In 2020, Meath won the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies’ Football Intermediate Championship for the first time.
Five days before Christmas in that Covid-affected year, they were far too strong for neighbours Westmeath, winning by 2-17 to 4-5. Having lost the previous two deciders, it was a sweet one.
Describing the victory as the best day of his life, manager Eamonn Murray did have one regret after the Croke Park triumph: “The only disappointment I have is that the parents can’t be here and the families,” he said. “Thankfully, for all associated with the Royal County, there would be even better days to come, with loved ones in attendance.
In the 2021 senior championship, Meath finished second to Cork in a three-team group that also included Tipperary and built on that with a fine victory over Armagh to reach the semi-finals and a re-match with the Rebels.
Anybody present in Croke Park that day or watching on television will never be able to forget it – down seven points with five minutes of normal time left, Meath scored two goals at the death to force extra time before pushing on to win.
Maybe, if Meath had lost that day, it would have just ‘delayed history’ by a year and they would have become a force, anyway; maybe not.
What we can say for certain is that they carried the momentum of that victory with them as they beat Dublin in that year’s All-Ireland final, and then retained the Brendan Martin Cup in 2022 with an impressive triumph over Kerry in the decider.
The departure of Murray as manager – and star player Vikki Wall going to Australia – might have suggested that their wave had crested. The quest for the three-in-a-row came to ground with an All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Kerry in 2023 – Dublin took the title – and it was a similar scenario last year, defeat to a Kingdom side that finally managed to bridge the gap for the title that dated back to 1993.
In this year’s Leinster championship, Meath lost to Dublin and beat Kildare before another loss to the Metropolitans in the final. Then, the draw for the All-Ireland championship put them alongside the Lilywhites again and Armagh – a win over Kildare and a draw with the Orchard County secured top spot and passage directly to the quarter-final stage.
An impressive win at home to Tipperary earned them a tilt against Kerry in the semis and the Royals ended the Kingdom’s reign as champions with a superb six-point win. They are back in the final, which takes place in Croke Park on Sunday at 4.15pm – opposing them will be the Dubs.
Cork captain Juliet Murphy lifts the Brendan Martin Cup after the county's first All-Ireland senior title win back in 2005. \ Pat Murphy/Sportsfile
Someone who can identify with Meath’s ascent from obscurity to become regular contenders is Juliet Murphy, who was part of a Cork side that had never won a Munster title before 2004 and then followed that with 11 All-Irelands in 12 years from 2005 onwards.
In examining Sunday’s clash, she feels that Meath have rediscovered the momentum of the All-Ireland-winning years.
“Eamonn Murray stepped away at the end of 2022,” Murphy says, “there were a few changes after that and Shane McCormack came in last year. You can’t underestimate the importance of continuity with a coach. I do think that they have that presence now again. Vikki Wall’s sister Sarah is a great addition to the team, and obviously Vikki has returned.
“Last year was Shane’s first and they didn’t quite contend, they lost a quarter-final to Kerry, but they do seem to be emerging again and building again,” she says.
Recent times have often seen finals between one team with memories of a victory while another is seeking to end a wait, but Dublin won the four before Meath’s pair and also the one after it.
With little therefore in the way in terms of psychological blocks to get over, Murphy is expecting a high-scoring affair, but feels that the Royals have greater potential to raise the flags.
“If you look at Meath, they have such firepower – not just in their forwards but from their half-back line through Sarah Wall and Aoibhín Cleary and then Marion Farrelly in midfield.
“They just attack at such pace, but it would be very interesting, if they are able to do that when they’re faced with the forwards Dublin have – Kate Sullivan, Hannah Tyrrell, Carla Rowe, Nicole Owens?
“Will they be able to move forward as freely as they’d like to be to contribute?
“When you look at the forward lines for both teams, it could end up being a shootout between Hannah Tyrrell and Emma Duggan.
“Dublin give Galway goalscoring opportunities but they didn’t take them; I think if they give Meath the same chances, they’ll be taken.
“If they can keep Dublin from scoring goals against them, I think it’s going to go their way.”
The senior decider is preceded by the junior final between Antrim and Louth (11.45am) while Laois take on Tyrone in the intermediate game at 1.45pm.
In 2020, Meath won the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies’ Football Intermediate Championship for the first time.
Five days before Christmas in that Covid-affected year, they were far too strong for neighbours Westmeath, winning by 2-17 to 4-5. Having lost the previous two deciders, it was a sweet one.
Describing the victory as the best day of his life, manager Eamonn Murray did have one regret after the Croke Park triumph: “The only disappointment I have is that the parents can’t be here and the families,” he said. “Thankfully, for all associated with the Royal County, there would be even better days to come, with loved ones in attendance.
In the 2021 senior championship, Meath finished second to Cork in a three-team group that also included Tipperary and built on that with a fine victory over Armagh to reach the semi-finals and a re-match with the Rebels.
Anybody present in Croke Park that day or watching on television will never be able to forget it – down seven points with five minutes of normal time left, Meath scored two goals at the death to force extra time before pushing on to win.
Maybe, if Meath had lost that day, it would have just ‘delayed history’ by a year and they would have become a force, anyway; maybe not.
What we can say for certain is that they carried the momentum of that victory with them as they beat Dublin in that year’s All-Ireland final, and then retained the Brendan Martin Cup in 2022 with an impressive triumph over Kerry in the decider.
The departure of Murray as manager – and star player Vikki Wall going to Australia – might have suggested that their wave had crested. The quest for the three-in-a-row came to ground with an All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Kerry in 2023 – Dublin took the title – and it was a similar scenario last year, defeat to a Kingdom side that finally managed to bridge the gap for the title that dated back to 1993.
In this year’s Leinster championship, Meath lost to Dublin and beat Kildare before another loss to the Metropolitans in the final. Then, the draw for the All-Ireland championship put them alongside the Lilywhites again and Armagh – a win over Kildare and a draw with the Orchard County secured top spot and passage directly to the quarter-final stage.
An impressive win at home to Tipperary earned them a tilt against Kerry in the semis and the Royals ended the Kingdom’s reign as champions with a superb six-point win. They are back in the final, which takes place in Croke Park on Sunday at 4.15pm – opposing them will be the Dubs.
Cork captain Juliet Murphy lifts the Brendan Martin Cup after the county's first All-Ireland senior title win back in 2005. \ Pat Murphy/Sportsfile
Someone who can identify with Meath’s ascent from obscurity to become regular contenders is Juliet Murphy, who was part of a Cork side that had never won a Munster title before 2004 and then followed that with 11 All-Irelands in 12 years from 2005 onwards.
In examining Sunday’s clash, she feels that Meath have rediscovered the momentum of the All-Ireland-winning years.
“Eamonn Murray stepped away at the end of 2022,” Murphy says, “there were a few changes after that and Shane McCormack came in last year. You can’t underestimate the importance of continuity with a coach. I do think that they have that presence now again. Vikki Wall’s sister Sarah is a great addition to the team, and obviously Vikki has returned.
“Last year was Shane’s first and they didn’t quite contend, they lost a quarter-final to Kerry, but they do seem to be emerging again and building again,” she says.
Recent times have often seen finals between one team with memories of a victory while another is seeking to end a wait, but Dublin won the four before Meath’s pair and also the one after it.
With little therefore in the way in terms of psychological blocks to get over, Murphy is expecting a high-scoring affair, but feels that the Royals have greater potential to raise the flags.
“If you look at Meath, they have such firepower – not just in their forwards but from their half-back line through Sarah Wall and Aoibhín Cleary and then Marion Farrelly in midfield.
“They just attack at such pace, but it would be very interesting, if they are able to do that when they’re faced with the forwards Dublin have – Kate Sullivan, Hannah Tyrrell, Carla Rowe, Nicole Owens?
“Will they be able to move forward as freely as they’d like to be to contribute?
“When you look at the forward lines for both teams, it could end up being a shootout between Hannah Tyrrell and Emma Duggan.
“Dublin give Galway goalscoring opportunities but they didn’t take them; I think if they give Meath the same chances, they’ll be taken.
“If they can keep Dublin from scoring goals against them, I think it’s going to go their way.”
The senior decider is preceded by the junior final between Antrim and Louth (11.45am) while Laois take on Tyrone in the intermediate game at 1.45pm.
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