Wall could get award Down Under - unlike at home

Vikki Wall is in line to mark her first season in the Australian Rules by landing a major award.

The Dunboyne player has been shortlisted for the AFLW's Best First-Year Player award along with Blaithin Mackin from Armagh.

Wall has had a very impressive campaign with North Melbourne while Mackin has also clearly done well with Melbourne in the AFLW.

The announcement that Wall is in line for the prestigious award comes just days after she was left out of the LGFA All-star selection which was a major surprise as she was one of Meath's top players in 2022 with a series of characteristically outstanding displays.

Her exclusion from the selection caused dismay and not a little bewilderment and bemusement in the Royal County and beyond.

It would be ironic if she was rewarded for her high-quality displays in Australia while left out of the reckoning back in her native land.

Six Meath players won All-stars - Emma Duggan, Emma Troy, Monica McGuirk, Stacey Grimes, Aoibhin Cleary and Shauna Ennis - and they were all deserved. Grimes and captain Ennis won their first awards.

Amazingly, however, there was no recognition for Wall or Niamh O'Sullivan (who was 'Player of the Match' in the All-Ireland final victory over Kerry) or outstanding full-back Mary Kate Lynch.

Neither was there recognition for another player who ended up in Aussie Rules football Orlagh Lally who had a wonderful season in the green and gold of Meath before her move to Australia.

The hope that they would all get recognised was perhaps asking for too much but the fact that Wall was left out certainly raised eyebrows.