ALL-IRELAND FINAL COUNTDOWN: Shauna Ennis itching for even more silverware

Seven years on from being part of the Meath side that lost out to Cork in that by now infamous All-Ireland SFC qualifier Shauna Ennis is now enjoying a whole different side to her footballing life.

The Na Fianna player has seen the rough and is now enjoying the smooth and while some might suggest that life can often pass by the inter-county footballer Ennis is loving being part of Meath's remarkable journey.

"I've had that conversation with so many people who maybe aren't as involved with football, but I don't know what I would do with my time if I wasn't playing for Meath," said Ennis.

"I don't see it as a burden. I see it as a huge privilege, who wouldn't want to go and spend five nights a week with their best friends?

"There are days when you'd prefer not to go training, but you need to think about the team and on our team everyone always turns up and they are the high standards we set.

"Winning senior All-Irelands are the best days of your lives and this is something that we can't do forever, so playing football while you can it is really important."

Playing football as a hobby is one thing, but playing at the highest level for the last five years has been draining on Meath, but Ennis believes the experience of playing on All-Ireland final day is something that should stand to her team.

"It's mad to think that we have played on All-Ireland final day for the last five years, it's just crazy," she said.

"We have been going right to the end of the year for the last five years and you can see from on and off that pitch that we have a great bond, we spend 10 or 11 months of the year together, so that bond has really transferred onto the pitch.

"Hopefully the fact we have played in Croke Park so many times in the last few years will stand to us, that we don't let the big occasion get to us.

"I hope we can use that experience to our advantage. Kerry haven't been there quite as many times as we have recently, but they have been there a couple of times and the type of team they are I don't think they will let it faze them.

"We'll see what happens on the day, but they certainly looked very comfortable playing in Croke Park against Mayo.

"Even though we do train for 10 months of the year we do get some weeks off and we take advantage of those times as best we can.

"We speak a lot about energy and hunger. Kerry are going for their 12th All-Ireland, whereas we are only going for our second, so why shouldn't we be more hungry than Kerry."

The 27 year old Kilcloon NS teacher was given a game or two off this year as Eamonn Murray and his management team took advantage of opportunities to rest key players and have a look at young members of the panel.

Ennis believes she learned plenty from watching from the sideline and she also believes the input of the girls on the panel who don't get much game time is crucial to Meath's success.

"I sat out the Armagh game and coming back training on the following Tuesday I had so much more to give in my legs. Myself and Duggie (Emma Duggan) sat out another game and just being able to stand on the sidleline and watch the team play you can take a lot from it," she admitted.

"The girls that have sat out games have been able to give good advice in the following weeks. It also gave other girls on the panel such a great opportunity.

"We have 38 girls on the panel, so it is only fair that they get the opportunity to play too. It has been brilliant the amount of players we have used.

"The young girls and the girls who aren't getting as much game time are so important to us. The attitude they bring to drive everyone on is always positive. They are our number one supporters, if you watch our bench on matchdays they roar us on.

"Having 38 girls on the panel must be hard to manage, but our management team do it so well and you can really see how much all those girls have come on.

"It is very hard to make your way straight from minor into senior, it definitely takes a couple of years strength and conditioning. You can see how much players like Ciara Smyth and Orlaith Mallon have come on from minor with the years training.

"When the girls go away next year it is going to be a major opportunity for those younger girls to stake a claim for a place."

So what is Ennis's role as captain? And what will constitute success for this Meath team this year?

"Being captain of Meath is something that you dream of when you start playing football as a little girl, this is the pinnacle of what you can achieve," she admitted.

"I count myself so lucky. Any of the girls on our team could take on the role of captain no problem, so I am just very lucky, it is something I'll treasure forever.

"As a captain I want to enable everyone around me to shine. Whether that's talking to them, checking in on them, directing them to people who can help them better than me, I just want to give them the tools they need to be their best.

"Hopefully I'm someone that everyone feels comfortable talking to. Hopefully I'm someone who can drive the team on too when the needs be.

"We have loads of leaders on our team, I want to be a leader on the pitch and also be someone that people can lean on off the pitch.

"We have tried to take this year game by game. Winning NFL Div 1 wasn't a huge aim of ours, so that was a huge bonus. Then beating Monaghan in our first game was our aim to ensure we would be senior again next year.

"As the year rolled on we adjusted our goals and next Sunday our goal is to try to win the All-Ireland, we want to do the double.

"At the start of this year we kept saying we weren't a one-hit wonder. By winning the league we proved that we are a very good team. Trying to win again next Sunday will solidify that hopefully," concluded the Meath captain.