It’s an unfortunate reality of sport that, sometimes, you will encounter an opponent whom your best simply won’t be good enough to win against.
Personally, the worst case of same encountered in this seat was the Meath MFC Final when the Dunboyne team with which I was a mentor were trounced by Navan O’Mahonys 0-04 to 3-20. The only morsel of comfort being that the hoops had won every county title from U-12 to Minor multiple times over with the same group of players.
As for Meath matches, the Leinster Final of 1995 and the All Ireland equivalent of a half dozen years later stood together as the two most harrowing experiences endured in GAA HQ for a long time.
That was, of course, before Dublln put the Royal County – and the rest of Leinster – back to the dark ages for the worst part of a decade. Thankfully, it would appear the worst of that spell has passed for our men’s senior footballers. Though I would be lying if not conceding to being a bit crestfallen at not being a bit further down the burgeoning motorway back to the perceived bigtime.
Mind you, what makes those shortcomings all the tougher to take is the fact that not only are the senior lads going through a period of transition, it’s not unreasonable to imply that the senior hurlers and lady footballers are in similar spots on their respective journeys at the same time.
When that’s the reality, it’s an unfortunate consequence that there will be difficult days. Long days. Painful days.
And Saturday evening in Killarney was one of them for our lady footballers. While it would have to be conceded that their coming up short against familiar foes Kerry couldn’t be classified as a shock, it doesn’t make it any easier to stomach.
Especially as Wayne Freeman’s side made the brighter start with Emma Duggan, Ciara Smyth and captain Niamh Gallogly on target early on.
However, the superiority possessed by Mark Bourke’s players manifested itself primarily through goals from Siofra O’Shea and Mary O’Connell.
They left the locals clear by 2-06 to 0-06 at the break. Though it must be said that the O’Connell one never should have stood because it wasn’t so much a square ball as a rectangular one. But then, Wexford’s Barry Redmond wasn’t going to be on Meath’s Christmas card list anyway!
That said, as frustrating as the baldy whistler was, that was not the reason Meath lost. The departure lounge at Dublin Airport carries most of the can for that eventuality.
Consider that, in the relatively short span of four seasons, Monica McGuirk, Shauna Ennis, Mary Kate Lynch, Nicole Troy, Emma Troy, Aoibhin Cleary, Sarah Wall, Maire O’Shaughnessy, Orlagh Lally, Stacie Grimes, Niamh O’Sullivan, Vikki Wall, Bridgetta Lynch, Kelsey Nesbitt and Aoibheann Leahy have all flown the nest for several different reasons.
If my maths are right (no guarantees), that’s an entire team and one sub gone. Add to that Marion Farrelly not being part of the matchday panel and that they have been able to compete to such high levels in the intervening seasons is to their utmost credit.
Sadly though, it appears Eamonn prophecy about what was to come once ‘his’ team broke up has proven to be on the money. Understandably so too.
Heartbreaking though it is, it’s probably fanciful to think we might see some or any of those listed (Marion Farrelly aside) in green and gold again.
If that is the case, the only plausible solution to even thinking about getting back near the heights previously scaled is to invest heavily in patience and trust in the players who are coming through from the underage teams who have been making ground in their own right somewhat out of the limelight.
At the time of typing, the Meath U-20 Ladies are still engaged in Championship action as far as I know and, whether she is still eligible for the grade or not, Kilbride’s Aideen Reilly, as well as members of this year’s Minor side such as Holly McKeigue, Eabha Hanley, Erin Mangan, Polly Blake and Ella McCann are names to note going forward and the prospects the show suggests more big days may not be that far away at all.
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