Royal underdogs still possess considerable bite

Meath and Kerry will renew their rivalry this Saturday when the pair face off in the Ladies All-Ireland SFC quarter-final at Tralee on Saturday, 5.15pm.

Since their return to senior football six years ago, only two teams have knocked Meath out of the All-Ireland race, Dublin and Kerry. The narrative behind the rivalry between Meath and Dublin and that of Meath and Kerry is quite different.

When the Royals stopped Dublin’s bid for five-in-a-row back in 2021 and claimed their first-ever All-Ireland senior title, it was very much a David v Goliath storyline. While Kerry’s return to the top table of ladies' football has not captured the imagination nationally as much as the incredible rise of the Royals, they somewhat have mirrored Meath and the two sides have pushed each other to keep raising the bar despite obstacles and challenges.

There is no doubt the standard of Ladies Football has risen exponentially over the last five years and Meath and Kerry can take a lot of credit for that in terms of the strides that they have both made. In terms of All-Ireland final appearances, both teams have been involved in three of the last five showcases. In championship knock-out football they have met four times over the last five years and have two wins apiece. To put it simply, Meath push Kerry on and Kerry push Meath on.

Whether it be ladies or men's football there is always a mutual respect there between the two counties. Most Meath GAA supporters can relate to heading down to Killarney or Dingle for a few days away and being questioned in a rural pub by a local about the great Sean Boylan teams of the 1980s and 90s.

There is a reason Kerry GAA people are so widely known as cute so-and-sos. They are born with the ability to play down the chances of their own team. However, even the common Kerry native who follows ladies football will surely concede that Meath are big underdogs for Saturday's clash in Tralee.

For the first time since their return to senior, Meath failed to reach a Leinster final. Huge credit was given to the strides that Kildare have made as they beat Meath on two occasions this year. However, against Kerry in the All-Ireland series, the Lilywhites were emphatically dismantled. Danielle O’Leary and Siofra O’Shea combined for 1-9 in Kerry’s comfortable 14-point victory over Kildare. That form line does not read well for Wayne Freeman's charges.

The home advantage will also play into Kerry’s favour and they will feel they owe the Royals one after Meath knocked them out of the championship 12 months ago at the semi-final stage. While there was certainly positive signs in Meath’s win over Tyrone, the Royals will still need to improve massively if they are going to reach the semi-final.

However, this is the Meath Ladies, and several times over the last half decade, when the chips were down, they have delivered big performances. Despite retaining their senior status, overall Wayne Freeman’s first year in charge has been a little bit underwhelming but that won’t matter in the slightest if he can manage his side to a shock victory over the Kingdom this Saturday.