“FOR ME, THEY had the marquee forward. But here’s sport for you, Leah Caffrey didn’t lie down for the last eight or 10 weeks, go away and decide that Louise Ní Muircheartaigh or any other forward was going to be the best forward in the country.”
So said All-Ireland-winning manager Mick Bohan after Dublin’s masterclass performance against Kerry. A late goal brought a flicker of doubt about the result, but the lead was insurmountable. Dublin were All-Ireland champions again.
The build-up to the final focused on two key areas that would determine the outcome of this game: the midfield battle and the marking of Ní Muircheartaigh. Leitrim-born Eilish O’Dowd and Jennifer Dunne took care of their midfield duties with a commanding display which featured two points from Dunne, as well as a vital interception from O’Dowd to prevent a goal chance.
Ní Muircheartaigh was the other big job for Dublin.
After scoring 1-10 in the All-Ireland semi-final against Mayo, as well as helping herself to 1-6 when Kerry played Dublin in the group stages of the All-Ireland championship, she could be a menace in Croke Park.
It was expected that Leah Caffrey would be selected to patrol Ní Muircheartaigh’s movements and she delivered on the task.
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After getting two possessions in the early stages, Ní Muircheartaigh attempted to go for her first point from play in the fourth minute. But Caffrey was well positioned to lunge in and smother the shot before gathering possession and clearing the ball through the hands.
Ní Muircheartaigh recovered from that by winning a free off Caffrey in their next collision and tapping the ball over to give Kerry their first score of the game. And the Corca Dhuibhne star followed that up with her first from play in the 13th minute with a powerful effort that she had meant to end up in the Dublin net.
In the 20th minute, the pair locked horns again. Kerry were trailing by five points at this stage, and the need for another score was increasing. A pass in from Danielle O’Leary spilled into the path of Caffrey and Ní Muircheartaigh with the Kerry captain appearing to get to the ball first. Caffrey however, managed to get a glove in and disrupt her opponent enough and ended up winning a free out.
Kerry’s purple patch arrived just after half-time. They had just reduced the gap to six points when they intercepted a Dublin kickout to launch a quick counter attack. The ball came to Ní Muircheartaigh who tried to wriggle through and create a goal chance but there was no way to muscle Caffrey out her path. Caffrey’s tackling was judged too excessive and a free was awarded, but her mission to prevent a momentum-swinging goal was complete.
Another pointed free was no major concession for Dublin at that stage.
41 minutes gone and now Kerry were just five points behind. A Kerry attack came to corner-forward Hannah O’Donoghue and she attempted to sweep the ball further along into the arms of Ní Muircheartaigh who had made a dart towards the Hogan Stand sideline.
But once again, Caffrey was diligently keeping up her pursuit. She dipped down in time to put her palm to the ball first and intercept. Their bodies got tangled up and the referee blew the whistle in Caffrey’s favour.
It was a textbook example of defending that frustrates a forward. But even though Caffrey appeared to be edging out the battle between the two, Ní Muircheartaigh still managed to exert some influence as she palmed the ball to the net with five minutes remaining. And she still finished the game as Kerry’s top-scorer with 1-7 (6f).
Dublin were still five points clear but the score offered Kerry a lifeline. They cut the difference down to four but that was as close as they could get. Caffrey squeezed in one more vital piece of defending when she got a hand to the ball when Caít Lynch was in possession and the referee whistled for a free out.
Dublin captain Carla Rowe put a lid on proceedings with a point in the last 10 seconds to send her side back to the summit again.
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