NIAMH CARMODY SAYS lifting the Brendan Martin Cup on behalf of Kerry was the greatest moment of her life โ and will probably remain so.
The wing-forward became the first Kerry captain since the great Eileen Lawlor in 1993 to get her hands on the precious silverware.
Aside from achieving success at the third attempt following final defeats in 2022 and 2023, Kerryโs win over Galway has also nudged them ahead of neighbours Cork into top spot in the Championshipโs roll of honour with a dozen titles.
A good afternoonโs work then.
โItโs going to be the greatest day of my life โ Iโd say maybe forever!โ said Carmody. โItโs just fantastic. I canโt put it into words what it means to us.
โWe always knew what this team was capable of. The display the backs put in today was absolutely phenomenal and you could see why Kayleigh Cronin got Player of the Match. The tackles that she put in, youโd go far and wide to see a better display of defending and I think thatโs what the overall performance was built on.
โAnd the players who came in off the bench, Hannah OโDonoghue like, she kicked 1-2, we just have a phenomenal group of girls. So yeah, I think we just really showed what weโre capable of.โ
Full-back Cronin was immense for Kerry in their semi-final win over Armagh in Tullamore but turned in an even more impressive display in the 3-14 to 0-11 final defeat of Galway.
โThe one thing I remember from last year was when we were on the pitch after the final whistle went, after losing to Dublin, and Kayleigh went around to all of us and said, โWeโre going to go againโ,โ said Carmody. โWe knew that we were going to lose one or two people but I think I knew in my heart that a lot of us would come back. We knew we werenโt finished last year.
โAt least thatโs what I felt, and once we found that the managers were staying on, I donโt think anyone was going to step away.โ
Joint managers Declan Quill and Darragh Long werenโt initially planning on staying on though. In fact, they privately called it quits when chatting immediately after last yearโs final loss to Dublin.
โWe were in the middle of the field last year looking up at Carla (Rowe) getting the Cup for Dublin and blue everywhere,โ said Quill. โI remember we shook hands and he (Long) said, โThatโs itโ. And I said, โThatโs it for me tooโ. He has kids at home, I have three kids at home as well. It is hard to keep everything going.โ
The following morning, during a chat at the team hotel before returning home, they started to talk about the tweaks and alterations that might possibly make the difference in 2024. And just like that, they were up and running again.
The journey from there to here, to the summit of the 2024 Championship, via a first Munster championship success since 2017, has been a thrilling one.
โPerseverance is some trait to have and we have got it in absolute abundance,โ said Long.
โWe wrote down four items five and a half years ago when we took this job. We have ticked every box as of today. And yet last year we could have thrown in the towel, and we were super close to doing that. We thought we had run our race. We thought we had asked as much of the girls as we could ask of them. But we sounded girls out and they wanted us back. Unfinished business.
โIt was tough losing against Meath two years ago but we probably werenโt expected to win. A lot of people maybe thought weโd win last year so that one hurt. And last year still hurts even though we have won today. But today is also going to make up for every bit of sacrifice we have asked of them and that they have asked of us over the last couple of years.โ
Against that background of final failures โ they lost another one earlier this year too, to Armagh in the Division 1 league decider โ it was particularly sweet for the management watching Kerry streak to victory at Galwayโs expense. The game was as good as up at half-time when they led by eight points.
โIt was a dream scenario to be in that position a couple of minutes out,โ agreed Long.
For Galway, it was another All-Ireland senior football final defeat, following on from the menโs defeat to Armagh. Both Galway managers reflected on missed opportunities after the respective defeats too.
โWe got our shots away, we were still breaking lines and getting opportunities to put the ball over the bar but our accuracy wasnโt where it needed to be,โ said Galway boss Daniel Moynihan.
โThe Kerry defence did really well against us, particularly where we like to probe and create opportunities. But I still think we made a lot of opportunities in the first-half and we just didnโt convert, even goal chances as well, and thatโs going to cost you in an All-Ireland final.โ
Well done to both teams. Great play and excitement during the match. Congratulations Kerry
I canโt recall the last time a team won an all Ireland final by more than double scores, in any code at any grade. Iโm sure some smart boy out there will know the answer.
@Ray Ridge: 2008 killkenny v waterford
@Square: Dublin ladies in 2017, 2011 and Cork ladies 2008.
@Ray Ridge: looks like you can recall lol im going for the mens all ireland before 2008 there was tipp v antrim as well not sure the yesr
@Square: I had to Google. Probably Cork destroyed a few teams in camogie finals too but canโt be bothered googling that.
@Square: That was 1990 Tipp v Antrim . The year the gaa conspired to deny Galway the 3 in a row.
@Ray Ridge: think your googel is wrong it was 1989
@Square: Correct, 1989. Just checking if your switched on or not!!
@Ray Ridge: allways on dear god rte olympics is an ad feast
@Square: I remember that hammering Waterford received from Kilkenny. It was probable the best 70 minutes of pure hurling Iโve ever seen by any team. I was in the lower cusack stand and wasnโt the biggest fan of Kilkenny. About 10 mins into the game that changed. All I could do was sit back in complete admiration of every play from Kilkenny for the rest of the game, my mouth wide open in awe at the beauty of their skill, work rate and tenacity. It was one of those prolonged wow moments. Pretty orgasmic if the truth be told
@WqM9AAv3: Nice one and who do u support
@Square: I support hurling Square. Thereโs a bit of me embedded in a lot of counties. No true allegiance, just a huge fan of hurling in general