4 key talking points as Kerry, Meath, Dublin and Galway chase All-Ireland final place
1. Kerry’s All-Ireland Defence In New Era
Kerry went into the 2025 season without ace forward Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh who announced her retirement after a glittering 17-year career.
They also had a new man at the helm following the departure of the highly respected duo Darragh Long and Declan Quill after five years in charge. Tralee native Mark Bourke became the successor, but despite those big changes, Kerry remain on course to defend their All-Ireland title.
After ending a 31-year wait for the Brendan Martin Cup last year, the Kingdom have added Division 1 and Munster honurs in 2025. They avenged their 2024 Division 1 final defeat to Armagh with a 4-14 to 0-11 victory over the same opposition in April.
Danielle O’Leary led the way with 1-5 from play while Jadyn Lucey and All-Ireland-winning captain Niamh Carmody combined for 3-3 in a convincing display. They continued their winning trend throughout the Munster province, taking out Cork and Waterford to book their place in the final. They closed out the group stage of the competition with a 1-6 to 1-6 draw against Tipperary.
Kerry head coach Mike Tim O’Sullivan told Radio Kerry after that game that Kerry had given championship time to 29 players in the round-robin phase.
Waterford, who lost out to Kerry by just one previously, provided the opposition in the final. And again, it was a tight encounter as goals from O’Leary and Mary O’Connell powered Kerry to victory. They went two wins from two in the All-Ireland group phase against Mayo (0-13 to 1-4) and Cork (2-9 to 5-7) and progressed to the semi-finals with a 10-point victory against a Kildare side who had dumped Ulster champions Armagh out of the All-Ireland race.
Still unbeaten after seven championship outings, Kerry head for O’Connor Park in good health.
2. Dublin and Galway Meet Again
It’s just over 12 months since Galway got the better of Dublin after an extra-time arm wrestle. Aoife O’Rourke was the match-winner with a well-taken goal in Parnell Park, while Hannah Tyrrell was unable to convert a late equalising free from a tight angle. That result paved the way for Galway to march on to their first All-Ireland final appearance since 2019, overcoming Cork at the penultimate stage.
That 2019 final was also against Dublin who were back-to-back All-Ireland champions at the time. Conditions were horrible that day, with the torrential rain limiting the teams to a bizarre half-time scoreline of Dublin 1-0 Galway 0-1. By full-time, Dublin had completed their three-in-a-row as Hannah O’Neill added their second goal with a palmed effort to help steer Dublin to a five-point win.
The LGFA set a new All-Ireland final attendance record that day, with 56,114 people coming to Croke Park in spite of the bad weather.
Some familiar faces from both sides are still involved from the class of 2019. Galway’s twin sisters Nicola and Louise Ward are still core players while their Kilkerrin-Clonberne clubmate Olivia Divilly continues to be a devastating force up front. Martha Byrne and Carla Rowe both started for Dublin that day along with Sinéad Goldrick who scored a first-half goal.
3. Paul Casey and Derek Murray Chasing All-Ireland In Hot-Seat
Similar to Kerry, Dublin also lost their long-term manager over the winter. Mick Bohan, who masterminded five All-Ireland titles throughout the last decade — including a four-in-a-row between 2017 and 2020 — stepped down after eight years in charge. But following his departure, former Dublin defender Paul Casey took over along with Derek Murray.
The pair brought continuity to the position as they had both served under the previous administration. Bohan brought Casey on board at the outset in 2018, delegating him as a selector and defensive coach. Murray, an All-Ireland U21 winner with Dublin, joined the Dublin Ladies set-up in 2022.
The duo have been hit with some big losses in personnel for 2025. Lauren Magee — who has suffered a torn ACL — is a massive loss for Dublin, as is Jennifer Dunne who is on AFL duty with the Brisbane Lions. But Dublin remain a firm favouirte for the All-Ireland.
They completed a Leinster 12-in-a-row in May before topping Group 4 in the All-Ireland series. They started with a tricky assignment against an emerging Waterford outfit, needing two late scores from Tyrrell and Kate Sullivan to rescue a draw. But they bounced back with a comprehensive 8-18 to 0-7 victory over Leitrim. That was an interesting fixture as sisters Eilish and Laura O’Dowd played on opposite sides, with the former playing at midfield for Dublin. Their cousin Dearbhaile Beirne, who plays soccer for Peamount United, lined out at half-back for Leitrim.
That victory propelled Dublin into the quarter-finals where they dispatched old rivals Cork by 17 points. They restricted their opponents to just four points from play while Tyrrell and Sullivan combined for 2-8, including a penalty from Tyrrell.
4. Meath Seek Return To Glory
Three years on from achieving back-to-back All-Ireland triumphs, Meath are back in the final four of the competition. Since then, they have bowed out at the quarter-final stage in 2023 and 2024. Kerry were their tormentors on both occasions, defeating the Royals by four points and eight points in respective meetings.
They also collided in the 2022 All-Ireland final when Meath were the nine-point victors. Now they will prepare for a fourth consecutive championship meeting. Meath’s rise in Ladies Football was a fascinating watch as they became All-Ireland intermediate champions in 2020 after back-to-back final defeats. The following season, they were at the summit of senior Ladies football, denying Dublin a five-in-a-row in the process.
In the wake of Meath’s 2022 success, which also included a Division 1 crown, their highly respected manager Eamonn Murray announced that he was stepping down. Another blow followed as Paul Garrigan and Eugene Eivers also left the backroom team to join the Meath men’s set-up which was under Colm O’Rourke’s watch at the time. Additionally, key players Vikki Wall and Orlagh Lally had signed deals with the AFLW at a time when the window for playing both spots was rapidly closing.
But Wall appears to be still managing that delicate balance. She won a Grand Final with North Melbourne last November and continues to serve Meath with her usual attacking strength.
Along with fellow star forward Emma Duggan, the pair will need to catch fire if the Royals are to dethrone the Kingdom later today.
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TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-finals - Saturday 19 July- Kerry v Meath; Glenisk O’Connor Park, Tullamore [Throw-in, 5.15pm TG4]
- Dublin v Galway; Glenisk O’Connor Park, Tullamore [Throw-in, 7.30pm TG4]
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