During the weekend in which the four National Football League finals were played at Croke Park, Limerick football manager Jimmy Lee said it was “Humongous” for his county to not just compete in a final in the big field, but win it. There, for me, encapsulated in one sentence, lies the merit in having separate finals in each individual division of the league.
Surely sooner or later the possibility of doing the same at championship level in men’s football must at least be explored. In inter county hurling, Camogie and Ladies Football there are ‘divisional’ championships (Senior, Intermediate, Junior etc) so why not do the same with men’s county football? Uniformity can only be a good thing.
After all, the requirement for integration between the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association becomes ever more pressing. Perhaps even within the GAA realms itself. For instance, there’s no reason why the two-pointers which have transformed the quality and, consequently, entertainment value of men’s football could not be integrated into hurling and, even more aptly, ladies football.
To look at each case on their own individual merits, there’s no reason why a score from beyond 65 metres in hurling or 45 in camogie couldn’t be rewarded with two points. Likewise scores directly from line balls in either small ball code. Also, either at the back end of last season or the beginning of this one there was talk of a ‘Mark’ being trialled in camogie to reward high fielding of the sliotar, though I’m not sure if it ever came to pass.
The stipulation should be in use across all GAA codes where it could be applicable. But before even venturing down that road, there would surely be unanimous agreement that the rules in Ladies Football need serious transformative surgery.
Without even starting into the fact that the ‘Mark’, two-pointers and solo-and-go should have been automatically adopted by the LGFA, there is one of ‘their own’ dictums which so obviously needs either alteration or extinction everyone either connected to or interested in the game can see it - seemingly bar those with the power to do something about the glaring inequity.
Reference is being made to the guidelines pertaining to barging/charging with the ball and, in particular, the manner in which Vikki Wall is being repeatedly and unjustly crucified by referees under said dictum just because opposing teams cannot handle her natural physical strength - and no little skill - which gives her an immeasurable advantage over most if not all opponents.
It’s bad when those from other counties are taking up the quest for fair play on behalf of our star. In the Sunday Independent on the day after Vikki was again ridiculously yellow carded against Kildare - her seventh such sanction since she started playing AFLW - Nadine Doherty of Donegal said “Meath’s force of nature is penalised on an ongoing basis for the advantages she possesses over her opposition”, before going on to opine the following:
“Twelve minutes into the second half of Meath’s win over Kildare in the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies SFC last Saturday, Meath’s Vikki Wall took a pass from Karla Kealy. Wall was pretty much at full pelt when she received possession, and almost immediately collided with Kildare’s Claire Sullivan. The collision was accidental, and unavoidable, the kind of incident you regularly see in a team sport. Wall only had eyes for the ball and clearly did not see Sullivan until the last second.
"The Meath player was incredulous when she was summoned by the referee, Séamus Mulvihill, shown a yellow card and sent to the sin bin.
“Since June 2021 Wall has played 40 league and championship matches and has been sin-binned seven times. Over the same period of time, Meath’s starting 15 against Kildare had a combined total of nine yellow cards. Mary Kate Lynch their full-back with three, being the closest player to Wall’s average record of a sin bin every six games.
"The Meath forward is possibly the strongest and most powerful player in ladies football and it is almost impossible to dispossess her when she is at full speed.
"She is an attritional player, unafraid to use the advantage she has in terms of her power and direct lines of running”.
Yet, despite it all, here Meath are, three games away from reclaiming the Brendan Martin Cup. With the daunting but surmountable hurdle provided by Tipperary ahead and, then, the penultimate hurdle for a shot at regaining Mr Martin!
Progress? It depends on what you see as success. From where this observer is sitting, absolutely. If only from the very basic point that where last season Shane McCormack’s charges just about avoided relegation in the league and didn’t emerge from the group stages of the All Ireland SFC.
By comparison, this year, they only missed out on a berth in the Div. 1 league final on the final day and - at the time of typing - are two games away from appearing in the sport’s showcase match for the third time in five years.
Yes, the fact that Vikki has been available for the entire season has obviously been a huge boon, but McCormack and his management team deserve commendation for the manner in which they have inculcated newer talent like Robyn Murray, Aine Sheridan, Karla Kealy, Orlaith Sheehy and Kerrie Cole with the stalwarts of past glories.
As a combination, Meath Ladies’ Class Of 2025 have made great strides and may not be finished yet.
Indeed, it could be said that the journey our male footballers have undertaken this season is superstitiously similar to that of the girls. In that they too only missed out on a league final berth on the final weekend of regulation play.
Also, likewise, the lads have recovered from losing a provincial final to not only making history by winning a match in the All Ireland Series for the first time, but qualifying for a quarter final for the first time in 15 years.
At the time of typing, our opponents in said engagement next weekend are unknown, but, to be quite honest I wouldn’t be too bothered which of Dublin, Donegal or Galway we’re paired with.
For one thing because, realistically we are in bonus territory by being at this stage and, for another, Meath are entitled to have confidence in their own ability and have no reason to fear anybody.
I’m not inclined to buy too deeply into the bonus territory theory. We are where we are on merit, having beaten Dublin and Kerry along the way.
Ironically, outside of Galway, Meath have been the most efficient team in the game in terms of two-point conversion stats, having clocked up 48 of the new type scores at the time of typing.
It sticks in the craw, indeed, that the only game Robbie Brennan’s charges didn’t register a ‘double’ all season was the Leinster Final against Louth, which they lost by… two points!
They still have it in their armoury, mind you, and that gives them a chance against anybody. Roll on the weekend.