move moments later to propel Dublin back into the ascendancy.

It was then left for Tyrrell to convert her sixth free in the dying moments and consequently put the seal on an impressive comeback victory.

DUBLIN: A Shiels; R Brennan, M Byrne, J Tobin; O Nolan, L Magee, L Caffrey; J Dunne (0-2), E O’Dowd; C Rowe (0-1, free), K Sullivan (1-1), C O’Connor (1-0); S Wylde, H Tyrrell (0-6, six frees), J Egan (0-1).

Subs: E Gribben for Wylde (15), N Hetherton for Rowe (19), D Lawless for Tobin (ht), A Kane for Egan (38), N Crowley for Brennan (50), A Timothy for Gribben (60).

MAYO: L Brennan; É Ronayne, R Flynn, D Caldwell; C Needham, F McHale, K Sullivan; C McManamon, S Cafferky (0-2); S Walsh (2-1), S Howley (0-2, two frees), H Reape; L Cafferky, R Kearns, T Needham (0-2).

Subs: A Geraghty for Reape (h-t), S Mulvihill for L Cafferky (47 mins), S Tierney for Caldwell (50), M Cannon for Kearns (56), T O’Connor for Howley (59).

Referee: Jonathan Murphy (Carlow).