KERRY JOINT MANAGER Darragh Long paid tribute to goalkeeper Mary Ellen Bolger for lining for Kerry against Cork yesterday following the death of her mother, Annette, at the weekend.
And Long and joint manager Declan Quill also hailed the Kerry squad for the way they have rallied around Mary Ellen and helped her cope with the death of her mother.
“Today was a bit more than football and a bit more than sport,” Long said after the Kingdom’s 2-14 to 0-7 win at Austin Stack Park.
“It was about our group coming together for Mary Ellen and her family and honouring the memory of her mother, and to say that myself and Declan are immensely proud of that group is an understatement.”
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Midfielder Amy Harrington also had a word for the goalkeeper in her Player of the Match winning interview with TG4.
“Mary Ellen did absolutely fantastic today. It’s a testament to her and her strength. She’s just absolutely unbelievable. She came out and she played so well. We all came together and really put in the good performance for her and for her family.”
🗣️ 'It's a testament to her and her strength.' Laoch na hImeartha Amy Harrington pays tribute to goalkeeper Mary Ellen Bolger.
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Comhghairdeas le Amy Harrington inniu!🙌@kerryladiesfoot #SeriousSupport
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Kerry made it three wins in a row in the Lidl National Football League and join Meath and Armagh with maximum points from three games.
“Hugely satisfying but it’s only the third round of the league,” Long added. “To put in a performance like that, and as ruthless as we were in the second half is extremely satisfying.
“We understand that Cork are missing girls. I mean to be missing the O’Sullivans and Roisin Phelan would affect any team in the country. For us it was about a performance. We probably left a couple of scores after us in the first half but there was very little wasted by us in the second half and the two goals were absolutely clinical.”
“Kerry were very impressive,” said Cork manager Shane Ronayne. “We’ve a lot of work to do to catch up to them. We’ve been ahead of them for the last couple of years but they’ve passed us out today.
“It’s a harsh learning curve and if we don’t start performing now, our Division One status could be in jeopardy because it’s going to be very hard with two teams going down and every team is fighting tooth and nail.”
- With reporting from Dan Kearney and Emma Duffy.
