Determined Dillane hopeful of helping Kerry over the line

Aoife Dillane has made Kerry's number seven jersey her own during this year's football championship, and she is now set for a starting role in the biggest game of the year.

An injury to Cáit Lynch opened the door for Dillane to get her chance.

After seeing zero action in Kerry's 2022 and 2023 finals, the 22-year-old Mary Immaculate College student is determined to make the most of her chance against Galway in the All-Ireland decider on Sunday.

"Coming to training this evening was a bit different because I’m saying to myself, 'okay, there are girls now eyeing up this jersey and I would like to keep it'," Dillane said.

"I’m under no illusion that it could be snapped right back off you with the competitiveness inside here. I’m coming to training with something to lose rather than being on the flip side of that where I was scrapping for it last year, or earlier on this year even."

It could have been so different for the Austin Stacks footballer, who only saw sporadic action in the league and a mere minute in the Munster final.

She knew she needed to sort things out, and a call to Kerry's joint-manager Darragh Long made all the difference.

Dillane said: "I had a big long chat with myself, and then I got in contact with Claire Thornton, our psychologist, who has been great, and then I eventually took the leap and got on to Darragh.

"I didn’t need him to tell me that I wasn’t training well. I wasn’t performing well or pushing as hard as I used to be.

"I don’t think I’ll ever forget (the chat). It was our first training session back after the National League final and I think something just clicked.

"He’s always been very honest with me, I suppose him being a Stacks man as well, and he was like: 'If you don’t pull your head out of your