Pictured is Kerry footballer, Kayleigh Cronin who has teamed up with AIB to support the GOAL mile. As part the campaign AIB is offering people who register for the GOAL Mile the chance to win one of the ten €1,000 prizes for their GAA, Camogie, or LGFA club. To win, people need to register for their GOAL Mile and then enter the AIB GAA GOAL Mile competition at www.aibgaagoalmile2024.com.
By Cian O’Connell
“Night and day, really,” Kayleigh Cronin responds on how this winter compares to 2022 and 2023.
Those two All-Ireland final defeats hurt Kerry, but they persevered. That determination was rewarded in August when Kerry overcame Galway at Croke Park. “We were in the depths of despair, to be honest, this time for the last few years, wondering was it all worth it, wondering would we be able to get back again,” she explains.
“Thanks be to God, we came together last year and went for one more, and got over the line this year.”
Did the suffering make the victory sweeter? “I think so, but in saying that if you asked me would I prefer to have one All-Ireland medal in my back pocket or three after the last few years, I'd say three,” Cronin replies.
“I think we definitely appreciate it more, we know how hard it is, obviously to get there in the first place, never mind to get over the line. We know what it is like to go through those couple of months after it, as a group. You've to stick together after some tough losses. So, definitely we appreciate it that bit more.”
Ultimately, it has been some adventure for the Kerry team with joint managers Declan Quill and Darragh Long. “Their first year when they got involved, they were minor managers so they came in after the minors were finished,” Cronin recalls.
Kerry's Kayleigh Cronin Kerry with the Player of the Match award following the 2024 All-Ireland Final win over Galway at Croke Park. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
“We were actually in a relegation game for senior, we were below in Division Two, and not doing well in Division Two either. Within a year we could have easily been Division Two and Intermediate, which would have been unthinkable for a Kerry football team.
“So, the turnaround was massive and the buy in was huge from the players. The lads set their goal out fairly lively when they started, there was only thing on their mind, and that was an All-Ireland.
“The girls appreciated that, it is why you play football for Kerry, to get there eventually. We knew it wouldn't happen straightaway, but we knew if we stuck together and stuck with the lads that it would definitely be a possibility.”
Sport is all about making connections. Quill and Long accomplished that with the Kerry panel. “100 per cent, you can see how the group stuck together over the last number of years,” Croin reflects.
“Obviously, you have incomings and outgoings, but the core of the group did stick together. We wouldn't have done that if we didn't get on with management, and more importantly if we didn't believe in what we were doing as a group. So, we had great craic over the years.
“They owe us nothing, and they owe Kerry ladies nothing either. We were disappointed to see them going, but also looking forward to starting a new chapter, seeing where we can go from there.”
