Galway 1-11
Kerry 1-9

by Dan Kearney

Galway sealed their fourth win of their Lidl National League Division One campaign with a hard fought victory over Kerry at Austin Stack Park in Tralee in hardy winter conditions.

A goal 30 seconds into the second half by Leanne Coen made all the difference for the winners despite a stirring comeback from Kerry in the final quarter of the game. 

A swirling wind favoured Kerry in the opening period where both sides did quite well even with the heavy downpour before the start of the game.

It was the visitors that settled better early with Aoife Molloy raising a white flag after two minutes following some good patient play.

Scores followed from Roisin Leonard and Aoife O’Rourke as Galway attacked with intent and purpose and certainly looked the better side early on.

Siofra O’Shea finally got Kerry off the mark in the 8th minute from a free but a flowing move involving the rampant Hannah Noone and Coen finished with Noone striking over a good score to push Galway three ahead once more.

Full forward Julia Curtin replied for Kerry in the 10th minute after Danielle O’Leary’s initial shot was blocked, and straight afterwards Rachel Dwyer slotter over to leave Kerry just a single score behind, before Andrea Trill showed fantastic pace to slot over for the visitors.

Kerry struck for the goal they craved in the 18th minute when Danielle O’Leary struck low and hard past Leah O’Halloran after a brilliant raking pass from Niamh Carmody. 

Galway responded in style from Kate Slevin and the brilliant Noone, with O’Shea getting a welcome reply with another free for the hosts.

It was Galway who finished the half the stronger though with Slevin popping over her second, and Coen slotting her first, to see the maroon and white take a 0-9 to 1-4 lead in at the half time break.

Coen scored the all-important and crucial goal at the start of the second half for Galway when she showed a snipers instincts to finish after Roisin Leonard’s initial shot was blocked.

Trill and a brace of frees from O’Shea saw Galway lead by 1-10 to 1-6 with 40 minutes gone and the visitors were unlucky not to add a goal when, after a poor kick out from Mary Ellen Bolger, Roisin Leonard’s shot was saved by Bolger and Trill hit the follow-up off the post.

Kerry roared into the game from here on with Dwyer, an O’Shea free and a monster Anna Galvin point bringing them within one , but the final say of the game fell to Kate Slevin when she popped over the insurance free on the final whistle.

Scorers: Galway: L Coen 1-1, H Noone 0-2, K Slevin 0-3 (1f), A Trill 0-2, R Leonard 0-1, A Molloy 0-1, A O’Rourke 0-1.

Kerry: S O’Shea 0-5f, D O Leary 1-0, R Dwyer 0-2, J Curtin 0-1, A Galvin 0-1.

GALWAY: L O’Halloran; R Quinn, S Ní Loingsigh, B Quinn; H Noone, S Divilly, A Molloy; N Divilly, A Madden; A O’Rourke, K Slevin, K Thompson; A Trill, L Coen, R Leonard. Subs: O Divilly for A O’Rourke 41, L Ward for S Divilly 43, N Ward for S Ní Loingsigh 46, L Noone for R Leonard 49, M Glynn for A Madden 59.

KERRY: M.E. Bolger; K Furey, E Lynch, D Kearney; R Rahilly, A Galvin, A Dillane; M O’Connell, C Evans; N Carmody, K Enright, R Dwyer; S O’Shea, J Curtin, D O’Leary. Subs: J Lucey for J Curtin, K Brosnan for K Furey (both h/t), N Ní Chonchúir for R Dwyer 53, M Mulvihill for C Evans 59.

Referee: Conor McCarthy (Cork).

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