Issue link: http://digitaleditions.uberflip.com/i/1481776
FEATURE www.ladiesgaelic.ie | AUTUMN 2022 | 37 Meath must do exactly that. Players like Duggan, Lynch and Sarah Wall will still be only 21 years old next year. Others like Niamh Gallogly, Emma White, Stacey Grimes, Katie Newe, Aoibhín Cleary and Megan Thynne are still in their early-to-mid 20s, while captain Shauna Ennis, former captain Máire O'Shaughnessy, All-Ireland final player-of-the- match Niamh O'Sullivan, two-time All Star goalkeeper Monica McGuirk and Bridgetta Lynch are still in their prime and bring a wealth of valuable experience. Add in outstanding talent from the 2019 minors like Olivia Gore, Saoirse O'Kane, Aisling McCabe, Meadhbh Byrne, Aoife Farrell and Megan Peters, who have been part of the senior panel for three years, and Ciara Smyth and Orlaith Mallon from this year's minors, and Meath have an abundance of excellent players coming through that are capable of dominating for years to come. Will there ever be teams that will dominate Ladies Football again like the way Kerry did in the 1980s or the way Dublin or Cork did from 2005 to 2020 when they won 16 titles between them? Unlikely. And it's not necessarily that that those Dublin or Cork teams were the greatest teams that ever played. It is just that during those times, few teams believed they could trouble that dominant, dynamic duo and didn't apply themselves, but Meath have changed all that. No longer are there just two or three genuine contenders for the Brendan Martin Cup. Next year's race for the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title will probably be the most wide open ever. As always, Dublin and Cork will be among the leading contenders, but now, because of what Meath have proved is possible, others like Galway, Armagh, Kerry, Donegal and Mayo will all believe they have a major chance of glory. It is unlikely that Meath will ever achieve the nine-in-a-row of the great Kerry team from 1982 to '90, or the Waterford side that won five times in eight years in the '90s, or the Cork team that won 11 in 12 years or even the Dubs that won four-in-a-row before being sensationally knocked off their perch by Murray's Royals, but despite the field of genuine contenders growing considerably behind them, Meath are still the team to beat in 2023. "NO LONGER ARE THERE JUST TWO OR THREE GENUINE CONTENDERS FOR THE BRENDAN MARTIN CUP. NEXT YEAR'S RACE FOR THE LIDL NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIV 2 WILL PROBABLY BE THE MOST WIDE OPEN EVER. AS ALWAYS DUBLIN AND CORK WILL BE AMONGST THE LEADINGCONTENDERS, BUT NOW, BECAUSE OF WHAT MEATH HAVE PROVED IS POSSIBLE, OTHERS LIKE GALWAY, ARMAGH, KERRY, DONEGAL AND MAYO WILL ALL BELIEVE THEY HAVE A MA JOR CHANCE OF GLORY." This Image: Kelsey Nesbitt, left, and Niamh O'Sullivan of Meath celebrate after the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Senior Championship Final match between Kerry and Meath at Croke Park in Dublin. CHAMPIONSHIP REFLECTION