Niamh Carmody insists Kingdom's fate in own hands

A defeat away to pace-setters Armagh last Sunday week was something of a setback, but Niamh Carmody insists Kerry's destiny in Division 1 of the Lidl National Football League very much remains in their own hands.

Winners of the NFL top flight last April with an emphatic final win over Galway at Croke Park, the Kingdom made a strong start to 2024 courtesy of successive victories at the expense of Dublin, Waterford and Cork.

Yet the title holders had to be content with a share of the spoils in their round four meeting with Mayo at Fitzgerald Stadium on 17 February and Armagh ultimately had the measure of them a little over a fortnight later at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds.

Nonetheless, Kerry are still in the reckoning for a spot in the Division 1 showpiece as they currently occupy second place in the league standings - a point ahead of both Meath and Dublin.

Tomorrow afternoon’s clash against Meath in Ashbourne (throw-in 3pm) presents Kerry with an ideal opportunity to bolster their prospects and there is also a final round game on the horizon at home to Galway next weekend.

"It’s very much in our own hands whether we make the league final or not. We’ve had an alright start to the league. We’ve only lost the one, and we’ve had three good wins and a draw,"said Carmody.

"We're disappointed obviously with how last week went, but as I said, it’s very much in our own hands whether we make the league final now or not. We’ve Meath and Galway left to go and both of them will obviously be two tough games. Happy enough with how the league is going so far."

A senior debutante for Kerry in 2017, Carmody subsequently took a year out to go travelling before eventually returning to the Kingdom fold again for the 2019 inter-county season.

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