Kerry 3-14

Galway 0-11

THE Galway flags around the county are starting to bend over. For the second time in eight days, one of the county’s four flagship GAA teams has come up short in an All-Ireland final at Croke Park.

Unlike the footballers’ agonising loss to Armagh the previous Sunday, there are no grounds for the Galway ladies to beat themselves up over falling at the final hurdle. They lost by a dozen points and sadly, that was a true reflection of the gulf between the teams.

Having lost the last two All-Ireland finals, Kerry used all that pent up frustration and disappointment to help produce their best display of the campaign in ending a three-decade wait for championship glory.

Apart from the opening quarter, Sunday’s decider wasn’t a contest. Kerry were simply in a different league, both in conditioning and quality. Their defence – led by outstanding full-back Kayleigh Cronin – put the shutters up in a manner Galway hadn’t come across this year, while their attack had a cutting-edge Daniel Moynihan’s charges couldn’t emulate.

The Tribeswomen never gave up and the like of Charlotte Cooney, Ailbhe Davoren and Olivia Divilly had some strong moments – as did substitute Andrea Trill – but for most of the rest it proved an unequal struggle in trying to influence the action.

It was a pity that Galway’s season came to such a brutal end after their barnstorming win over Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final before turning the tables on Cork two weeks ago, but they came up against a vastly superior force on Sunday.

Perhaps, the mental and physical toll of those epic knock-out wins left Galway a little drained for the biggest game of all and they probably didn’t do themselves justice either, but long before the final’s conclusion, the women in maroon were a beaten docket.

They did have chances in the opening quarter, but Emma Reaney’s radar was off target, while Leanne Coen and Roisín Leonard (from a free) also spurned chances during a period when Olivia Divilly had plenty of early possession, with her athleticism causing problems for Kerry.

The difficulty for Galway was that despite the energy of players such as Louise Ward, who tended to carry the ball into trouble, they really struggled to create sufficient openings. Yet,  a Leonard free and Divilly’s ninth minute point left them only one adrift midway through the half.

Pictured: Aoife Ní Cheallaigh of Galway wins possession ahead of Kerry’s Danielle O’Leary during the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Senior Final at Croke Park on Sunday. Photos: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.