LGFA FINALS PROGRAMME: SHAUNA ENNIS (MEATH)
By Daire Walsh
On September 5, 2021 in front of 32,000 spectators at Croke Park, Meath defender Shauna Ennis did something that had seemed like a far-fetched notion just a few short months earlier.
Having watched her team-mate Maire O’Shaughnessy lifting a national intermediate crown in the same venue the previous December, the Na Fianna star was tasked with climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand for the Royal County’s historic TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship success over Dublin.
It was during the Lidl NFL Division 2 campaign of 2021 that Ennis first led Meath into battle and while she raised that competition’s trophy aloft at Croke Park on June 26 following a final victory over Kerry, it wasn’t to be the only highlight of the year for the primary school teacher.
“I remember having a conversation at the start of that year when I was made captain with one of our coaches and him saying ‘imagine climbing the Hogan Stand’, but that just seemed so distant and away from reality,” Ennis recalled.
“To actually be able to do that and I know it’s very cliched, but that is what you do dream of from when you’re a very, very small child playing GAA. I’m very lucky to have been able to do that.
“I think your first All-Ireland is definitely always very special. That day is one that you won’t forget. Being the underdogs that day, no one really was expecting it. That day and everything that happened afterwards was just really special. It was a dream come through.”
Despite the monumental achievement of being crowned senior champions in their first season back in the top-tier of ladies football, Meath were not content with resting on their laurels. On July 31 of last year, Eamonn Murray’s Royals defended the Brendan Martin Cup with a 3-10 to 1-7 triumph at the expense of Kerry – goals from Niamh O’Sullivan, Emma Troy and Bridgetta Lynch proving key on the day.
As well as being eager to show that their 2021 win wasn’t a once-off, Ennis and her Meath colleagues wanted to absorb all that is good about an All-Ireland final in Croke Park.
“That was definitely very important to us. To show everyone that it wasn’t a once off. There was probably more pressure on us the second year, but I think in ways we nearly enjoyed it a little bit more.
“We weren’t caught up in such a bubble. We made a conscious effort to take everything in, especially after the game which was really good. Again, another really special day. I think there is definitely a fine line between staying in the moment and staying in focus, but then obviously trying to enjoy the day as well.”
To date, the biggest attendance for the All-Ireland finals day at Croke Park was in 2019, when 56,114 spectators passed through the turnstiles for a packed schedule that included senior, intermediate and junior deciders. Ennis featured for Meath on that occasion in an intermediate showpiece that was ultimately won by Tipperary on a scoreline of 2-16 to 1-14.
The last two championship seasons has seen crowds steadily rising again after the Covid-19 pandemic ensured no supporters were allowed for the 2020 finals and Ennis believes it won’t be long before there is a full house in Croker for a big championship showpiece.
“It’s only a matter of time now before you get the same crowd that you get at the men’s All-Ireland. I think that’s going to be a great day in the next few years when we do eventually hit that figure. It’s definitely not too far away, I don’t think,” Ennis added.