Ladies Gaelic Football

www.ladiesgaelic.ie | SPRING 2022 | 21 FEATURE REPORT By Daragh Small T heir lead was cut down to the minimum in the closing stages but this Mercy Mounthawk team was littered with stars and they saw it out. Stars of Kerry past and present were also dotted along the sideline with the joint-managers Amanda Brosnan and Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh masterminding the success. Brosnan stepped away from the Kerry panel three years ago after a stellar career which saw her captain the team. She knows talent when she sees it and believes the reigning Lidl All-Ireland PPS Junior C champions could be the future for the Kingdom too. "A lot of them girls on that team too, when Louise is still on the Kerry team, they all look up to her because she is still playing and as well because of the publicity now the Ladies Football is getting," said Brosnan. "When I was in my early career and Louise was in her early career there wasn't as much publicity and people wouldn't know you at all. But later in my career, I was even starting to be recognised. "Louise is one of the big faces of the game in Kerry and all of the girls look up to her. They are all supporting her and they are always wishing her well in games. "And it's great because I can guarantee you, we have such good girls. Some of these girls will definitely be playing with the Kerry seniors in six or seven years' time." It was a phenomenal win for the Tralee secondary school and their first major national title. The Maynooth Education Campus team in opposition at Duggan Park in Ballinasloe on that sweltering hot Saturday in March had swept all before them en route to the final. The Kildare and Leinster champions scored 5-13 in their All-Ireland semi-final success but were kept to a single point in the first half of the decider. Predictably, they did come with a revival in the second half and Leah Conway found the net but it wasn't enough. MERCY MOUNTHAWK KERRY STARS OF PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE Lisa Slattery helped herself to 0-4 and Mercy Mounthawk took home the title. "It was massive for the school, first of all," said Brosnan. "I remember saying on the bus on the way home, I had a lot of sporting days out with the club, with Kerry, I never won an All-Ireland with Kerry, but winning with the school on a personal level was up there with one of my favourite sporting moments. I was so proud of the girls even though I wasn't playing. "I was nearly crying talking to them after as well. We put a lot of hard work in and it's a long year from once the championship starts at the end of September or October. You just get very close to that group of girls. "We actually had trials for our junior team and we had 75 girls trying out for the team. We actually ended up putting in three teams. The team that won was our A team and we had two other teams as well. The interest was massive." And this group will go on to senior level where they will no doubt be involved in the latter stages of those competitions in the years to come before playing in their county colours for the senior team too. The Kerry Ladies footballers have had a stunning start to 2022, which included a Lidl NFL Division 2 title, backed by the scintillating Ní Mhuircheartaigh, who is right up there with the best attackers in the country on current form. "Kerry, they have had a really good run," said Brosnan. "Winning becomes a habit at times so depending on the draw for the championship, they could be there or thereabouts towards the end of the summer. "But it's not going to be easy for anyone marking Louise, she is obviously Kerry's star forward. Teams are going to have to have a plan against her. You can't go player for player against her. "The thing about it is she will win the frees and put the frees over so you have to avoid fouling her as well, which is a big problem."

• Cover