'I’m just really happy for them as a bunch of players'

Meath manager Freeman hoping to take shackles off in quarter-final

Before Saturday, Wayne Freeman had not won a championship match as manager of the Meath Ladies. That weight was lifted off his shoulders when the Royals booked their spot in the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final with a hard-fought victory over Tyrone in Healy Park.

In his post-match interview, the Kildare native was visibly relieved and delighted that his squad got over the line against the Ulster opposition.

“I'm absolutely delighted for them. Before the game, I was just hoping that they would do themselves justice and get their reward for the really hard work over the last number of months. When things were going against us, they put their heads down and worked hard. I’m just really happy for them as a bunch of players as much as anything else and we have a quarter-final to look forward to now.”

A key moment in the contest came soon after the restart when Tyrone scored a two-pointer and Meath responded almost immediately with a well-worked goal courtesy of Meadhbh Byrne. Freeman spoke about how the team have talked about improving how they respond to individual set-backs in games and praised Amy Gaffney in particular for the role she played in Meath’s crucial goal.

“We have been working really hard on how we respond to individual setbacks in games. We have been very guilty this year of cumulative mistakes. We talked at half-time about if Tyrone produced big moments that it was vital that we react to them well. We wanted them to be energetic for Robyn’s (Murray) kick-outs and make good decisions. After Tyrone got the two-pointer, it was Amy Gaffney who started the move and she was the one then who got the crucial pass away for the goal.”

Meath largely controlled and managed the game very well in the second-half and for the most part kept Tyrone at arms length. Freeman praised his players for their fitness and also gave huge credit to the substitutes who had a massive impact.

“We controlled the game very well in the second-half and our fitness levels were super. The subs that came on had a real impact on the game. Karla (Kealy) did very well when she came on. Rachel Casserly and Ali Sherlock won a lot of primary ball. It is so important coming down the stretch that you do that. The last four or five weeks of training have been brilliant and we could see a good performance coming so I am just delighted that it came to fruition.”

There were several refereeing decisions that went against Meath, particularly in the latter stages. Freeman made his views on those decisions clear but also showed his respect for the Armagh referee Philip Conway.

“I thought the penalty that they got was soft enough to be honest. Sinead (Murphy) was running alongside the Tyrone player and it was just a coming together really. That was a bit unlucky. Niamh Gallogly should have been awarded a free down the other end then and the charge on Orla (Smith) was a bit of a mad call as well. These things happen, Philip Conway is a good ref in fairness and there was just a few things that went against us but thankfully we came out the right side of the result.”

Freeman continued to speak about how much that victory meant to the team and was delighted with how hard the players worked in the closing stages when they only had 14 players on the pitch.

“We really needed that today. We have lost games this year that we should have won on countless occasions this year. I think the way we won it was important. They were coming at us hard and we lost a player. I just thought we really battled hard. When you are down a body with the new rules, it is so difficult and it is a testament to our players for the way they closed out that game.”

Freeman and Meath’s focus would have been very much on Saturday’s contest as the difference between a win and a loss had huge consequences. The Meath manager concluded by saying that Saturday's win was a huge relief and that they can now look forward to a quarter-final clash where he hopes to ‘take the shackles off a bit more’ now.

"For us, we have been given an opportunity now at the quarter-final and it is something that we can look forward to. There has been a lot of pressure on us and if we lost today, we would have been in a relegation battle. From here we might be able to take the shackles off a bit more and have a good crack at the quarter-final. It is all knock-out games now and we won’t be afraid of anyone. We will really enjoy the next two weeks," concluded the manager before the news filtered through that Meath will face Kerry in the All-Ireland quarter-final in two weeks.