Niamh Carmody scored 1-04 and Kerry powered their way to a 12-point victory in Brosna that all but ended Meath's chances of reclaiming their Lidl NFL Division 1 title.
Carmody was the star while Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh also scored 0-07 for the Kingdom in a superb win that maintained Kerry's 100% record and nudged them ever closer to a place in the final for the first time since 2008.
The Royals have only four points from five games and would need an improbable sequence of results to pip Galway for second.
The sides swapped scores early in the game with Meath’s Amy O’Leary getting her side off the mark with a sweet point in the 2nd minute but Erica McGlynn punched over for Kerry two minutes later after Siofra O’Shea initially hit the post.
Kerry, playing with the aid of a swirling breeze, were putting a lot of heat on the Meath kick out and Louise Galvin got on the end of Monica McGuirk’s kick to punish the Royals and push Kerry 0-2 to 0-1 ahead.
Kerry’s goal came in the fifth minute. Ní Mhuircheartaigh put pressure on the Meath kick out again and she found wing-forward Carmody off the shoulder. She had work to do but drove to the net from an acute angle.
Niamh Carmody's fine finish sent Kerry on the way to a big win over Meath, whose reign as Lidl National Football League Division 1 champions is all but over. Match report: https://t.co/4bd8cGp7sB @LadiesFootball pic.twitter.com/8Hbg9Z7dCq
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) February 25, 2023
Kerry were in control now and O’Shea hit a fine effort off the crossbar but Ní Mhuircheartaigh made no mistake in the 10th minute with a lovely point to push Kerry 1-3 to 0-1 ahead.
Niamh O’Sullivan and McGlynn traded scores but a Ní Mhuircheartaigh free pushed Kerry 1-05 to 0-2 ahead, although Aoibhin Cleary got one back for the visitors.
Ní Mhuircheartaigh responded once more with a free after a foul on Anna Galvin but Meath were to strike for two points on the bounce from Niamh Gallogly and Ciara Smyth to put them just four behind, 1-6 to 0-5.
The last act of the first half fell to Lorraine Scanlon who scored a point just before the whistle following fine work from Aoife Dillane as the home side took a 1-7 to 0-5 lead in at the break.
The second half belonged to Kerry completely as they outscored Meath by 0-11 to 0-4. Carmody popped over four superb efforts for the winners with Ní Mhuircheartaigh adding four more (two frees) with the Meath reply coming from Stacey Grimes (two) while Ciara Smyth and Aine Sheridan added one each.
In the finish it was Kerry who held all the aces and with five wins from five, Croke Park could beckon.
Scorers – Kerry: L Ní Mhuircheartaigh 0-7 (4f), N Carmody 1-4, E McGlynn 0-2, L Scanlon 0-2, L Galvin 0-1, R Dwyer 0-1f, S O'Shea 0-1. Meath: C Smyth 0-2, S Grimes 0-2f, N Gallogly 0-1, A Cleary 0-1, N O’Sullivan 0-1, A O’Leary 0-1, A Sheridan 0-1.
KERRY: C Butler; E Lynch, K Cronin, A Dillane; A O’Connell, C Lynch, L Galvin; L Scanlon, M O’Connell; N Carmody, N Ní Chonchúir, A Galvin; S O’Shea, E McGlynn, L Ní Mhuircheartaigh.
Subs: E Costello for M O’Connell (40), C Murphy for L Galvin (44), R Dwyer for McGlynn (51), F Tangney for Ní Mhuircheartaigh (53), C Evans for Ni Conchúir (55), C O’Brien for E Lynch (57), K Brosnan for O’Shea (57), C Dillon for Carmody (58), E Riordan for A O’Connell (58), C McCarthy for Scanlon (60), K A Hanrahan for A Galvin (60), M Collins for A Dillane (60).
MEATH: M McGuirk; A Sheridan, MK Lynch, K Newe; N Gallogly, S Melia, A Cleary; M O’Shaughnessy, A O’Leary; M Thynne, M Byrne, C Smyth; A Leahy, S Grimes, N O’Sullivan.
Subs: K O’Donnell for Melia (38), R Casserly for Byrne (44), A Sherlock for O’Leary (46), O Mallon for Smyth (48), Melia for O’Shaughnessy (53).
Ref – Shane Curley (Galway)
