1. Dublin’s powerful first half
Mick Bohan’s side laid the foundations for their latest All-Ireland success with a superb first-half showing. Two quick-fire points inside the first minute set the tone, and Dublin led by seven at the break — 0-11 to 0-4.
They smothered the life out of Kerry by going after Ciara Butler’s kick-outs and it was an uphill battle for Declan Quill and Daragh Long’s side from there. Hannah Tyrrell hit 0-8 (4f) for the Dubs in a powerful opening 30 minutes, with the ever-impressive Jennifer Dunne, Orlagh Nolan and Caoimhe O’Connor also chipping in with scores.
Dublin dominated in every facet. They were fast, furious and physical; their athleticism on another level and their running game serving them well as they made it third time lucky against Kerry in 2023.
The Kingdom relied heavily on Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh, who was well shackled by Leah Caffrey, while Niamh Carmody was their only other scorer in the opening period. Ní Mhuircheartaigh blazed over a goal chance in the 12th minute and Dublin hit an unanswered 0-6 in the following 16-minute period to lead by eight just before half time.
Kerry shaded the scoring on the restart, but just Aishling O’Connell was added to the sheet. Ní Mhuircheartaigh’s 55th-minute goal was all but a consolation one as they chased the game, Dublin’s experience — albeit amidst a new-look team — shining through down the home straight.
While the first half belonged to Tyrrell, Carla Rowe starred through their second half with 0-4 (1f). Kate Sullivan and substitute Niamh Hetherton were among the others to step up before the posts, while Sinead Aherne also sprung from the bench to win her sixth All-Ireland.
2. Hannah Tyrrell’s crowning moment
The crowning All-Ireland glory to one of the great Irish sporting careers.
Tyrrell won an FAI Cup with St Catherine’s (2011) and played for Shamrock Rovers in the Women’s National League; she enjoyed Six Nations glory (2015) and featured at the 2017 World Cup as she starred for the Ireland rugby 15s and Sevens teams; and this is her second chapter with the Dublin ladies football team.
The 33-year-old first excelled as a goalkeeper, making her debut in 2013 after a promising underage and Senior B career. After her impressive rugby hiatus, Tyrrell returned to the Sky Blues set-up in 2021 and made her impact felt as a forward immediately.
Her star rose and rose, but an All-Ireland medal eluded her. Meath stunned the five in-a-row chasing Dubs in her maiden final in ’21, before Donegal dumped them out at the quarter-final stage last year.
“I would find it hard to walk away after this year,” she said shortly afterwards. “I feel like I still have a lot more to give.”
That she did, and she celebrated with her seven-week-old daughter, Aoife, and her wife, Sorcha, on the hallowed turf at Croke Park this evening.
3. More final heartbreak for Kerry
While Dublin regained the Brendan Martin Cup in style, the wait goes on for Kerry to get their hands on it once more. Declan Quill and Darragh Long’s side suffered a second successive decider defeat as the 30-year wait for All-Ireland glory continues.
Their slow start was detrimental, with Quill noting how “passive” they were post-match. “The girls put their heart and soul into it and there’s no doubting that, but Dublin were just the superior team on the day,” the emotional co-manager conceded.
It’s fair to say Kerry underperformed, their kick-out and decision making going forward letting them down time and time again. They turned to injured captain Síofra O’Shea off the bench down the home straight, but Dublin had their number all over.
What the future holds remains to be seen: Ní Mhuircheartaigh, Emma Costello, Cáit Lynch, Lorraine Scanlon and Louise Galvin are all over 30, while Quill was non-committal on the management team’s future afterwards.
“We put our heart and soul into it. This has been a very long and enjoyable four years. It’s a seven-day-a-week job. I have three young kids at home. Darragh has two young kids at home
“We put a lot of things on the back-burner, missing my son’s football matches and not being there all the time to train his team. Things like that, it impacts your family life too.
“It’s been brilliant. I don’t know. We’ll have to really think about it. There’s a fabulous group there. I know there’s going to be a few girls who will walk away. But there’s a good nucleus there of younger girls coming through as well.”
