AFTER THE MADNESS of the All-Ireland hurling final today, football is the focus for the next fortnight.
Galway are targeting a historic double as their men’s and women’s senior football teams feature in All-Ireland finals in the same year for the first time ever.
Pádraic Joyce’s side face Armagh at Croke Park next Sunday, before Daniel Moynihan’s charges go head-to-head with Kerry on 4 August in what will be a a first-ever TG4 All-Ireland senior ladies football final between the counties.
Galway defeated Cork, while Kerry overcame Armagh, on Saturday to confirm the new-look pairing, and experience was key for the winners of both semi-finals at Tullamore’s O’Connor Park.
Galway finished up 2-7 to 0-10 victors in the opening game of the double-header, as the two teams relegated from Division 1 battled it out for an All-Ireland final spot.
First-half goals from Roisin Leonard (penalty) and Ailbhe Davoren sent the Tribe on their way to their first decider since 2019.
They led by five points, 2-4 to 0-5, at the break, having enjoyed the benefit of a strong wind.
A Katie Quirke-inspired Cork looked to mount a fightback, but Galway assuemed control of the game. They kept the ball and dominated the middle third of the pitch, with captain Davoren and the Ward twins, Louise and Nicola, among their standout figures.
The reliable Leonard finished with 1-5 (1-0 pen, 0-3f) while Olivia Divilly also featured on the scoresheet through a battling victory. A lot has been made of Galway’s younger players and the hope for underage success to translate, but experience was crucial here.
It was also a case of third time lucky against Cork in 2024: Shane Ronayne’s new-look Rebels won their league meeting and, as Louise Ward told TG4 afterwards, also gave them a “rude awakening” in the group stages of the championship.
But Galway have now taken out another traditional heavyweight following their stunning quarter-final win over Dublin.
Kerry, meanwhile, progressed to their third successive All-Ireland final following a 1-8 to 0-7 victory over Armagh. After back-to-back decider defeats, Declan Quill and Darragh Long’s side are again chasing a first Brendan Martin Cup success since 1993.
Kerry started slowly on Saturday, with Armagh racing into a 0-5 to 0-2 lead before Niamh Ní Chonchúir’s all-important 16th-minute goal. They led 1-7 to 0-5 at the break, and successfully saw out a low-scoring affair.
Like Galway before them, the Kingdom dominated possession and frustrated Armagh, who were bidding for their second-ever final appearance and first title. Síofra O’Shea was colossal as she continues her comeback from an ACL injury; and Lorraine Scanlon and Hannah O’Donoghue helped keep the ship steady from the bench.
While the Kingdom successfully overcame a Niamh Carmody sin-bin, the loss of Blaithin Mackin in the closing stages was a hammer blow for Armagh. Mackin was shown a yellow card for a high challenge on Scanlon, while the absence of her injured sister, Aimee, was also keenly felt for the Division 1 league champions.
Onwards now to Croke Park, where new champions will be crowned.
Dublin, Meath and Cork have shared every title since 2005. Galway won in ’04.
It should be an intriguing final, with little to separate the sides.
Kerry were five-point winners — 2-11 to 0-12 — way back in March in their league meeting in Killarney, but one can’t read much into that.
Likewise, it’s a repeat of the 2023 Division 1 league final where Kerry stormed to a 5-11 to 1-10 win at Croke Park.
Galway will argue they didn’t show up as they fell to a humiliating 13-point defeat on the biggest stage. Ní Chonchúir (two), O’Shea, O’Donoghue and Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh all raised green flags on that occasion; a day to remember to Kerry, but one to forget for Galway.
They also won the dress rehearsal, but only by two points.
The next battle is shaping up to be similarly tight.
History beckons in a new-look All-Ireland final.
