Ladies Gaelic Football

www.ladiesgaelic.ie | SUMMER 2022 | 23 INTERVIEW Mhuircheartaigh rattling the opposition net, the Orchard women were in the ascendancy at the interval on a scoreline of 2-8 to 2-5. Yet Quill and Long used the half-time break to rally their troops and Kerry successfully turned the table on their northern counterparts when the action resumed. Síofra O'Shea raised a green flag in advance of Ní Mhuircheartaigh converting a 53rd-minute penalty that ultimately proved decisive in keeping Armagh at arm's length. "We came out after half-time and it was a new game again. We had to respond to that challenge and thank God we did. We put pressure on them up front. We were told at half-time that we needed more pressure from the forward players. We did that a small bit better in the second half and I think we got a few scores out of that. Got a few returns out of that," Scanlon reflected. Although the Kerry attack was a major factor in their quarter-final triumph, their defence was also forced to prove its mettle. Even if it was Niamh Coleman and Aoife McCoy who raised green flags for Ronan Murphy's charges, 2020 TG4 Players' Player of the Year Aimee Mackin was their standout performer. From her final haul of 0-11, the Shane O'Neills sharpshooter kicked six points from play. Keeping tabs on Mackin when she is in top form is no easy task, but Scanlon believes the Kingdom rearguard deserves credit for making her fight every inch of the way for scores. "Aimee is a fantastic player, she's such a talent. Some of the scores she kicked were brilliant. She's always one to watch, but I think our backs did really well back there. They covered up and they were doubling up. They forced her to kick from those tough angles as well." Of course, Kerry had an attacking diamond of their own in the form of Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh. The Corca Dhuibhne star bagged 2-6 for the victors and was the choice of live broadcasters TG4 as player of Top left: 7 October 2012; Lorraine Scanlon, Kerry. TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Senior Championship Final, Cork v Kerry, Croke Park, Dublin. Top Middle: 22 August 2009; Lorraine Scanlon, Kerry. TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Senior Championship Quarter-Final, Dublin v Kerry, Nowlan Park, Kilkenny. Top Right: 12 August 2018; Lorraine Scanlon of Kerry in action against Siobhán McGrath of Dublin during the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Senior Championship quarter-final match between Kerry and Dublin at Dr. Hyde Park, in Roscommon. Bottom: 3 September 2011; Lorraine Scanlon, Kerry. TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Senior Football Championship Semi-Final, Kerry v Monaghan, St. Brendan's Park, Birr, Co. Offaly. the match. Like Scanlon, Ní Mhuircheartaigh is a survivor from Kerry's last All-Ireland final appearance in 2012. A watertight Cork defence restricted her to a single point in a 0-16 to 0-7 reversal for the Kingdom, but Ní Mhuircheartaigh has been a consistent performer for the county over the course of the last decade and will be a key figure in their bid to halt Mayo's march at GAA HQ. "Louise has been here for 14 or 15 years and year in, year out she does the same thing again. She's fantastic for us, she's a stalwart. There's no other player you'd like to see stepping up for that penalty at that stage in the game than Louise. We've great faith in her and she always delivers for us. It's great to have a stalwart like that up front." Aside from that 2012 All-Ireland decider, trips to Croke Park have been few and far between for the Kerry ladies in modern times. However, it was the venue for their Lidl National Football League Division 2 final defeat to Meath in 2021 and their subsequent victory against Armagh at the same stage earlier this year. A championship outing at Jones' Road will be a new experience for the majority of the squad, though, and Scanlon insists it is something they should embrace for all its worth. "Any day you can get to go out and play in Croke Park, it's massive. It's a nice, open pitch and an All-Ireland semi-final, that's where you want to be. It's great to be on that platform, playing there," Scanlon said. "I'M SURE WHAT MAYO HAVE IS SAVAGE AS WELL. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE REALLY PREPARED COMING INTO A SEMI-FINAL NOW FACING THEM. WE'LL HAVE TO PUT IN A GOOD BIT OF WORK AND ANALYSIS JUST TO GET OURSELVES READY FOR THAT CHALLENGE."

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