ROYALS ARE NO FLASH IN THE PAN
By Daire Walsh
Regardless of how this weekend’s TG4 All-Ireland senior championship semi-final showdown with Donegal transpires, Monica McGuirk is adamant the Meath Ladies footballers have firmly dismissed the notion that their extraordinary 2021 exploits were a flash in the pan.
Having only sealed their return to the top-tier with an intermediate decider victory over Westmeath less than nine months earlier, the Royals sensationally dethroned a five-in-row chasing Dublin in the Brendan Martin Cup showpiece last September. Not only was this a first-ever senior triumph for Meath, but it was the maiden final appearance at the grade.
Like any breakthrough sporting success, there were question marks surrounding Eamonn Murray’s charges heading into this year and whether they had the wherewithal to remain at the top table. However, Meath already have a LIDL National Football League Division One crown in the bag for 2022 and are just 60 minutes away from reaching yet another senior championship final.
Despite being put to the pin of their collar by Connacht champions Galway I’m O’Connor Park, Tullamore last Saturday evening, a last-gasp Emma Duggan point secured a 1-12 to 1-11 victory for the Leinster women.
“That was a big thing. We didn’t want to be one-hit wonders. We want to obviously go on and compete at a high level every year and we’ve proven to ourselves. Our wins haven’t been pretty over this year, but we grafted out a win [against Galway] and that’s ultimately all we needed at the end of the day,” Meath goalkeeper McGuirk said.
“Especially going on all the results that happened today…there was a lot of pressure going into this game [v Galway] after all those games. We just focused on ourselves. I think that one-hit wonder quote has probably now gone out the window.”
Nonetheless, Galway were perilously close to upsetting the apple cart in what was a compelling contest with the Royals at the Offaly venue. Seemingly on the way towards a convincing win, Meath were pegged back by a 1-2 blitz from the Westerners inside the final-quarter.
Before Duggan’s dramatic intervention, substitute Roisin Leonard had an opportunity to edge Galway into the ascendancy that fell just short of the target. Extra-time was looming large at this point and McGuirk was just relieved that Meath were ultimately able to come out on the right side of a tense last-eight duel.
“Galway ran us right to the very end. We expected nothing else and we knew we had to go out there and give it our all. Obviously we were only up a point at half-time and we got a couple of points on the go there, which was great.
“It literally went down to the last 10 seconds and it was Duggy who got the score in the end. I just saw the ball hitting the crossbar and going over the bar. It was absolutely brilliant and it’s great to be in another semi-final again.”
In advance of throw-in time at O’Connor Park (7.15pm), Meath and Galway were aware that the prize on offer for the winner was a penultimate round meeting against Donegal at Croke Park seven days later. The O’Donnell County were facing Dublin for the second season running in a quarter-final tie at Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada in Carrick-On-Shannon, only this time they halted the march of their Metropolitan counterparts.
Semi-finalists in each of the last eight championships, the Jackies were denied a rematch of the 2021 senior decider by Maxi Curran’s pumped-up Donegal.
This is the second time that the Ulster side have defeated Dublin in a knockout game this year – the previous one being a 2-8 to 1-10 success in a NFL Division One last-four clash back in March. Given Meath went on to overcome Donegal in the top-tier league showpiece, McGuirk isn’t overly surprised that they will be providing the opposition at GAA HQ this weekend.
“Donegal are an absolutely fantastic outfit. Come the semi-final when we’re playing them, it’s not going to be an easy battle. They’re scoring goals in most games. They’re going to be a force to be reckoned with.
“I wouldn’t have liked to get Dublin or Donegal next week. Obviously we played them in the League final and only won it by a couple of points in the end as well. It is what it is and we’ll push on now for the semi-final.”
Prior to facing them in last year’s All-Ireland final, there was much made of the fact that Meath hadn’t played Dublin in a competitive game since 2016. That year also represented the last time the Royals had pitted their wits against Donegal – a 3-18 to 3-8 league reversal – but they finally renewed acquaintances in the aforementioned NFL showpiece at Croke Park a little over three months ago.
Three meetings across this year’s league and the Leinster senior championship has seen Dublin and Meath becoming familiar foes, but McGuirk believes her side are beginning to forge a similar relationship with their forthcoming opponents.
“We hadn’t played Donegal competitively in a long time [before the League final]. A lot of the focus was on the Meath/Dublin rivalry this year. The fact that we’re playing Donegal now, that rivalry is going to be between us two now, which is great. Donegal themselves are a brilliant team. We need to refocus now.”
Long after the final whistle had been sounded last weekend, McGuirk and her team-mates were still on the pitch in Tullamore, mingling with the Meath supporters who made the journey to the midlands to see the county keeping their back-to-back All-Ireland aspirations alive for another day at least. Support has gradually grown for the team throughout their remarkable rise through the ranks of ladies football and McGuirk is hopeful of a big following for their seventh visit to Croke Park in less than two years.
“I didn’t know myself until a couple of weeks ago that the semi-final was going to be in Croke Park so it’s great for another day out for all the young kids. I think the more games you play, there’s more crowds coming to games,” the two-time All Star added.
“Even down to Tullamore, and hour and a half drive from Co. Meath, you see all the support. It’s absolutely fantastic. We’ll be definitely trying to get crowds up in Croke Park come the semi-final. Get those tickets out!”