Kerry have lost away to Armagh n the Lidl Ladies National Football League.
The Kingdom went down at Silverbridge Harps by 1-13 to 2-8.
By Elaine Ingram
Armagh desperately needed a win to move out of the Lidl National Football League Division 1 relegation zone and they managed to get it in a tight tussle against Kerry with a two-point victory.
While there was no breeze in Silverbridge, Kerry were playing into the sun as it dipped low in the sky after the 5pm thow-in.Armagh avoided the blinding light as it had sunk below the treeline for the second half.
The Orchard County led 1-6 to 1-2 at the break, thanks to a free from Aimee Mackin, who was a welcome returnee to the field from injury, and a brace from the dead ball converted by Kelly Mallon.
Before that the sides there was just one score in it with the home side leading 1-3 to 1-2 as after Kerry battled back from a five-point deficit.
The Kingdom almost had the ball in the net twice in the first quarter, but it was the Orchard County who rattled it first with a goal from Blaithin Mackin, well set up by Lauren McConville in the tenth minute. A couple of points followed and the home side led 1-3 to 0-1 but Leah Boyle socre the next point and on 20 minutes Siofra O’Shea drilled the ball to the roof of the net for the Kingdom. The aforementioned Armagh frees concluded the half in a close contest between these two familiar foes. Kerry were reduced to 14 players when Aoife Dillane was sinbinned before the break and that certainly helped Armagh’s cause as they came out strong in the second half.
They went nine points clear after Mallon put two over the bar and Aimee Mackin, McCoy and Marley made it 1-11 to 1-2.
Kerry were struggling to find the target, while Aimmee Mackin sent another beauty between the sticks before Niamh Ni Chonchuir and sub Maeve Mulvihill responded.
Kerry continued to chip into Armagh’s lead and a second goal from O’Shea made it a two-point game 1-13 to 2-8 with minutes remaining. Armagh gained possession and tried to keep it as the clock wound down and they managed to do just that to win 1-13 to 2-8 .
Scorers: Armagh: B Mackin 1-0, K Mallon 0-5 (2f), A Mackin 0-4 (1f) A McCoy 0-2, C Marley 0-2.
Kerry: S O’Shea 2-2, (0-1)f, K Enright, N Carmody, L Boyle, N Ni Chonchuir, M Mulvihill, N Carmody 0-1 each.
ARMAGH: B Mathers; M Ferguson, C McCambridge, C Towe; A Donnelly, L McConville, G Ferguson; B Mackin, C O’Reilly; C McNally, A McCoy, E Druse; A Mackin, C O’Hanlon, K Mallon. Subs: M Lennon for Mcnally (40,) E Reid for Marley (42), E Druse for McCoy (55), E McConaghy for Mallon (55).
KERRY: C Butler; E Lynch, D Kearney, R Rahilly; E Ní Laighin, A Dillane, L Boyle; N Carmody, A Galvin; K Enright, N Ní Chonchúir, C Evans; S O’Shea, D O’Leary, R Dwyer. Subs: M Mulvihille for Evans ht, L McMahon for Dwyer h-t, J Lucey for O’Leary (36), N Quinn for Enright (42), K Ryan for Boyle (49).
Referee: David Hurson (Monaghan)
Cork confirmed their place in the final.
The Rebels needed goals to see off Meath, eventually coming out on top by 4-8 to 2-12.
Galway also progressed thanks to a 3-13 to 1-13 win over Dublin in Tuam.
Waterford and Kildare played out a draw, it finished 2-10 to 1-13 in that one.
Cork 4-8 Meath 2-12
By GER MCCARTHY
Cork are through to the 2026 Lidl National Football League Division 1 final with a game to spare following this victory over Meath at MTU Cork.
Katie Quirke (two), Áine Terry O’Sullivan and Aimee Corocran goals sent the Rebels into the National League decider in their first season back after gaining promotion from Division 2.
Meath played their part in an entertaining game but remain in relegation danger heading into next weekend’s final round of fixtures.
The hosts got off to a powerful start courtesy of four unanswered scores.
Áine Terry O’Sullivan twice went close to netting an early goal and Meath struggled to contain the lively Beara forward. Three O’Sullivan points and a fine Aoife Healy score handed the Rebels an early four-point advantage.
Emma Duggan (free) responded but Meath’s defence were guilty of switching off as Katie Quirke cut in along the end-line and fired into the net after 14 minutes.
That was Meath’s cue to up the tempo as the visitors dominated the remainder of the half.
Marian Farrelly, Megan Thynne and Rachel Casserly scores made it 1-4 to 0-4 before Aoife Healy floated over her second score.
Dominating Cork’s kick-outs, Meath added three further points via Emma Duggan (two frees) and Casserly to trail 1-5 to 0-7 at the short whistle.
Duggan landed another free on the resumption but Cork struck back instantly. Aimee Corcoran raced through her opposing defence and found the bottom corner to make it 2-6 to 0-8.
A flurry of third quarter scores preceded a jersey-pull foul in front of Cork’s goal which Emma Duggan dispatched into the net from a resulting close-range free.
The game back in the melting pot, Áine Terry O’Sullivan’s palmed into an empty net to make it 3-8 to 1-9 with 5 minutes remaining.
An Emma Duggan free made it a four-point game before O’Sullivan turned provider and fed Katie Quirke to smash home Cork’s fourth goal.
A late Marion Farrelly goal came too late for Meath and it is Cork who deservedly march on to a Division 1 final.
Scorers for Cork: K Quirke 2-2 (0-2 f), Á T O’Sullivan 1-3, A Corocran 1-0, A Healy 0-2, L Hallahan 0-1.
Meath: E Duggan 1-5 (0-5 f), M Farrelly 1-1, M Thynne, R Casserly 0-2 each, C Smyth, Nallogly 0-1 each.
CORK: C Redmond; M Duggan, D Kiniry, S Kelly; A Corcoran, S McGoldrick, R Corkery; A Healy, A O’Mahony; R Leahy, G Murphy, E Cleary (captain); Á T O’Sullivan, K Quirke, L Hallihan. Subs: C Hughes for D Kiniry (33), R O’Regan for L Hallahan (52), K Redmond for G Ní Mhurchú (52), S Callanan for R Corkery (57), A Ring for Á T O’Sullivan (57), E Hurley for for R Leahy (60), C McCarthy for K Quirke (62).
MEATH: R Murray; K Kealy, Á Sheridan, A Farrell; C Lawlor, O Gore, K Bermingham; O Sheehy, M Thynne; M Farrelly, C Smyth, N Gallogly (captain); E Duggan, L Woods, R Casserly.
Subs: M Byrne for L Woods (41), S Murphy for R Casserly (41), M K Lynch for O Gore (42), C Millington for C Lawlor (47), O Finnegan for O Sheehy (47), Ó Smith for A Farrell (51).
Referee: Seamus Mulvihill (Kerry).
Galway 3-13
Dublin 1-13
By Mark Walsh
Galway booked their place in the Division 1 final of the Lidl National Ladies Football League with a six-point victory over the All-Ireland champions.
Daniel Moynihan’s side built their win in the first period. Goals from the attacking trio of Kate Slevin, Kate Thompson and Leanne Coen helped Galway into a 3-5 to 0-6 half-time advantage in Tuam Stadium.
It was a fourth loss of the campaign for Dublin, who face the threat of relegation going into the final round of matches next weekend.
Galway moved the ball through the hands with pace for much of the tie. Nicola Ward played in Slevin for the easiest of finishes for the game’s opening goal in the third minute.
Kate Sullivan was excellent in the Dublin full-forward line. The St Sylvester’s corner-forward got her side off the mark and other Dublin scores soon followed from Niamh Hetherton and a free from Orlagh Nolan.
Thompson’s neat goal ensured Galway were 2-3 to 0-4 ahead at the end of the opening quarter. Galway’s third goal of the half arrived in the 26th minute through Coen after a Kate Slevin free had dropped short. Olivia Divilly, one of three sisters on the Galway team, pointed before the break.
Niamh Divilly, playing midfield alongside sister Siobhan, carried the ball well all evening for Galway and she extended her side’s lead to nine points just seconds into the second period. Olivia Divilly put Galway 3-7 to 0-6 in front shortly after.
Five of the next six points went the way of Dublin through Carla Rowe (free), Sullivan (three) and sub Orla Keighran. Back Galway came to push their lead out to nine again, as Oliva Divilly was on target twice and Slevin fired over a point from play.
Rowe reacted quickest to an Orlagh Nolan free that hit the post to bag Dublin’s goal in the 53rd minute, leaving Galway 3-12 to 1-13 to the good. Galway sub Aoife O’Rourke rounded out the evening’s scoring as Dublin finished with 14 players after Rebecca McDonnell was yellow carded.
Galway are away to Waterford in the final round, while Dublin have a must-win match against table-toppers Cork.
Scorers – Galway: O Divilly 0-5, K Slevin 1-2 (1f), K Thompson, L Coen 1-1 each, N Divilly 0-2, N Ward, A O’Rourke 0-1 each.
Dublin: K Sullivan 0-5, C Rowe 1-1 (1f), E Gribbin, N Hetherton, O Nolan (2f) 0-2 each, O Keighran 0-1.
GALWAY: L O’Halloran; R Quinn, S Ní Loingsigh, B Quinn; H Noone, N Ward, E Power; N Divilly, S Divilly; O Divilly, Slevin, L Noone; K Thompson, L Coen, A Trill. Subs: A O’Rourke for K Thompson (35), K Geraghty for S Ní Loingsigh (36), A Molloy for E Power (43), A Madden for L Noone (48) K Mee for R Quinn (55), H Mangan for A Trill (58).
DUBLIN: A Shiels; H Leahy, C Almeida, A Timothy; S McIntyre, N Crowley, N Donlon; H McGinnis, N Hetherton; C O’Connor, E Gribbin, O Nolan; L Grendon, C Rowe, K Sullivan. Subs: O Keighran for L Grendon (ht), A Nyhan for C Almeida (38), C Coffey for N Hetherton (40), N Hetherton for A Timothy (42), K Donaghy for C O’Connor (44), R McDonnell for H McGinnis (48), M Davoren for K Sullivan (48), J Egan for S McIntyre (54).
Referee: Gus Chapman (Sligo).
Waterford 2-10
Kildare 1-13
By Daire Walsh
Áine O’Neill struck a late goal at Cappoquin Logistics Fraher Field in Dungarvan as Waterford fought from behind to claim a share of the spoils with Kildare in Division 1 of the Lidl National Football League.
Despite Waterford creating early daylight in this contest with points from Hannah McGrath and Kellyann Hogan, Kildare soon replied with fine efforts courtesy of Molly Aspell and Alannah Prizeman.
Hogan did find the target for a second time after an Aoife Rattigan free had briefly put their opponents into the lead, but the Lilywhite outfit flexed their muscles with a powerful second-quarter showing.
Having already joined Mayah Doyle, Aoife Murnane and Rattigan (two) in kicking unanswered points, centre-forward Ciara Wheeler seized upon a short kick-out in the 29th minute and proceeded to chip Waterford netminder Gemma Corcoran for a superbly-taken goal.
Waterford had lost Laura Mulcahy to a yellow card not long before this green flag strike and even though Brid McMaugh responded with a two-point salvo, Kildare brought a healthy 1-8 to 0-5 cushion into the interval.
They reasserted their authority on the resumption with Rattigan’s fourth point of the game, but Waterford came roaring back into life when Hogan used the element of surprise to rattle a close-range free to the net on 35 minutes. This reinvigorated the Deise challenge and Hogan was also on hand to cancel out another Aspell score at the opposite end in advance of Mulcahy returning to the fray.
The Lilies were still four ahead in the 51st minute thanks to a brace of Rattigan points matching the contributions of Hogan and substitute Lia Ní hArta for the Munster side, but Waterford brought the gap down to two when Katie Murray and Hogan split the posts in quick succession.
While a Ciara Wheeler point offered Kildare some much-needed breathing space, O’Neill embarked on a strong run before unleashing a powerful shot to the net at the end of normal time.
Despite coming away with something to show from this encounter, third-place Waterford will miss out on a final spot in Division 1 due to victories elsewhere for Cork and Galway ensuring their places in the upcoming showpiece decider.
The point garnered from this game could yet prove to be vital for Kildare, but Pat Sullivan’s charges have now slipped back into the relegation spots ahead of their home showdown with Kerry tomorrow week.
Scorers – Waterford: K Hogan 1-5 (1-3f), Á O’Neill 1-0, B McMaugh 0-2, K Murray, L Ní hArta, H McGrath.
Kildare: A Rattigan 0-6 (4f), C Wheeler 1-2, M Aspell 0-2, M Doyle, A Prizeman, A Murnane 0-1 each.
WATERFORD: G Corcoran; R Browne, L Mulcahy, R Casey; Á O’Neill, K McGrath, C Murray; E Power, E Murray; K Murray, K Hogan, B McMaugh; A McGrath, C Walsh, H McGrath. Subs: M Daly for Walsh, K Gardiner for Corcoran (both h-t), L Ní hArta for H McGrath (42), C Fennell for Daly (49), L Cusack for A McGrath, T Ní Chrotaigh for McMaugh (both 58).
KILDARE: R Fennin; A Mernagh, M Doherty, H McLoughlin; L Shaw, R Sargent, L Lenehan; N Murphy, G Wheeler; A Murnane, C Wheeler, M Aspell; A Rattigan, M Doyle, A Prizeman. Subs: M Cooney for Prizeman (46), A Mahon for Shaw, M McDonagh for Murphy (both 49).
Referee: Barry Redmond (Wexford).
