Ladies Gaelic Football

www.ladiesgaelic.ie | SPRING 2022 | 17 December 2020. This effectively amounts to five national titles in the space of just 35 months and Nesbitt acknowledges it wouldn't have been possible without Murray and his exceptional backroom set-up. "Our management team have been absolutely incredible. Eamonn has put that all together and we wouldn't have won any of our titles without that management team behind us. They've worked tirelessly with everybody. We're so thankful to have the great support team and the management team that are involved. They can take huge credit for all that we've achieved." Nesbitt's three-pointer in the opening period of the top-tier showdown with Donegal was exquisite and summed up everything that is good about this Meath team. Beginning with a direct ball into midfield from TG4 All Star goalkeeper Monica McGuirk, the ball eventually worked its way into the hands of Vikki Wall, who in turn released Nesbitt for a shot at the target. "I'm delighted to get on the scoresheet. If I don't, it's not the end of the world, but I'm delighted that when I got the chance that I did finish it. Vikki basically put it on the plate for me. If I didn't finish it, I would have let her down. She did all the hard work, so I was just happy to finish her great run." When Orlagh Lally followed up Nesbitt's goal with a quickfire point, Meath were 1-6 to 0-2 in front and seemingly on their way to a convincing victory. Yet a scoring sequence of 1-5 without reply either side of the half-time break — most of which was garnered while Meath full-back Mary Kate Lynch was in the sin-bin — edged Donegal in front and the pressure was on the Royals to issue a response. There wasn't an ounce of panic without the Meath ranks, however, and Niamh O'Sullivan's majestic major on 41 minutes helped them to establish a lead that they never relinquished. This isn't the first time they have come from behind to secure a win at Croke Park and the steely resolve the Royals developed from their previous visits to GAA HQ came to the fore when Donegal were threatening to upset the apple cart. "We did let Donegal back into the game, but Niamh's goal definitely gave us that boost when we needed it. When we needed a score, she came up the pitch and put it in the back of the net. That's what we needed her to do and that's what she did. "We were confident coming in. We've played at Croke Park before. We weren't going to drop the heads when they got back into the game and we're just delighted that we were able to finish out the game. We're used to playing here. It definitely worked in our favour." Though you'd be forgiven for thinking there wasn't anything left for this Meath team to win, this of course isn't the case. It is all of six years since the county competed in the Leinster Senior Championship, but their All-Ireland intermediate success of 2020 means they will return to the eastern province's top grade in the coming weeks. Another date in the capital awaits them on May 7 in the first of two guaranteed fixtures in a round robin phase, with Dublin, who have held a firm grip on the provincial crown since 2012, playing host to the team that got the better of them in last year's Brendan Martin Cup decider. The absence of a provincial championship in the past two seasons has also opened the door for Westmeath, last year's TG4 All-Ireland intermediate champions, to make it a three-pronged Leinster championship and Meath will entertain their neighbours in their second game of the competition on May 14. Instead of approaching these games with an air of trepidation, the achievements of the last 12 months ensures Nesbitt and her inter- county colleagues will be confident of progressing to an historic provincial final at Croke Park on May 28. "When there were so many intermediate teams in Leinster, there was nobody to compete with Dublin. It's great that there are three Leinster teams playing now at the senior grade. Hopefully now it gets us ready for the All-Ireland championship," Nesbitt added. "It's really important that we get focused now for our first game against Dublin and get ready. Hopefully we'll make the Leinster final. It's a double-header with the men's, it'd be a great occasion to be part of that." "I'M DELIGHTED TO GET ON THE SCORESHEET. IF I DON'T IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD, BUT I'M DELIGHTED THAT WHEN I GOT THE CHANCE TODAY THAT I DID FINISH IT"

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