Meath can claim first Leinster title since Millennium success

This Sunday Meath will bid to put an end to a long Leinster SFC title drought when they take on the All Ireland champions Dublin in Croke Park at 11.45am.

Meath have not claimed Ladies Leinster SFC glory since 2000 when that team completed four Leinster titles in a row. Elaine Duffy got the goal that day when Meath defeated Dublin 1-12 to 0-9 at Dr Cullen Park.

Meath will be hoping for a similar result this weekend but face a very tough challenge in Dublin. Dublin have blitzed through the Leinster Championship inflicting heavy defeats on Kildare, Laois, and a weakened Meath side in Parnell Park last Sunday.

Dublin manager Mick Bohan has not relied on any one starting 15 and has made numerous changes throughout the year to each side that he fields which speaks to the enormous strength and depth that Dublin has within their panel.

Even though Dublin has a strong defensive unit and are a very physical outfit, it is without question that Dublin's most dangerous assets are their immense power up front.

As Meath's second string witnessed firsthand at Parnell Park last Sunday, the likes of Hannah Tyrrell, Nicole Owens and Carla Rowe can very easily make the best defenders in the country look very ordinary. Annabelle Timothy is someone who has only really established herself this year but has shown her class, particularly in the Laois game where she finished with a fine total of 3-3.

Despite facing into what on the face of it is a very tough ask, it is not beyond this Meath side's capabilities to put in a really good showing on Sunday and possibly even win.

The Royals have their own impressive firepower up front. Meadhbh Byrne was one of the best players on the pitch for either side at Parnell Park last Sunday but it is hard to see where the Dunshaughlin woman will fit into an already stacked Royals front six of Megan Thynne, Shelly Melia, Ciara Smyth, Ella Moyles, Marion Farrelly and of course, Emma Duggan.

Shelly Melia lit Pairc Tailtean up with an impressive player-of-the-match performance in a badly needed win over Cork in the last round of the league. Marion Farrelly was absolutely immense in Meath's two championship wins over Laois and Kildare. Ciara Smyth has been a consistent performer for Shane McCormack, even throughout the bad spell of games that the side had during the league.

Megan Thynne is probably the most underrated footballer in Meath given the work ethic and service that she has provided to the county for quite some time. Ella Moyles has slotted into the starting team like a glove and the whole country knows just how good Emma Duggan can be when she is on it. If that wasn't enough, Niamh Gallogly also provides a significant attacking threat from wing-back.

It's not just upfront that Dublin needs to worry about on Sunday. The midfield pairing of Maire O'Shaughnessy and Aoibhin Cleary are a force to be reckoned with and Katie Newe and Mary Kate Lynch have established themselves among some of the best defenders in the country. In fact, all of Meath's regular defenders have at different stages proven that they are more than capable of coping with Dublin's impressive forwards.

In previous years, Meath ladies have seen the Dublin jersey on big days and risen to the challenge. There are still a few players who were part of those momentous occasions however the turnover of players within the squad has been significant. Only seven of the starting 15 from Meath's win over Kildare in round two of the Leinster championship played in the 2022 All-Ireland senior final. You would hope that is enough in terms of the experience of rising to the occasion.

Strike a line through last week's dead rubber in Parnell Park, Meath has shown enormous improvement over the last few competitive outings.

If they continue to improve and grow at the rate that they have been doing they are certainly going to cause Dublin a lot of hassle in Croke Park on Sunday.

Dublin head into Sunday’s final without a serious test in thsi year’s provincial campaign.

Kildare knew they were up against it when they faced the All-Ireland champions so they fielded a weaken. Laois were no match for Dublin either, while Meath opted to give their fringe players a run.

Meath will be the underdogs and are coming in under the radar but that is something that has worked in their favour on big days in previous years and it may just be the case again this Sunday.

Meath (probable) - Monica McGuirk; Ciara Lawlor, Mary Kate Lynch, Nicole Troy; Niamh Gallogly, Lisa Young, Katie Newe; Maire O'Shaughnessy, Aoibhin Cleary; Megan Thynne, Shelly Melia, Ciara Smyth; Ella Moyles, Marion Farrelly, Emma Duggan.