Kerry end seven-year wait for Munster title with powerful second half display to dethrone Cork

Kerry 2-15 Cork 0-13

KERRY are Munster senior football champions for the first time since 2017, after a magnificent second half performance saw them flip a three-point half time deficit into an eight-point winning margin over a Cork team both imploded themselves and were exploded by a rampant Kingdom in Mallow on Saturday.

Kerry’s victory looked terribly unlikely at half time. Out-gunned, outfought and out-manoeuvred by a high flying Rebel machine, Cork’s 0-10 to 1-4 lead at the short whistle was flattering to Kerry to say the least, and in the broader scheme of things Emma Dineen’s wonderful punched goal on the stroke of half time gave Kerry the belief they could claw their way into the game in the second half.

And how they did so, outscoring a shell shocked Cork by 1-11 to 0-3 in as good a display of skill, grunt and good old-fashioned hard work as this side has produced over the past few years. Kerry took the game by the scruff of the neck and Cork had no answer to Kerry’s sheer desire in getting the job done.

But then, of course, the Kingdom had Danielle O’Leary in the form of her life up front and her 10-point haul was befitting of a player at the very peak of her powers. When Kerry needed a fulcrum O’Leary provided it, showing for every ball and using it with deadly accuracy, speed power and intelligence.

Kerry sprung a surprise by leaving 2023 Player of the Year Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh out of the staring line-up before throw in, and with Cait Lynch injured in the warm-up, Dineen and Lorraine Scanlon came in from the start.

It was O’Leary who got Kerry motoring with the first three scores of the game and with Dineen and Scanlon operating as a twin tower threat in the full forward line, O’Leary was coming from deep and doing damage.

Then, inexplicably, Cork took complete control of the contest for the last 20 minutes of the first half and hit nine points without reply, with hot-shot Katie Quirke slotting four (two frees), Rachel Leahy, who could have goaled, Melissa Duggan, Laura O’Mahony with a brace, and Aoife Healy all scoring to put the Rebels 0-9 to 0-3 ahead.

Kerry were gasping for air but got a point back when O’Leary converted a placed ball in the 29th minute following a foul on Niamh Ní Chonchúir, but Quirke then hit her third free of the half to push Cork into a six-point lead again.

Then Kerry got the lifeline that they craved. Katie Brosnan, named at 13 but operating in the half forward line, hit a beautiful diagonal ball in towards the danger zone and Dineen came like a speed train to punch the ball to the back of Sarah Leahy’s net. Kerry, somehow, were just three down, 0-10 to 1-4, at the half time break, and there was no doubt that this gave the team renewed hope for the second half.

And what a second 30 minutes it was for this Kerry team. With the back line in magnificent form, ably led by the superb Deirdre Kearney, Kayleigh Cronin and Ciara Murphy, Kerry took the game to Cork in a fashion that very few at the Mallow GAA Complex would have seen coming.

Kerry brought on Ciara Butler for goalkeeper Mary Ellen Bolger and Amy Harrington in for Eilis O’Connor at half time, and it’s fair to say that both substitutions brought a lot to the Kingdom’s revival.

O’Leary and Lydia McDonagh traded early scores but from here on it was Kerry that ruled the roost as they outscored Cork with a burst of 1-6 that completely knocked the stuffing out of the Cork challenge.

The on fire O’Leary hit a magnificent four, captain Niamh Carmody banged over a trademark effort from play, and Ní Mhuircheartaigh, now sprung from the bench, hit the type of scorcher over the bar that we have seen many times from the great striker.

Kerry’s goal in the 51st minute, and Dineen’s second of the game, was made in defence when Kearney turned over a Cork attack with brutish excellence, and as the ball went through the hands, Dineen applied a silk-glove of a finish as she shot low and hard past Murphy.

At 2-11 to 0-11 there was no way that Kerry were going to lose this game. Quirke did slot two frees but O’Leary replied at the other end after magnificent spadework from Anna Galvin, and then Kerry really went for the jugular with a trio of scores from Carmody, Ní Mhuircheartaigh (free) and fittingly O’Leary popped over the final score of the game to crown her exceptional performance.

It was a day that this Kerry team really came of age, helped in no small way by some brave calls from their management, and with the Munster Championship cup secured there could be more to come from this excellent Kerry side. KERRY: Mary Ellen Bolger; Eilis Lynch, Kayleigh Cronin, Ciara Murphy; Aishling O’Connell, Deirdre Kearney, Eilis O’Connor; Mary O’Connell, Anna Galvin; Niamh Carmody 0-2, Niamh Ní Chonchúir, Katie Brosnan; Emma Dineen 2-0, Danielle O’Leary 0-10 (1f), Lorraine Scanlon. Subs: Ciara Butler for ME Bolger (ht), Amy Harrington for E O’Connor (ht), Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh 0-3 (2f) for K Brosnan (39), Aoife Dillane for N Ní Chonchúir (60).

CORK: Sarah Murphy; Melissa Duggan 0-1, Dara Kiniry, Anna Ryan; Sarah Leahy, Aoife Healy 0-1, Rachel Leahy 0-1; Maire O’Callaghan, Abbie O’Mahony; Katie Quirke 0-7 (5f), Daire Kiely, Amy McDonagh; Lydia McDonagh 0-1, Laura O’Mahony 0-2, Emma Cleary. Subs: Sadhbh McGoldrick for S Leahy (39), Katie O’Driscoll for A McDonagh (42), Shauna Kelly for A O’Mahony (44), Leah Hallihan for L McDonagh (42), Sadhbh O’Leary for D Kiely (58).

REFEREE: Paddy Smith (Waterford)