Hannah Tyrrell drives Dublin past Kerry to All-Ireland crown

To think that manager Mick Bohan figured that just being competitive this year would be a challenge in itself for his new look Dublin team.

Maybe they over-achieved or maybe their wily manager was simply playing down expectations with a group in transition but they certainly had the stamp of champions at Croke Park.

A terrific first-half performance, lit up by the majesty of Hannah Tyrrell, laid the platform for a memorable success, Dublin's sixth at the grade.

Tyrrell scored eight of Dublin's 11 points in that half and oozed quality in front of a healthy 45,326 crowd as she provided the team with a vital cushion that they would later require.

Kerry, trailing by nine points with 50 minutes on the clock, cut the gap to just four following a Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh inspired blitz of scoring but ultimately came up short.

It's their second successive final defeat while Dublin are champions for the first time since 2020, when they completed their four-in-a-row.

Their group is much changed since then with two players just out of the minor ranks, Niamh Donlon and Niamh Crowley, winning their first senior medals in defence.

It's a first senior medal for Tyrrell too and though she had a quieter second-half she deservedly walked away with the Player of the Match award.

Dublin came in as considerable favourites despite losing to Kerry twice previously this year, in the National League and again in the group stage of the Championship.

Kerry had also been in a final more recently than the Sky Blues, coming up short of Meath in last year's showpiece.

Throw in the huge level of transition within Dublin's group - just eight of today's starters lined out in the 2021 final loss to Meath - and you could see why Kerry supporters were optimistic.

But