Royals ready to rumble defending champions

LADIES ALL-IRELAND SFC SEMI-FINAL PREVIEW

Navan's Andy Leech has a line in his poem "Beautiful Meath" released on social media last week "It feels new, but this whole thing is so familiar". Of course, Leech was referring to the success of the Meath men's footballers in 2025, but the same can be said of the Meath ladies as they prepare to go into battle with Kerry on Saturday in the All-Ireland SFC semi-final at O'Connor Park, 5.15pm, writes Tom Gannon.

This is a rejuvenated Meath team from the side we saw reach the peak of Ladies football in 2021 and 2022. The management team, in their second year, has achieved a remarkable turnaround in a very short space of time, as they have reset and refocused this Meath side.

Eighteen months ago, the Royals had a spell in the 2024 league where they received three hammerings from Armagh, Kerry and Galway. Even this year's league didn't exactly inspire confidence and a defeat to Kildare in Abbottstown was very worrying. However a superb performance against Dublin in the Leinster Final, even in defeat, gave hope that the Meath ladies might be back to their very best.

At the same time, there is not a completely new feeling around the Royals. While there have been several retirements and exits, there are still plenty of the old guard around from 2022. St Peter's stars Vikki Wall and Emma Duggan are still among the elite players in the country.

Mary Kate Lynch and Katie Newe are two consistent rocks at the back and if they never win another All-Ireland, their legacy has been cemented in Meath Ladies GAA forever.

Captain Aoibhin Cleary may have lost her long-time partner in midfield, Maire O'Shaughnessy, to the dreaded ACL earlier in the year, and she is Oz-bound as well, but she is determined to lead this Meath team to glory before she catches that flight.

It's not just those who starred in the All-Ireland success' that are tearing it up for Meath though. A handful of new talent has emerged and cemented their spot in this talented side.

Ciara Smyth was a very promising underage player and she has certainly fulfilled that potential. The Skryne woman is now a vital cog in the machine that is Meath's front six.

Goalkeeper Robyn Murray has probably been the biggest revelation for Meath this year. She has been absolutely incredible and has made some remarkable saves.

The task at hand this weekend is a tough one. They face the team that has knocked them out of the championship for the last two years.

Kerry may have lost a few vital players after their All-Ireland success last year but it hasn't slowed them down and their victory over a Kildare side in the quarter final, who were full of confidence after a fantastic win over Armagh, was impressive.

Siofra O'Shea's hat-trick inspired the Kingdom to a 10-point victory over the Lilywhites and it is evident confidence is building in Kerry as they look to retain their crown.

They will be well aware though, that the Royals will be seeking revenge for last year's defeat in particular. In the 2024 quarter final, a poor second-half saw Meath slump to an eight-point loss against the Kingdom.

This year should be different, it has to be. Meath are playing with much more confidence and their performance against Tipperary in the quarter-final was absolutely breathtaking. Tipperary are a strong side in their own right but the Royals completely dismantled the Munster outfit.

If the Royals bring the same intensity that they brought to Pairc Tailteann in the quarter-final then they are going to be hard stopped. The Meath lads may have exited their championship last Sunday on a disappointing note but there is no reason to suggest that the Meath ladies will suffer a similar fate.

Meath GAA fans' hopes of All-Ireland glory now rest on the shoulders of the ladies and they can take one step closer this Saturday by dethroning the Kingdom.