Mayo outwitted despite pushing Kerry all the way

MAYO ladies senior Gaelic footballers pushed reigning champions, Kerry, all the way in their first round of the group stages of the All-Ireland series in Austin Stack Park, Tralee, before going down by 0-13 to 1-4.

It was always going to be a very tough task for Liam McHale charges as not alone had they play the reigning All-Ireland and national league champions, Kerry, but on their home soil.

However, Mayo produced a brilliant display and had they made a lot more of their scoring chances, especially in the second half, they would have been much, much closer at the final whistle.

But despite this defeat, Mayo will have gained a massive amount of self-belief from this plucky display and will looked forward to their second and final group game against Cork in a couple of weeks’ time when they will have home advantage.

It was the home side, Kerry who had the advantage of the strong wind in the opening half.

It looked as if they were going to make this advantage pay, where it mattered most, on the scoreboard, when they raced into an early four-point lead.

However, they were knocked back brilliantly in the 12th minute when Mayo produced a great upfield movement which ended with Clodagh Keane at the second time of asking scoring a great goal to reduce the deficit to the minimum.

This goal seemed to inspire great confidence in Mayo and for the rest of the half they went toe-toe with Kerry.

Although Kerry would add three more points to their tally in this opening half, Mayo would cancel these white flags with fine points from Hannah Reape and two from Sinead Walsh, to leave one between the sides at the interval, 0-7 to 1-3.

On the resumption Kerry’s Niamh Carmody and Sinead Walsh exchanged early points.

However, Mayo was handed a real body blow when the brilliant Hannah Reape was sin binned. During this 10-minute in the sin bin for Reape, Kerry hit three points on the trot and led by four.

In the final quarter, Mayo threw everything at Kerry but were unable to convert some great scoring opportunities which cost them dearly in the end.

Kerry: M.E. Bolger, R. Rahilly, E. Lynch, F. O’Donoghue, A. O’Connell (0-1), E. Costello, C. Lynch, M. O’Connell, A. Galvin (0-1), N. Carmody (0-2), N. Ní Chonchúir, C. Evans, K. Brosnan (0-1), J. Lucey, S. O’Shea (0-4).

Subs used: N. Broderick, D. O’Leary (0-4), A. Dillane, N. Quinn, K. O’Connor.

Mayo: J Gawalkiewicz, L. Wallace, N. O’Malley, C. Durkan, D. Caldwell, K. Sullivan, S. El Massry, H. Reape (0-1), S. Lally, L. Hanley, S. Walsh (0-3), A. Flanagan, E. Murray, C. Keane (1-0), C. Doherty.

Subs: A. Geraghty, C. Whyte, A. McDonnell, E. Brennan, A. Gough.

Referee: J. Murphy (Carlow).