'It’s where you want to be' Sargent says Kildare are all set ahead of Kerry double-header
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Daragh Nolan spoke to Ruth Sargent ahead of the Kildare ladies’ All-Ireland Senior Football Championship campaign
It’s the time of year that everyone looks forward to when winter work fades to recesses of the mind and the league tasks have been dealt with, in one way or another. For the Kildare ladies, 2026 has been visible progress in the face of near-misses.
Division 1 relegation was followed by a first Leinster Senior Championship final since 2009 where two late Dublin goals put an end to their hopes of a shock upset against the reigning All-Ireland champions.
However, speaking to the Leinster Leader at the launch of the 2026 TG4 All-Ireland SFC, Lilies full-back Ruth Sargent had a gleaming smile when discussing the forthcoming prospect of summer Championship football and their place in Group 2 with Munster champions Kerry and Tipperary.
She said, “We were delighted to get to the Leinster final. That was one of our goals at the beginning of the year. I suppose the year really does fly around. We’re already at the All-Ireland stage. We've worked so hard over the winter months, as well as during the league and the Leinster Championship.
“It’s just putting all our learnings into practice now going into the All-Ireland. During the league, we performed at times but we want to get that 60-minute-plus performance now because, going back to the Leinster final, we were there for around 50 minutes. It’s just pushing on for that last 10 minutes and getting consistency going into the All-Ireland Championship. It’s summer football, it’s where you want to be, in the senior championship playing the top teams. We’re really looking forward to it.”
Sargent is uniquely positioned as an experienced member of this Kildare squad with the still just 22 year-old All-Ireland Intermediate Championship winner saying that their provincial decider felt like one that got away this time around.
“This year especially, we've been so close to all the teams really,” Sargent added. “We have a great rivalry with Dublin and Meath especially. It’s tough to take. We were obviously disappointed, but it’s nice knowing how close we were. We're going to stick to our process anyways going into the All-Ireland.
“It’s probably just tweaking a few things now and learning from that game. For so many girls, it was their first time in Croke Park. It was a brilliant occasion for everyone. We were delighted to be there, but obviously there was a bit of disappointment. We just need to turn that disappointment into fuel going into the next two rounds for the All-Ireland.”
The amount of debuts in Kildare’s most recent visit to HQ is owed to the enormous squad turnover in recent years, which the Eadestown player said brought a great freshness to Kildare before Christmas as they began laying the foundations for the Championship that they are about to embark upon when they face Kerry at home on Saturday, June 13, live on TG4. The Lilies were edged out by the 2026 Munster victors in their final Division 1 clash this year; suffering a 2-10 to 2-9 loss in Manguard Park.
“It’s really exciting to know we're only a point or two away from a team who were All-Ireland winners two years ago. We’re really looking forward to the championship but we have to take it game by game. We'll definitely be wanting to get a performance against them,” Sargent said.
Kildare’s other SFC group stage opponent is Tipperary who they have not faced since February 2024 when The Lilies came out on top 0-8 to 0-7 away from home in a Division 2 league outing under Diane O’Hora. The win was then Kildare’s 18th in a row. These sides will reunite in Round 3 at a Tipperary venue on Saturday, June 20 at 3pm.
Sargent added, “We haven't played Tipperary regularly. It’s nice to play a new-ish team. Obviously, every game in the All-Ireland Senior Championship is going to be tough and we’ll need to prepare well for both of those games.”
The Lilies earned their place in Group 2 by reaching the aforementioned Leinster final, which marks their biggest milestone under Pat Sullivan’s tutelage as the county lined out in a first senior provincial decider in 17 years.
“It’s obviously a nice freshness having someone from outside the county in,” Sargent explained. “In training, the variety of drills, motivation and stuff like that really keeps you going. So yeah, I think we’ve enjoyed the time he’s been here. He’s brought us to the Leinster final, obviously. So hopefully we can push on and go even further this year.
“It’s crazy to see how goals from two years ago might have been to not get relegated from senior. Now, two years on, we want to push to another (All-Ireland) quarter-final and hopefully beyond. I think the belief is in the team this year as well that we can get further than that.”
The oft discussed element of motivation is not a point of struggle for the Kildare star, who has her hands full year round with county, club and college footballing action.
“This year has been a good year for me injury-wise. Touch wood. At the end of the day, it's just the sport I love. That's why I just keep going. It is obviously busy with club and college, but the management teams are good, speaking to each other and giving me the breaks when I need the break and so on. I suppose days like these and summer football is probably what keeps you going through the tough times during winter. But yeah, it's the sport I love,” Sargent explained.
That affection for Gaelic football is no surprise coming from the Sargent household where top-level experience and adoration for the sport lies in spades. There is little escape from the game but little desire to have it either.
“It's brilliant,” the 22 year-old said. “Even when the telly is on, it’s watching football matches. So it's great. I suppose my parents and older siblings have already been through it. It’s nice to know they’ve all done it. I’m just hopefully following in their footsteps.”
The Eadestown star has seen change in her own game since jumping into the senior team from minor football in 2023 when she arrived straight into the centre-back position, but now plies her trade at the centre of the full-back line.
“It’s nice to know I still have the freedom to go forward if needed. The girls are very good to cover me and we’re very good at covering each other all over the pitch. So yeah, I don't mind the change at all, really. As long as I'm on the pitch,” she laughed. “I do like breaking up the pitch now and then but I don't see the far goals too often now.”
Regardless of having a three or a six on her back, the Eadestown player has become and remained a key figure for her county, who get their 2026 TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship campaign under way when they face Kerry at home on Saturday, June 13.