All-Ireland women’s senior football final: Kerry v Galway, Croke Park, Sunday, 4.15pm – Live on TG4The hurt of failing to retain the Brendan Martin Cup last year prompted the Kerry players to depart the country when the All-Ireland final was taking place between Dublin and Meath. The Kingdom had been aiming to go back-to-back but came undone at the semi-final stages after a lacklustre performance against Meath. So, roughly 20 of the squad booked tickets for Portugal and were in Albufeira on the weekend of the 2025 All-Ireland final.There is no doubt the hurt of last season has been driving them on this year and their comprehensive 2-16 to 1-9 semi-final win over Dublin two weeks ago felt like a statement performance by Kerry.Síofra O’Shea scored 1-8 in that victory, building on her 1-6 registered against Meath at the quarter-final stages. O’Shea is one of the game’s outstanding forwards and curtailing her influence at Croke Park on Sunday will be one of the big challenges facing the Galway defence. But Kerry are far from a one-player team. The interplay and understanding among Kerry’s inside line of O’Shea, Jadyn Lucey and Danielle O’Leary has been central to their attacking threat. Indeed, Kerry have scored at least one goal in all eight of their championship games this summer – and only failed to raise a green flag on one occasion during the National League. However, it has not been a straightforward journey back to the final for Kerry. Their league form was middling, winning three games and losing four as they finished fourth in Division One with a minus-five scoring difference.They then lost their Munster SFC opener to Waterford in Tralee, 0-17 to 2-9, a result that threatened to derail Kerry’s season. Mark Bourke’s side battled out a narrow 1-6 to 0-7 win over Tipperary in round two of Munster and since then they have hit a strong run of form – ultimately winning a third consecutive provincial title with a one-point victory over Waterford in the decider. They have blazed a trail in the All-Ireland series with wins over Tipperary by 18 points, Kildare by 14, Meath by 12 and Dublin by 10.Kerry bench celebrate semi-final win over Dublin in Semple Stadium, Thurles. Photograph: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile But their opponents in the final have put down an equally impressive campaign so far.Galway also claimed their third straight provincial title this summer, beating Mayo in the decider to make it three-in-a-row in Connacht.And they have been scoring very heavily on their march back to a first All-Ireland final appearance since losing to the 2024 decider to Kerry. Galway registered 2-21 against Meath, 4-20 against Tyrone, 2-20 against Mayo and 0-21 against Armagh. Kerry’s highest tally throughout the provincial and All-Ireland championships has been 2-16.[ Bond is strong as Kerry women chase All-Ireland glory against GalwayOpens in new window ]In their 13-point semi-final win over Armagh, Galway had 10 different scorers. Olivia Divilly, Kate Slevin, Leanne Coen and Kate Thompson have been particularly menacing up front. So, while O’Shea has been Kerry’s outstanding forward, Galway’s strength has been based on a large number of scoring threats – team more than individual.And then there is the league meeting between the sides back in March. Galway won that fixture in Tralee by two points, 1-11 to 1-9. Galway had seven different scorers that day, while O’Shea scored five of Kerry’s 10 scores. However, all of her 0-5 came from frees as Galway managed to get a handle on her threat from open play.Galway finished second in the league having scored a total of 116 points and conceded 92. Fourth-placed Kerry scored 101 and conceded 106. Galway lost the league final to Cork but the goal for this group has always been to get their hands on the Brendan Martin Cup.Galway have won the senior title only once – in 2004. They have since lost finals in 2005 (Cork), 2019 (Dublin) and 2024 (Kerry). They were denied a place in last year’s decider only after a gut-wrenching extra-time loss to Dublin in an All-Ireland semi-final. So, while Kerry’s hurt is understandable, Galway’s desire to get over the line must be an obsession at this stage. In Kilkerrin-Clonberne, Galway have the best club football team in the country for the last five years too, so there is no shortage of big-day experience in the group.Galway sisters, Olivi (left) and Niamh Divilly celebrate win over Armagh at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park in Longford. Photograph: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile “I suppose in 2019 it was a bit different, it was the first final in a long time for Galway so there was probably huge excitement,” says Galway captain Kate Geraghty.“When we got to playing Kerry two years ago I think we were probably just a bit underprepared and I think they were better than us on the day, but I don’t think that makes or breaks us this year. We have a lot of different players and I think the way that we’ve been playing and consistent performances makes a huge difference.”Kerry, appearing in their fourth All-Ireland final in five years, will hope to bring a silver lining to a dark week in the Kingdom. But just as Mayo’s moment arrived last weekend, it could prove to be Galway’s time this Sunday.Verdict: Galway