TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship Final: Dublin v Kerry(Tomorrow, Croke Park, 4pm live on TG4)
THE 50th All-Ireland senior decider is a mouth-watering prospect as Dublin and Kerry meet for the first time in the final, which will take centre stage in Croke Park tomorrow afternoon.
This is the last of the triple header at GAA headquarters that, barring a draw in any of the three games down for decision tomorrow, will take the curtain down on the LGFA’s inter-county season.
It’s a tough one to call - many will hope for a Kerry win - it’s 30 years since their last All-Ireland senior title triumph, when they overcame Laois in the 1993 final, and they have appeared in just two finals since then, including last year’s disappointing defeat to Meath, but Dublin seem to be coming really good at the right time, spurred on by stinging championship defeats these past two years - in 2021 to Meath in the final and then last year’s shock exit to Donegal in the quarter-finals.
A win for Kerry will put the Kingdom out in front on the all-time senior roll of honours list. They are currently on 11 All-Ireland senior championship wins - a haul matched by the great Cork teams that were dominant from 2005 to 2016. Dublin are going in search of a sixth title, the last of their successes in 2020, when they completed four in-a-row.
Kerry, who are current Division One champions, defeated Mayo by 1-16 to 1-11 in their semi-final, while Dublin proved too strong for Cork in their last four clash. The sides have already met in the championship, having been pitted together in the group stages, and if that game is anything to go by, spectators will be in for a treat.
Kerry came away from Parnell Park that day with a 2-8 to 1-9 win in the first round robin game. It was a physically gruelling encounter. Dublin found themselves eight points adrift early in the second half, 2-8 to 1-4, but clawed their way back into the game, getting to within two, but ultimately coming up short.
Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh scored 1-6 for Kerry that day and while she will very be on Dublin’s radar, just as she is on every opponent’s hit list, she proves to be incredibly hard to stop. The LGFA player of the month for July has amassed 2-24 in the championship to date - Kerry have scored a total of 7-53 - and their over-reliance on the sharpshooter might be a cause for concern if Dublin can keep her relatively quiet, or at least quieter and with the captain Siofra O’Shea out injured. The likes of Niamh Ni Chonchuir, Hannah O’Donoghue and Danielle O’Leary also need to step up on the scoring front.
Key to Dublin’s semi-final win over Cork was the pressure they put on the Rebelettes’ kick-outs and Mick Bohan will certainly look for his players to put the same type of pressure on Kingdom goalkeeper Ciara Butler. Likewise though, Kerry will look to do the same for Dublin netminder Abby Shiels, as Donegal got some return from doing that in the quarter-final.
Jennifer Dunne in midfield has been in excellent form for Dublin and her and former Leitrim player Eilish O’Dowd’s battle with Lorraine Scanlon and Cait Lynch will be massive as they tussle for control in the middle sector. Where there may be concern about Kerry’s over-reliance on Ni Mhuircheartaigh for scores, Dublin have had a real spread of scorers - they had 10 different scorers against Cork and the same number against Donegal - and can even spring former captain Sinead Aherne from the bench, which could be a real ace card for Bohan to play when the game is in the mix.
TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Championship Final: Clare v Kildare (Tomorrow, Croke Park, 1.45pm live on TG4)
CLARE and Kildare renew rivalries when they meet in tomorrow’s intermediate decider with hopes set on a return to senior championship football.
The silverware - getting their hands on the Mary Quinn Memorial Cup - is one of the prizes on offer, but it is all about winning promotion to the top tier of senior football for next season.
These two sides need no introduction to one another, having played twice in the Division Three league this year, with Kildare winning on both occasions, the second win the league final between the two at Parnell Park. That day, it took extra time to determine the winner, so it would not be surprising if the sides cannot be separated on the first go this weekend.
The last time the sides met at this same stage was back in 2016, Kildare coming away with the win that day at headquarters in Dublin. That was the last time both sides featured in the All-Ireland final, although this is Clare’s fourth final - they won in 2009 against Fermanagh, bouncing straight back from their 2008 final defeat and then that loss to Kildare seven years ago. This is the Lilywhites’ third final and, like Clare, bounced back from their 2015 defeat to Waterford to beat the Banner County a year later.
Clare were seriously questioned in their semi-final win over first-time Ulster intermediate champions Antrim, but they came up with the answers when needed. Key to their win were midfielders Chloe Moloney and Aisling Reidy, as was centre half forward Fidelma Marrinan, who is second in the race behind Down’s Natasha Ferris for the Golden Boot award for the championship’s top scorer.
Kildare too had a hard fought semi-final win over the 2021 and 2022 All-Ireland finalists Wexford, Neasa Dooely’s 53rd minute goal crucial in a low-scoring 1-4 to 0-2 victory.
