Ladies Gaelic Football

www.ladiesgaelic.ie | AUTUMN 2022 | 33 ADVERT By FERGAL LYNCH Still The Team to Beat DESPITE THE CHANGES This Image: Meath manager Eamonn Murray during the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Senior Championship Final match between Kerry and Meath at Croke Park in Dublin. CHAMPIONSHIP REFLECTION I t all seems too soon to have a changing of the guard, too early in the upsurge of Ladies football in Meath for there to be a transition period, but with the departure of several high-profile players and key members of management, there is a wind of change blowing in the Royal County. What made Meath so strong over the last five or six years was their apparent unbreakable bond, that spirit of collegiality, a sense of family, an environment of fun that saw them emerge from the dark days of disappointment to enjoy the euphoric, unprecedented success of the last three years. Central to that meteoric rise from the basement to the penthouse suite was manager Eamonn Murray - but now the affable Boardsmill man has called time on his phenomenal spell in charge of a team that has changed the face of Ladies football, not just in the Royal County, but across the country. Murray readily, and often, admits that he never wanted to manage the Meath Ladies senior football team. His passion was in providing an environment for young players to flourish at underage level. He surrounded himself with young, fresh, enthusiastic talented coaches who wanted to develop the talents of EVERY young girl in Meath who wanted to play football. Whether that was with his under-10 team in his local club in Boardsmill or as manager of the All-Ireland U16 winning team, Murray's sole focus was ensuring young players enjoyed their football and improved with the experience. Murray knew nothing else only working with the youngsters in Meath before he was called upon to rescue the

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