MEATH…0-10
DUBLIN…2-16
At the outset here, it will be admitted that the above headline was initially – and still will be to an extent – intended to refer to my own adventures regarding attending All Ireland Ladies Football Finals day at Croke Park. But it could just as easily be applied to the outcome of the main event itself from a Meath perspective.
Let’s deal with getting there first. From my own perspective, as you may have seen in other postings here or elsewhere, it was a bit like around the house and mind the dresser. As, in pursuance of a match ticket, it felt as if one was being passed from Tom to Dick to Harry and back again. Through no fault, it must be categorically stated, of either Tara Rowan or Caroline Halton in the Dunganny office or, indeed, Meath Ladies Co Board Secretary Karen Clynch. All of whom went above and beyond in their attempts to ensure wheels conveying yours truly made it onto Jones’ Road on Sunday last.
Ironically, however, it was only due to what was, at best cluelessness or at worst downright incompetence higher up the LGFA food chain when it came to sourcing what are often loosely described – even by me – as wheelchair tickets. Even though they could absolutely be of help to folks with a multiplicity of disabilities. Sure don’t I have a partially sighted friend who, along with her assistance dog Evie, hardly ever misses a Meath match. Not every disability is visible.
Anyway, not for the first time, it was a case of who you know, rather than what you know, when it came to getting sorted for tickets. Well, that is to say, I was in the fortunate position of being able to get in touch with Jackie Cahill, former disciple of the pen, now head of Communications and Commercial with the LGFA at National level.
Who, by some miracle, managed to get Susie and I accreditation for the Media Centre on Level 7 of the Hogan Stand. I say miracle with tongue firmly implanted in cheek because, as was alluded to ad nauseum in this space in the recent to medium past, the line was always peddled that there was no wheelchair accommodation in the Hogan Stand. Of course, I knew this fallacy had been debunked the moment Des Cahill shared a photo of himself and his Cuala colleague Sean Drummond somewhere in the Hogan on the night the Dalkey club had won the All Ireland Club SFC.
If I wasn’t already determined to expose the steaming pile of dung one had been pitched for decades with regard to the accessibility or otherwise of the Hogan, that really turned on the after burners. Though in all honesty, nobody could have foretold the sequence of events which led to curiosity being solved and misnomers being disproven.
With sincerest thanks to Jackie, right from the time we arrived, we were directed into the media carpark before having guides meet us to (a) present us with complimentary match programmes (b) direct us towards the media canteen and (c) escort us to our assigned berth in the Press Box.
And yes, lo and behold, just as my long standing acquaintance from Tipp had said via email in the build up to Sunday, there were indeed berths to park a few wheelchairs – perhaps a handful – in the middle of the press pack in seventh Heaven.
It does make you wonder, though, why their existence is such a closely guarded secret. For the reality is, the view therein – and the facilities surrounding – are eons better than ‘actual’ disabled viewing facilities in the Cusack. The GAA/LGFA or whomever else you want to include are selling themselves short by not making more of a deal out of what is available on the Hogan Stand side of the field.
***
So to the action itself. The main course thereof that is. For as long as wheels have been required to ferry this writer around this big old ball, there have been at least two prerequisites for anybody with ambitions of beating a Dublin team.
One, you have to score at least one goal, and two, even more importantly, you have to stop them from registering ‘majors’ of their own.
So, when Meath were awry with two good three-point opportunities early on, it brought with it a sense of foreboding. Something only heightened when Niamh Hetherton and Nicole Owens prompted the utilisation of green flags at the courageous Robyn Murray’s end in a six minute spell prior to the break.
In reality, with the score then reading 0-04 to 2-09 at the break, the die was already cast. Be that as it may, the Royal warriors are to be commended for – as would only have been expected in fairness – going out on their collective shield.
It manifested in Marion Farrelly – withdrawn after 22 minutes having been a serious doubt during the week with illness – returned to the fray. And, whether notional or not, the return of the St Michael’s clubwoman seemed to give Shane McCormack’s charges a fresh shot of impotus.
A spurt of scores followed from Emma Duggan, Vikki, Aoibhin Cleary and Sarah Wall and, for a fleeting moment, there was a flicker of hope that the most unlikely of rescue missions might be afoot.
Unfortunately, the realistic appraisal was that we had left ourselves with far too much to do. That said, no doubt plenty will scoff at the following after Meath being beaten by 12 points, but, the fact is that our girls were not looked upon nearly as favourably as the two shades of blue by the Sligo Wexford export with the whistle.
Whereas Gus Chapman’s arm seemed to be permanently suspended in a motion pointing towards the Meath goal, the cynical persistent fouling at the other end of the field was seemingly invisible.
Right, I wss openly admit to a bit of parochial biase, and make no apologies for it, but, the Dublin defence could seemingly do as they wished to Emma and Vikki with impugnity.
The sickening irony being that Chapman’s failure to apply the rules properly – by affording Vikki the advantage rule – actually penalised our unfortunately wandering star – by calling her back for a free to be taken at a time when she was absolutely about to blow the Dublin net out of it.
Which, at the time would have put the chasers right back into the mix with a chance. That in itself would’ve been under false pretences. Boiled down to the nuts and bolts of the matter, the demographics of the Meath team – put simply, the age and experience profile – was enough to leave Paul Casey and Derek Murray’s team in seventh Heaven of a different kind to yours truly earlier in the day.
Obviously, in the heat of raw emotion in the immeadiate aftermath of and few days which follow the full time whistle, scaling the mountain top will seem as far away as ever. But any realistic appraisal must begin by asking did anyone honestly believe the journey would lead where it did this year?
Indeed, if you take a step back and view from a different angle, the picture for the Meath senior mens and ladies teams looks remarkably similar.
Where the lads’ entourage will be hoping the three wise men – Donal Keogan, Bryan Menton and Cillian O’Sullivan – will hang in and guide the youthful enthusiasm around them, Shane McCormack et al will no doubt be hoping they can coax the likes of Shauna Ennis, Maire O’Shaughnessy, Vikki Wall – even though she’s regrettably returning to the bottom end of the world in the interim – Marion Farrelly and Megan Thynne to go to the well at least one more time for the same reasons as Robbie Brennan will be imploring messrs Keogan, Menton and O’Sullivan to do likewise.
With the inter county season now over for all, both Meath senior teams find themselves in almost identical situations – glass half full but confidence a bit shattered.
The same can be said for the occupant of this seat.
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