Kerry booked safe passage to this year’s All Ireland Senior Final with a gutsy performance against a strong Armagh outfit in Tullamore on Saturday evening. A late surge in the opening half was the catalyst behind the Kerry win.

Third times the charm maybe?, or could it be third time lucky, either way for Kerry they are into their third consecutive All Ireland Final. It has been a stumbling block over the last two years but could this be different?.

While the second half was a cagey battle with two points to one tallied, Kerry defended in droves and when Blaithin Mackin saw yellow inside the final ten minutes, The Orchard County ended the tie with 14 players.

Kerry too were reduced to 14 players late in the first half when Niamh Carmody went in late on Grace Ferguson. By that stage Kerry were ahead by five points having started the half very much on the back foot.

The game was also halted in the opening half when Clodagh McCambridge and Aishling O’Connell collied, forcing both off temporarily with blood injuries. Kerry coped well with O’Connell’s absence, Armagh however missed their fulcrum in their defence.

McCambridge is not only the Captain in that team, not just a leader, but is such a key figure in that defence. The Clann Eireann Full-Back has never missed a single minute over the last number of years and during her time off the field, Kerry hit the front.

It was a short five minute spell on the sideline but Niamh Ni Chonchuir powered through the Armagh rearguard. Normally a tall order for teams, with McCambridge commander and chief. Kerry struck 1-5 without reply to end the half with a flurry.

In the second half it was a case for Kerry of managing the game against a strong wind and they did that. While it might not have been the most entertaining half of football, it was needs must to put the Kingdom into the final.

The contest certainly began in a close capacity, Eve Lavery and Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh exchanged early points but Armagh soon put a foothold in the tie. Lavery, Blaithin Mackin and Dearbhla Coleman all pointed for a 0-4 to 0-1 lead shy of the ten minute mark.

By quarter’s end Kerry were still behind by three points and it took 13 minutes for Kerry to get their next score as Siofra O’Shea split the posts. Niamh Henderson quickly cancelled out that score but Kerry levelled matters in the 19th minute.

Kerry attacked at pace and Emma Dineen fielded well and evaded the challenge of Cait Towe, before she slipped a handpass for the energetic Niamh Ni Chonchuir, who darted through the Armagh cover and drilled a shot low to the back of the net past Anna Carr.

From here Kerry had the momentum. Danielle O’Leary gave them the lead in the 23rd minute and another Ni Mhuircheartaigh free soon doubled the lead approaching the break. Niamh Carmody extended the lead to four with two brilliant points but would soon see yellow for the challenge on Coleman as Kerry finished with 14. They would lead 1-7 to 0-5 however at the break as the walking wounded Aishling O’Connell added their seventh point of half.

The second half was very much a slow burner between the teams. While Niamh Coleman and Mackin reduced the deficit to three points in the opening ten minutes, it would be their only scores of the second half.

Credit has to go to the Kerry defence who produced a strong showing in that second half. The likes of Kayleigh Cronin and Deirdre Kearney were sweeping up things at the back, while Siofra O’Shea dropped into a supporting role much deeper than we would normally see the Southern Gaels star.

Kerry largely played with possession in the second half and tallied just a single point in that period, O’Leary pointing a free in the 49th minute of the tie. Both teams had further chances than those three scores, the scoreboard would not change in Tullamore.

A strong showing from Kerry who limited Armagh to six points from play and opted to control the ball rather than take chances from poor shooting zones with a strong breeze against them. Armagh battled until the end but when Mackin went high on Lorraine Scanlon, the numerical disadvantage cost them.

The Tribeswomen against The Kingdom will be on the agenda now for August 4th at 4:15pm, Galway last won an All Ireland in 2004, Kerry back in 1993, it will certainly be a tough battle and Kerry will take a lot from this game, similarly Galway are on the crest of a wave at the moment.