‘They will run through a brick wall for you and the determination that they show is brilliant’

After a short hiatus of two years, Meath are back in an All-Ireland Ladies SFC final. The man who has guided them back to the pinnacle of the game is Kildare native Shane McCormack, writes Tom Gannon.

McCormack has had to rebuild and transition this team back into All-Ireland contenders. The chances of him being able to do that looked very slim during a poor league campaign but McCormack and his management team have turned the tide and Meath will head into an All-Ireland final clash with Dublin in two weeks with a serious chance of claiming a third All-Ireland title in five years.

McCormack watched on as his side dismantled the All-Ireland champions Kerry on Saturday, and in the end comfortably sealed victory over a very talented Munster outfit. Speaking after the game, McCormack was overjoyed and very proud of the efforts of his players and management team.

"I'm kind of lost for words at the moment. That was just incredible. I am extremely proud of the girls and the rest of the management team. We have been written off for the last year and a half and we have been rebuilding. A lot of girls have come back into the fold and it is great to have them. These girls, anything that you ask of them, they deliver. They will run through a brick wall for you and the determination that they show is brilliant."

After a fantastic first-half performance into the wind, Meath found themselves two points to the good at the interval. Kerry battled hard early in the second-half but as McCormack rightly explains, Meath showed great composure to weather the storm.

"We were two points up at half-time and we just said to keep the scoreboard ticking. Kerry got a purple patch on us at the start of the second-half. We didn't panic. We showed great composure and I am delighted with that." said McCormack.

"The one thing we did talk about during the week was the prevention of goal opportunities and for the most part, we did that. Danielle (O'Leary) got her goal there at the start of the second-half but we didn't panic, which is great. I was disappointed with some of our performances at the start of the year where we were playing in patches. Today showed the improvements that we have made in that regard. Kerry got a run at us and we didn't panic. We were delighted with that."

McCormack was delighted for the two goal scorers, Kerrie Cole and Sarah Wall. Cole's goal was an absolute cracker and Wall has been immense for Meath at centre-back since rejoining the panel last year.

"Kerrie Cole was carrying a bit of a niggle from the last game and she passed a fitness test this week. She scored an absolutely cracking goal and I'm delighted for her. I'm also delighted for Sarah. She came back into the set-up last year and she is after making the six (jersey) her own there. She is a real leader and showed great composure to score her goal."

The Meath supporters were in full voice on Saturday and they completely outnumbered Kerry fans in the main stand. McCormack showed his gratitude for the support that the team received.

"The Meath crowd are unbelievable. It was the same at home in the quarter-final. It wasn't Navan, it was Tullamore today, and there was just as much energy and excitement. I want to send my thanks to all the supporters for coming. We really appreciate it."

Finally, McCormack wished Katie Newe well after she seemed to suffer a nasty injury early in the second-half.

"I'd like to send my best wishes to Katie Newe. She has been a fantastic servant for Meath. Fingers crossed it's not a bad injury, but the girls did it for her."

Sarah Wall had a super game for the Royals on Saturday and was named the TG4 Player of the Match. She has been a real leader and crucial player for McCormack since returning to the side towards the back end of last year's championship.

Speaking after the game, Wall spoke about the huge belief within the team, and praised the management team for instilling that faith.

"We have this unwavering belief in our team right now and it's absolutely incredible. The management team have been brilliant. Wayne Freeman started with us this year and from day one, he has been saying that we are going up the Hogan Stand this year. Having that sort of confidence in the team and management is brilliant." said Wall.

"Everyone has bought into the project and the amount of hard work that the girls have put in this year is immense. Our S&C coach Eugene Eivers has done an incredible job in getting us incredibly fit. Coming into today, we didn't want that hard work to be for nothing, so we just wanted to perform like we know we can."

Wall spoke about the underdog tag heading into this clash and also briefly alluded to the referee's performance on the day. She went on to suggest that nothing was going to stop Meath from winning and spoke about the motivation that the Royals took from previous heartbreak.

"We were coming in as underdogs. Kerry were the All-Ireland champions, the ref was against us, it seems, but we just said not today. Today was our day. Anything that was thrown at us, we had the attitude of bring it on. One word that has been driving us on all year and especially heading into this game was hurt. We have been beaten by Kerry the last two years and we took a lot of motivation from those defeats into this semi-final."

Wall is starting to make a habit of scoring goals, and she detailed how when she finds herself with a rare chance of a goal opportunity, she tries her best to make it count.

"It was great to get another goal. I think I found myself in the right area to be honest. I don't get up in that position very often, so I said to myself that I have to make this one count. The girls carry the ball forward so well and we try to create space for them. If I miss the opportunities, my father doesn't let me live it down, so the odd time when I do find myself in that position, I know I have to make it count."

Having already alluded to Maggie Farrelly's performance in officiating the match on Saturday, Wall concluded the interview by blasting the inconsistencies within refereeing in the ladies' game.

"There 100% has to be a change with the rules and officiating in the ladies' game. It's just so inconsistent every single game. The match against Tipperary was officiated so freely and the ref was happy to let the game flow. Today we weren't even allowed to ask a question about a decision. There was so much inconsistency. There needs to be a full examination of the barging rule anyway.

Today it was all just down to the ref's decisions and interpretation and that is not what the rules are there for," concluded the delighted, but frustrated, Wall.

Despite her frustrations with some of the officating, Wall’s attentions and those of her teamamtes are very much focused on an All-Ireland final clash with Dublin - again. And Wall cannot wait!