Lidl Ladies National Football League Round 5
Kerry 1-10 Galway 3-6
Two goals conceded in the 39th and 40th minute of the second half of this Lidl National Football League Round 5 game effectively put paid to Kerry’s chances of winning the encounter. Kerry were leading by 4 points prior to this, having garnered 1-3 without reply at the start of the second period, but the 2 goal concession was a mortal blow that Kerry just could not recover from, despite a gallant effort to claw it back.
The Corofin pitch was barely playable as the heavy rain over the previous few days meant that the ground conditions were treacherous. Unforced errors were the order of the day as players struggled to keep their feet. Indeed it was a credit to the fitness levels of both teams that they kept the intensity right up to the finish.
Kerry were the first to settle and they struck 3 points on the bounce in the first five minutes from Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh, Megan O’Connell and Sarah Houlihan. Galway’s reply was instant and the dangerous Roisin Leonard replied with a point and a decent soccer style goal when she finished a breaking ball with a low shot past Linda Bruggener in the Kerry goal. Kerry were turning over the ball too easily and Catriona Cormican pointed after a Kerry defensive error. Ni Mhuircheartaigh kept the scoreboard kicking over with a pointed free but Cormican replied with her second point of the contest and this was followed by another from Lucy Hannon to push Galway into a 1-4 to 0-4 lead with 25 minutes gone in the first half. Wasteful Kerry shooting saw them kick two bad wides in a row before Amanda Brosnan struck for a good point right on the half time whistle to leave Kerry just 2 points behind at the break, 1-4 to 0-5.
Much like the first half Kerry started the second in whirlwind fashion and Anna Galvin and Ni Mhuircheartaigh popped over early points. The excellent Ni Mhuircheartaigh then struck for a superb goal when she rose above the Galway defence to fist the ball past goalkeeper Gowan, with the netminder caught in no man’s land. Brosnan added her second point straight afterwards and Kerry looked in cruise control as they pushed 4 points ahead. Galway had different ideas and struck for two goals in a row, the first coming from Roisin Leonard and the second coming seconds later when Ailbhe Davoren struck after Kerry failed to gain possession from their kick out. Galway substitute Barbara Hannon added another point to push them 3 ahead but Ni Mhuircheartaigh pointed a free for Kerry to keep them to within 2 points of the Tribeswomen. Disaster struck for Kerry as influential half forward Denise Hallissey was shown yellow, and the sin bin, for an over robust challenge on a Galway player. This meant that Kerry were forced to play most of the remainder of the contest with 14 players, and with the heavy underground conditions sapping the energy levels of the players, it was a very tough ask for the Kerry girls.
Ni Mhuircheartaigh did point another free for Kerry but with Galway packing the defence and an extra player on the field , the game petered out to it’s inevitable conclusion with Galway finishing as two point victors 3-6 to 1-10/
Next up for Kerry is a home tie against Armagh on 26th March with the venue tbc. Armagh are level on 6 points with Kerry so a win for either side is vital.
Kerry; Linda Bruggener, Aislinn Desmond, Caroline Kelly, Eilis Lynch, Sarah Murphy, Emma Sherwood, Ciara Murphy, Anna Galvin(0-1), Lorraine Scanlon ,Laura Rogers, Amanda Brosnan (0-2),Denise Hallissey, Sarah Houlihan (0-1), Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh (1-5, 3f), Megan O’ Connell(0-1).Subs Miriam O’Keeffe (O’Connell h/t), Eilish O’Leary (Galvin 43rd), Andrea Murphy (O’Keeffe 58th).