NAdine Doherty: Women's football needs this Kerry team

Nadine Doherty has urged Kerry to stick together following their second successive All-Ireland final defeat.

Surprisingly swept aside by a new-look Dublin side 0-18 to 1-10 in Croke Park on Sunday, joint manager Declan Quill hinted at a number of retirements from among the Kingdom ranks.

"There's a fabulous group there. There’s going to be a few girls that will walk away but there's a good nucleus there of younger girls coming through as well."

Speaking on RTÉ 2fm's Game On, former Donegal footballer Doherty agreed about the young talent, but felt the Munster women will have something to prove after defeats to Meath and Dublin on the biggest stage.

"A lot of those Kerry girls have fallen short now too many times. I know their manager spoke yesterday about a good few of them walking away but I was looking through the programme before I came in and they're young... their bench... they're averaging 22-23 years of age.

"There are a couple of girls in their early thirties but I definitely feel that Kerry team have another two or three more years in them as a collective unit."

Their improvement as a team, going from Divisio n2 champions to Division 1 champions and back-to-back All-Ireland finalists, while playing a typically Kerry brand of attractive football, has further endeared them to Doherty.

"You would love to see that Kerry team win an All-Ireland because they are honest footballers, Louise [Ní Mhuircheataigh] and people like that.

"They play a lovely, lovely style of football, so you would hope they come back. The game needs them to come back, to be honest. They really do.

"It's been such a level playing field. With so many players going to AFL and other sports I think the playing field has really levelled out."