ALL-IRELAND FINAL COUNTDOWN: Murray still mesmerised by Meath’s menace

For a man who never really wanted the job in the first place, Eamonn Murray is certainly enjoying life at the very top of the Ladies Football game.

For too long Meath were in the doldrums. After the highs of All-Ireland JFC success in 1994 and the remarkable run of three Leinster SFC crowns in succession in the late '90s and early '00s the Royals went into steady decline.

The final straw that broke the back of Meath's senior resolve was a 40-point trouncing by Cork, a result that plummeted the county to a new low.

Young players were rushed into senior football to take on the might of Cork on that August day in 2015.

A result like that could have broken the spirit of many players, but thankfully it didn't and now stars like Monica McGuirk, Shauna Ennis, Megan Thynne, Vikki Wall and Kelsey Nesbitt, who all played that day, are enjoying life feasting at the top table.

After threatening a few comebacks Meath turned to Eamonn Murray, a man who had guided the county to All-Ireland success at u-16 and minor B level, to oversee the revival.

Murray was reluctant to take on the role when approached in 2017, but as he admits himself, no one else wanted the job and now he has it he loves the support him and his team receive from the Meath supporters.

"We all know Meath were in a bad place, it has been well documented. I don't like looking back, it is all about the future for me and that was why I didn't really want the job back then," said Murray.

"I loved working with underage players, I loved working with great coaches who helped develop the finest young players in the county and who turned them into All-Ireland champions.

"That was my focus. Even when I was senior manager I stay as part of the management team with the minors and it was great to win a Leinster MFC in 2019.

"A lot of this current panel have come through underage teams with me, so I know what they are all about and now they are continuing to benefit from all the great coaching they get from Paul (Garrigan), Shane (Wall), Mark (Brennan), Eugene (Eivers) and Irene.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, this group of girls continue to astound and amaze me. They have done everything that has ever been asked of them and they reap the rewards of that commitment.

"Nothing gives those girls a greater thrill than seeing the Meath supporters behind them and hear them roaring them on in Croke Park.

"The support for these girls has been phenomenal, but it has been a two-way street. The girls give their all for Meath football and the supporters have been so appreciative of everything they do.

"We are delighted to be able to help create these fantastic memories for the Meath fans, these are very special days.

"As kids we all remember the joy Sean Boylan's teams brought to the county. Heroes like Mick Lyons, Colm O'Rourke, Bernard Flynn, Graham Geraghty, Tommy Dowd, Trevor Giles and so many other brilliant, brilliant players brought such joy to this county and now our girls are doing the same.

"For me the greatest pleasure I get is driving around the county and seeing all the kids wearing the Kepak jersey or the 2021 Champions jersey. I love going to games and watching kids kicking balls over the bar and saying 'wasn't that just like Vikki Wall or Emma Duggan'.

"These kids have a new generation of heroes to look up to and I love to see that. They have given the county such a lift and hopefully the rising tide brought on by the ladies team will lift all boats in Meath.

"As a county Meath needs the GAA and the GAA certainly needs Meath. The level of interest in ladies football has gone through the roof in Meath and hopefully we can bring some more joy to the supporters next Sunday," enthused the manager.

After the highs of winning the NFL Div 2 and All-Ireland SFC titles last year, Murray half expected a bit of a lull from his side this year.

However, while the performances haven't been up to the high standards he sets, Murray has been pleased with the way his side has dug out results.

"We haven't hit the heights this year that we know we are capable of. The second-half of the game against Donegal was the best we have played so far, but we need to turn that 20 or 25 minute spell into a 60 minute performance against Kerry," he warned.

"We've said it before, we knew this year was going to be very different. We came in under the radar last year. No one expected us as intermediate winners to do anything, but we had confidence in our own ability and the girls were magnificent.

"This year we have had a huge target on our back. Everyone lifts their game when they play the best. Look at Ireland against the All Blacks in the rugby, the glory of bringing down a big gun is massive and we enjoyed that feeling last year against Cork and Dublin.

"Every team we have played this year has had an extra pep in their step, they wanted to be the ones to put one over the All-Ireland champions, but only Dublin managed to get a win.

"When it mattered most we came up with the results we needed. We didn't play well against Monaghan or Armagh, but got the necessary results. We weren't at our best against Galway, but we got over the line again.

"I really have to commend that Galway team. They are the best team in the country this year and probably deserved more, but our experience of the last five years has stood to us.

"Donegal was another very tough challenge, but it was exactly what we expected. We knew they would have a plan for us, we had to be patient and when we got our chances we took them and now here we are."

One aspect of next Sunday's game that Murray hopes isn't a talking point in the aftermath of the contest will be the performance of referee Maggie Farrelly.

Meath have found themselves on the wrong side of several debatable calls this year and on several occasions they have had to endure what can only be described as harsh yellow cards.

"I'm not going to go down the line of criticising referees. They have an impossible job and the interpretation of some of the rules doesn't help them," suggested the Meath manager.

"In so many games this year the free count has been very heavily against us, yet we seem to be the team getting the yellow cards and they could have proved costly against Donegal.

"In the Leinster final against Dublin we gave away eight frees, Dublin conceded 28 yet we were the team who had two players sin-binned.

"I just hope the referee has a good game next Sunday. Hopefully there will be no talk of the match officials on Monday morning, if that's the case then we will know they have had a good game, no matter what the result."

While waiting to take the field against Donegal Murray sat back and admired the attacking prowess of the talented Kerry team. He witnessed the Kingdom blast four goals past Mayo and in the process made the rest of the county sit up and take notice.

Meath have an interesting recent history against Kerry. After winning the All-Ireland IFC in 2020 Meath faced Kerry in May 2021 and slumped to a 1-10 to 3-10 defeat in Navan.

They got revenge by securing the NFL Div 2 title with a 2-16 to 1-9 win in June and now the counties are set to clash again Murray knows to expect another titanic battle.

"Well Kerry have certainly had to do it the hard way this year and they have been very impressive in their run," warned the Meath manager.

"It is no easy feat beating Galway, Armagh or Mayo, but to beat all three of them on their way to an All-Ireland proves that they are very much a team in form and we know first-hand just how tough next Sunday's game is going to be.

"Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh is in the top three forwards in the country, if she's let have an inch she'll certainly take a mile.

"Kerry have been totting up great scores. It's probably the best attacking unit in the country against the best defensive unit, so it'll be fascinating I'd say.

"We just can't wait for Sunday. This group of girls owe nobody anything. They have proven themselves to be a phenomenal team and I hope they can add to their legacy next Sunday," concluded Murray.