'I'm very disappointed for the girls. They didn't deserve that'

Disappointed Shane McCormack spent some well-earned time with his wife Lorraine and young child Lilly, before facing the media for the debrief of Sunday's Ladies All-Ireland final defeat to Dublin, writes Tom Gannon.

It was a bitterly disappointing way to finish off what has been an incredible journey for the Royals in 2025. Halfway through the league, Meath were struggling badly and at that stage no one would have predicted that McCormack's army would reach an All-Ireland final.

The Royals put their heads down and worked hard and deservedly earned their spot in Sunday's showcase. However, nothing went right for Meath on the day and they fell to a heavy defeat.

In his post-match interview, the Kildare native expressed how gutted he was for his players and spoke about how difficult it was to claw back Dublin after they made a lightning-quick start.

"I'm very disappointed for the girls. They didn't deserve that. They've put in serious hard work over the last year and a half. We were 11 points down at half-time. Maybe if that goal chance went in in the first few minutes, it would have given us a little bit more momentum going into the second half but if a Dublin team gets ahead of you, they're very hard to claw back. I think we just lost the second half there by a point, so that's a small bit of a positive, but I'm just gutted for the girls, to be honest with you." said McCormack.

"There are nine girls there who got their first senior start in an All-Ireland final. I keep mentioning about rebuilding, but that's what it is. There are 16 girls here on this panel that we brought in over the last year and a half. Today is going to be an experience for them, but I will say the future is very bright for Meath. They're a super bunch there and I know they'll stick together."

McCormack paid tribute to Dublin and spoke about the talent that the now champions have all over the pitch. McCormack was hoping in advance of the game that Meath would get off to a good start but unfortunately, that is not how it played out.

"In fairness to them, I have to give them credit. They've super players throughout. You look at Sinead Goldrick, Carla Rowe and Hannah Tyrrell. They just kept the scoreboard ticking over. One thing I said at the start of the game was that if we get ahead, we need to keep the scoreboard ticking over. We didn't get that opportunity unfortunately and Dublin did. They put the nail into the coffin there for the second goal as well and kept going with the points ticking over. That's sport at the end of the day, but credit to Dublin."

A big talking point after the game was Dublin's cynical approach in defence and the referee's failure to issue a card despite the consistent fouling. McCormack spoke briefly on the subject before also clarifying that it wasn't the official who beat Meath on Sunday.

"The referees are always brought up and they have a tough job, but I don't understand with the free count today, how there was no card issued. Sometimes the play was let go but then there were softer tackles that were being pulled up. The different referees have different interpretations of fouls, cynical or not. It's very frustrating for players and managers. The referee didn't beat us today though, so there's no sour grapes here."

McCormack was keen to praise the efforts of his management team for the work that they have done with Meath since he took over as manager. He also spoke about the fantastic atmosphere that his management has created within the group.

"I'm very lucky with the management group this year. They've been fantastic the last year and a half. Wayne Freeman has left no stone unturned there. Lee (Hunt), Darren (Clarke), John (O'Connor), Tony (Reilly), Ross (Flynn), Eugene (Eivers), Packie (Reilly), Mary (O'Shaughnessy), and Audrey (Kelleher-Murphy). I have to mention them all because they're part of this journey as well and they're part of that circle inside there. They're a fantastic bunch to work with, it's just such a good atmosphere and that's why this is a very hard one for them to take."

There was one obvious omission from the Meath starting 15 for the final, Ratoath's Katie Newe, who suffered a knee injury in the semi-final clash with Kerry. McCormack recognised that Newe was a big loss for the final but also said that Meath had a very capable replacement in the two-time All-Ireland winning captain, Shauna Ennis.

"I was gutted for Katie Newe, it was a bad injury that she picked up against Kerry. She was a huge loss, but we were able to bring in an All-Ireland-winning captain to replace her in Shauna Ennis. I'm gutted for Katie, but no doubt she'll be back next year hopefully."

Aoibhin Cleary and Vikki Wall will this week head Down Under to compete in the AFLW.

It is unclear yet whether either of those players will be returning for Meath in 2026. McCormack praised the pair for their efforts this year and also finished off by reiterating how gutted he was for his players after the heavy All-Ireland final defeat.

"They've been fantastic and I wish them all the best heading off to Australia.

It's Aoibhin Cleary's first year playing in the AFLW. She's been a fantastic captain for us and a huge motivator. Vikki's been fantastic this year. She is very professional and a great motivator. I'm just gutted for the two of them now, to be honest with you.

"I'm just gutted for all the girls inside there because they didn't deserve to be beaten like that, but we know there's more in the locker for this group. Please God, they'll regroup themselves and we'll see how things go for next year, but there are a lot of positives to take away from this year."