Kerry captain dealt cruel injury blow

The captain of the Kerry ladies, Síofra O’Shea, has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a ruptured ACL.

The Southern Gaels star had been in excellent form in 2023, scoring ten goals in 12 appearances as Kerry claimed the National League Division 1 title and successfully navigated their path to the All-Ireland semi-final.

Unfortunately, O’Shea will now miss that last four clash against Mayo, which takes place on Saturday in Semple Stadium, Thurles. This is her second ACL injury in three seasons.

The 21-year-old will be a huge loss to The Kingdom this weekend but her teammates will no doubt be keen to win this one for their unlucky comrade. Kerry have been the form team this year and their quarter-final victory over two-time champions Meath a fortnight ago underlined their status as championship favourites. Encouragingly, Declan Quill and Darragh Long’s defeated their upcoming opponents in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, and they also got the better of the Connacht women in the league this past January.

Key players like Kayleigh Cronin, Cáit Lynch and Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh have been moving well of late and they will need to be even better in O’Shea’s absence.

Kerry’s Munster rivals Cork take on Dublin in the other All-Ireland semi-final at the same venue on Saturday. Kerry v Mayo gets underway at 5pm, with Cork v Dublin starting at 7.30pm. If you are unable to travel, both matches will be shown live on TG4.

INJURED: Síofra O'Shea has suatained a season-ending knee injury. Photo: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.