Meath set for trip to Birr to face Galway
Meath will be in action against Galway in the National Camogie League Div 2 final on Saturday.
The game was originally scheduled to be a double-header in Kinnegad with the Div 3 contest, but following Galway’s draw with Tipperary in the All-Ireland Minor final and fixing of the replay in Birr next Saturday, Galway requested that the league final be moved to allow both their teams play at the same venue.
Meath must defeat Galway to secure promotion despite the fact that if Galway win there will be no promotion as it's Galway's second team.
Meath will be red-hot favourites to negotiate the Tribeswomen considering they hammered them by 3-17 to 1-5 in Trim on Sunday 20th March.
It has been a strange path to the final for Meath. They were forced to travel to Bray Emmets for their opening round game as Westmeath couldn’t source a suitable home venue, but despite the gale-force wind that threatened to spoil that contest Meath coasted to an easy 5-13 to 2-3 win.
Cork were expected to travel to Trim for the second round, but a dispute about incorrectly registered players saw them boycott the game as they handed Meath a walkover.
In round three Meath saw off Galway and the round four meeting with Antrim was postponed because of a bereavement in Antrim and the refixture never took place with Meath again awarded the win.
That series of results set up a semi-final clash with Carlow and after an almighty struggle in Clane Meath eventually emerged victorious with Jane Dolan pointing 10 times in the 0-14 to 1-9 win.
Galway are sure to be vastly improved for this final meeting and having the game at the same venue as the minor replay means they could have extra resources available to them that they didn’t have for the game in Trim five weeks ago.
Meath’s 18-point margin of victory in the group stages of the league is flattering.
The early stages were close and for long periods of the opening half the teams couldn’t be separated.
However, in the lead up to half-time the accuracy of Aoife Minogue boosted Meath to a 0-9 to 0-5 interval lead.
A typically brilliant save by Emily Mangan denied Galway a goal early in the second-half and had that gone in the outcome might have been completely different.
However, it didn’t, and Meath grew in strength with Jane Dolan, who was on the receiving end of some extremely rough treatment and was eventually carried off injured, bagging two goals and Megan Thynne adding a third Meath skated home.
Meath have the perfect blend for success. Strong in defence with Mangan, Claire Coffey, Louise Donoghue, Cheyenne O’Brien and Aine Keogh, powerful at midfield with captain Aoife Maguire and Kristina Troy and blessed with outstanding talent in attack from Minogue, Dolan, Katie Hackett, Sinead Hackett, Fia O’Brien, Thynne and Emma Coffey they should have enough to see off a Galway side that will rely heavily on Rachel Monaghan.