THREE LATE ARMAGH GOALS SINK KERRY
KERRY 1-13 ARMAGH 3-11
Richard Bullick
Back in the orange jersey for the first time since turning 40 last August, Caroline O’Hanlon began her record-breaking 24th consecutive inter-county season by winning the throw-in and 26 seconds later Armagh had a point on the board.
It came courtesy of towering teenage debutant Eimear McGeown, who did well to win a low ball by Eve Lavery, found a big gap opening up as she cut infield and held her nerve to drill over the Orchard outfit’s first score of the season.
Kerry captain Anna Galvin’s low shot at the other end went wide but the referee awarded a free against O’Hanlon with which Siofra O’Shea equalised and Armagh probed patiently before a shot from stand-in skipper Lauren McConville was deflected for a 45.
Nothing came of it and the All Ireland champions took the lead through O’Shea’s second free, awarded against Maeve Ferguson, but that was quickly cancelled out through Armagh’s attack from their own kickout which made it two points each inside six minutes.
Carr found Lavery and Niamh Coleman, Emily Druse and Mulligan all featured before McGeown laid the ball off nicely for Silverbridge forward Reel, who danced round a defender and hoisted her shot between the uprights.
Niamh Carmody was a little lucky to escape sanction for taking Lavery round the neck at the Kerry kickout and Galvin kicked a wide before good work by Druse and McCoy led to Reel winning a free on the right which left-footer Lavery converted to put her team back in front.
Reel threw a wild pass inside after Lavery had cleanly caught the Kingdom kickout but she soon doubled Armagh’s lead, rounding off an attack from deep by O’Hanlon which saw Maeve Lennon cut in well from the right before feeding Reel.
Lennon hooked a shot wide after an intricate attack which came after Lavery robustly won possession on the left and, down the other end, Carr did well to keep out a shot from O’Shea which dipped just below her crossbar.
Midway through the half, Armagh kept possession for the best part of two minutes before Aoife McCoy nipped through and Lavery hoisted a shot which looked like it was going wide but O’Hanlon somehow caught the ball on the endline and rifled it straight at the keeper.
Kerry halved the deficit with a nice point from distance by Rachel Dwyer early in the second quarter but Armagh responded within a minute, Coleman winning the kickout, Druse scorching up the middle and Lavery swinging over a lovely score from McCoy’s pass.
However, the rest of the half belonged to the Kingdom women, who posted an unanswered 1-4 starting with what would prove their only goal of the game from O’Shea, who was worked through and didn’t give Carr much chance from close-range.
That put Kerry back in front and Galvin doubled their lead almost immediately with an effort from the left after Ferguson had over-carried in defence, though the Orchard dominated the next period of play albeit without scoreboard reward.
The Kerry goalkeeper parried a Reel shot against her crossbar, collecting the rebound, and then after a great claim by Ferguson like a rugby fullback, Druse made a superb run and found McGeown but Mary-Ellen Bolger saved brilliantly at the expense of a 45.
Armagh moved it around but Reel eventually got bottled up and played the ball on the ground and a foul by Louise Kenny was punished by O’Shea successfully converting another free to put a goal between the sides.
Kenny almost set up an Armagh score in response, bursting up the middle before feeding Aoife McCoy but the All Star half forward drilled her shot just past the left post much to her frustration.
A Kerry shot was wildly off target from the rebound after they hit a post high up but, from the Armagh kick-off, Mulligan’s hand-pass was picked off and that woman O’Shea potted a point from distance.
We were now in the final minute on the countdown clock but there was still time for the hosts to add another point through Jadyn Lucey with seven seconds remaining, though that was a relief for it could have been a goal.
Interviewed by TG4 as the players left the field for half-time, Armagh joint manager Joe Feeney admitted that his side had lost some momentum and been punished for giving up possession too easily.
If felt like the break had come at a good time for Armagh, who needed to regroup, but Kerry extended their lead to six courtesy of Galvin scoring just 18 seconds after the resumption following a great run on the back of midfield partner Mary O’Connell winning the throw-in.
The Orchard response was swift, Ferguson breaking from the back and sending Druse on another of her blistering bursts before Lavery kicked a beautiful left-footed point from well to the left of the posts.
Towe won a ball brilliantly on the slide, skipper McConville delivered a long kick-pass down the right to Lennon and Reel and McCoy combined before young McGeown’s snap-shot went over via the left upright.
The physically-imposing O’Shea won a ball above the diminutive McConville but Kerry kicked two wides in quick succession just before Blaithin Mackin replaced her Shane O’Neills clubmate Kenny for Armagh.
A long ball by Druse was cut out after yet another scamper up the middle but Mulligan won back possession and it went through the hands of O’Hanlon, Lennon and Coleman before Mackin looped round and drove over the bar.
But another free from O’Shea in the 37th minute restored Kerry’s four-point advantage and it was soon increased when 2024 All Ireland final Player of the Match Kayleigh Cronin got through the middle a bit too easily and drilled over a fine score.
Druse blazed up the left flank but was eventually turned over and, as the sun shone and rain fell on an afternoon of volatile weather, Kerry went on a threatening attack which could have had a very different outcome.
Carr tipped the initial shot onto the bar and then saved brilliantly with her legs after Ferguson had been brushed aside at the rebound and Lucey was sinbinned by Carlow referee Jonathan Murphy for catching McConville high as she tried to come out.
Lennon gave way to her Derrynoose clubmate Caoimhe McNally, making her first Armagh appearance, while a limping Lavery was replaced by Clann Eireann’s Megan McCann at the same time.
McConville and Druse combined to supply McCoy high on the right and, when she drew the foul, O’Hanlon took over the left-footed free-taking duties from Lavery and duly split the posts from an acute angle.
Armagh defended diligently in numbers but Kerry recycled for Caoimhe Evans to point and three Orchard attacks towards the end of the third quarter petered out before Niamh Ni Chonchuir scored for Kerry despite close attention from Mulligan.
Coleman hit a tame wide after a surging run by Blaithin Mackin and O’Shea extended Kerry’s advantage to an ominous seven points by taking her tally to 1-6 midway through the half with a towering effort following a patient attack.
But undaunted Armagh started reducing the arrears right away, McCoy scrapping hard to win possession wide on the left and Reel raising a white flag after O’Hanlon had her initial low shot blocked coming through the middle.
A good block by Coleman ended one Kerry attack but Armagh’s counter broke down and it took an absolutely outstanding save from Carr to deny Ni Chonchuir from close-range after she had caught a long ball inside.
O’Hanlon mopped up a Kerry clearance and linked with Blaithin Mackin before Reel danced inside and hit an excellent point, her fourth of the day. With Druse applying pressure, the Kingdom kicked a wide at the other end as they sought to reply promptly.
McCoy got back to her feet after going to ground in the Kingdom goalmouth – the referee adjudged no foul had been committed – but was crowded out, though Ferguson won possession on halfway and then a free to get Armagh on the attack again.
Druse went hard, Reel and McConville combined high on the right and then Mackin cut right through the Kingdom defence before delivering a magnificent finish to the opposition net with just over eight minutes remaining.
It was game on now and, although it was slightly surprising to see the aerial threat of McGeown being removed as play restarted, sending Killeavy teenager Rebecca Cunningham on for her first Armagh appearance proved an inspired substitution.
McConville climbed to claw down a long ball by Kerry with one hand and Druse went on a brilliant break up the middle before laying off perfectly for Cunningham, whose first touch in an Armagh jersey was a blast to the opposition net.
Her goal, exactly 60 seconds after the Mackin major, put Armagh back in front against the All Ireland champions and, although Reel was crowded out after an interception by Coleman, the pressure was suddenly now on Kerry to make the running.
Ferocious Orchard defending forced a turnover and the vastly-experienced O’Hanlon won a free out just before Reel was replaced by Clann Eireann captain Niamh Henderson, Player of the Match in last season’s Ulster final, with five minutes remaining.
Moya Feehan was replaced by Ciara Garvey soon afterwards and, despite attacking goalkeepers being in vogue in the men’s game over recent seasons, seeing Carr striding out up to and beyond her own 45 was an unfamiliar sight!
Armagh played it around nicely before finding their moment to strike, Mulligan making a burst on the left, laying off to Henderson and continuing her run to take a deft offload from McNally and delivering a very assured finish to the Kingdom net.
A now-desperate Kerry fly-hacked a wide at the other end after a foot-race and, although Carr’s long kickout was picked off, McConville was well placed to swallow their hopeful ball in and Armagh were back in control.
Still full of running, O’Hanlon was fouled just inside her own 65, and McNally made a nice break on the left, leading to a Henderson shot which Kerry keeper Bolger did well to hold just under her crossbar.
The ever-energetic Druse had one last burst before feeding Mackin and, although the ball was lost on the fringes of the Kingdom goalmouth, there was just under a minute remaining now and Henderson was happy to give away a foul high upfield.
Kerry lashed in one last effort, which Player of the Match Carr turned behind her left post and was warmly hugged by clubmate O’Hanlon as the hooter sounded before the hosts had the chance to take the 45, which came to nothing.
KERRY: ME Bolger; R Smith, D Kearney, F O’Donoghue; A O’Connell, K Cronin (0-1), A Dillane; M O’Connell, A Galvin (capt; 0-2); N Carmody, N Ni Chonchuir (0-1), C Evans (0-1); J Lucey (0-1), S O’Shea (1-6; 4f), R Dwyer (0-1). Subs used: J Gill for Evans (44mins), C McCarthy for Smith (47), K Brosnan for Dwyer (47), K O’Connor for Ni Chonchuir (49), M Higgins for Lucey (55), Ni Chonchuir for O’Connell (56), R Rahilly for O’Donoghue (58).
ARMAGH: A Carr; M Ferguson, L Kenny, C Towe; E Druse, L McConville (capt), R Mulligan (1-0); N Coleman, C O’Hanlon (0-1; 1f); A McCoy, M Feehan, E Lavery (0-3; 1f); N Reel (0-4), M Lennon, E McGeown (0-2). Subs used: B Mackin (1-1) for Kenny (33), C McNally for Lennon (39), M McCann for Lavery (39), R Cunningham (1-0) for McGeown (52), N Henderson for Reel (55), C Garvey for Feehan (56).
Referee: Jonathan Murphy (Carlow).
