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NIAMH O'SULLIVAN INTERMEDIATE FINAL INTERVIEW definitely a lot of fire in the belly and we knew it was going to be our day, that we couldn't leave it behind." Ladies Football's eventual return to the limelight. "A lot of Zoom calls. A few girls met up for socially distanced running with each other, to push each other on. It was hard during lockdown when you're running on your own. Girls in the same club paired up and just egged each other on for that one per cent margin to get us over the line and I think that all proved pivotal (against Westmeath). "When we were training with our clubs it was fantastic and then when we got to train with our county again, it was a nice little break that you could go out and see other people, get a bit of a breather from your house. My school have been so supportive of me. It was great to have those distractions during lockdown." Had the season continued as initially planned, O'Sullivan might well have had a fight on her hands for a starting place in this Meath team. She was restricted to cameo roles against Clare and Armagh in rounds four and five of the LIDL National Football League, having missed out on earlier Division 2 clashes with Tyrone, Cavan and Monaghan. However, the lockdown afforded O'Sullivan time to work on her fitness and after getting a succession of club games under her belt, she worked her way into Meath's full-forward line for the remainder of the season. "The break definitely benefited me, getting a few club games. I got on in a few League games, but it was hard to break into the team. The lads didn't really see me playing, so it was great that the club championship was on. That favoured me big time." Meath's success over Westmeath was part of a double triumph for Leinster counties on the penultimate Sunday of a turbulent 2020, with Mick Bohan's all-conquering Dublin side capturing their fourth consecutive TG4 All-Ireland Senior title courtesy of a hard-earned 1-10 to 1-5 win at the expense of Cork. The Royals are now guaranteed to face the Jackies in next year's Leinster championship decider – the Metropolitans were the province's only Senior outfit in 2020 – and could well face the Rebelettes depending on how the draw for the Brendan Martin Cup pans out. While it will represent a massive step-up in quality regardless of who they face, O'Sullivan and her inter-county colleagues are ready to embrace the challenges that lie in wait. "These are the teams you want to be playing against, Dublin and Cork. These are the girls you watch day in, day out. You want to see where you're at by playing against them. "Playing Dublin in a Leinster Final next year is definitely going to be a huge challenge and I think the girls will be really, really raring to go in 2021, just to see where we are against a Senior team. We do fancy ourselves against the bigger teams," O'Sullivan added. A few girls met up for socially distanced running with each other, to push each other on. It was hard during lockdown when you're running on your own. Girls in the same club paired up and just egged each other on for that one per cent margin to get us over the line and I think that all proved pivotal A primary school teacher at St Seachnall's NS in her hometown of Dunshaughlin, O'Sullivan was kept busy during lockdown but still managed to strike a nice balance between work and leisure. She wasn't alone in doing so, with the Meath squad discovering new ways to maintain their fitness in advance of 16 | WINTER 2020 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie