Leinster title within the grasp of Meath ladies

It's not often that the result of a football game can truly earn the adjective 'sensational' but Meath's victory over Dublin in two weeks ago was one of those occasions. It was a victory that came straight out of left field, as unexpected as it was deserved. Before the throw in Meath were given little hope. They produced a performance built on hard graft and plenty of skill. Now an even bigger challenge presents itself in the shape of Laois in Sunday's Ladies Leinster SFC final at Dr Cullen Park, 3.0. It's a formidable challenge and Meath, now denied the element of surprise, could be caught out. Against Dublin the Royal County girls appeared impervious to the lofty reputation of their opponents - and the hot July sun - to seal the win. Where did that Meath performance come from? Manager Paula Cunningham had commented to the Meath Chronicle before the game that she sensed a strong "belief" in her team. How right she was. She and her selectors performed major surgery on the side that had lost to Dublin in the NFL Div 2 final making widespread positional changes. The strategy worked. Afterwards she warned that nothing had been won yet, there was no silverware on the sideboard. She was concerned that now the surprise element was gone out of Meath's campaign. Now everyone knows that Meath are a supremely fit side driven by a great hunger and a desire to win. Over the past week or so she will have been stressing to her troops the importance of keeping their focus on the immediate task in hand - and that's beating Laois. Inevitably Meath will go into the game a more fancied side - and with good cause although not just because of that win over Dublin. The record of both teams this year suggests that, at least on the surface, the Royal County girls have a slight edge. A quick look at the facts reveal a lot. Both teams have played 10 games. Meath have won seven, Laois four. Meath's total combined score is 22-132, Laois's is 13-115. The statistics however, don't reveal the full truth. Laois garnered their full tally in Div 1 of the NFL not, like Meath, in Div 2. Not only that Laois made it to the final where they were only narrowly defeated by Cork. A further word of warning for Meath is contained in the stark fact that the last time these sides met in the championship it was the girls in blue and white who prevailed. That was last summer in Stradbally when the home side won, 3-9 to 2-5. Much has changed in the Meath camp since then. It can be argued with considerable force that the Royal County girls are fitter this time around having worked strenuously on conditioning. That work was rewarded against Dublin. Mary Sheridan occupied one of the midfield places in that game and with others such as Eileen Rahill, Elaine Duffy, Katie O'Brien and Vivienne McCormack Meath are capable of winning plenty of ball in the central sector. Laois have a fine tradition in ladies football and have to be considered a top side. They are not short of talented players with Sinead Doogue, Tracy Lalor and Martina Dunne among those who made an impression in their 0-17 to 1-13 win over Kildare in the Leinster SFC semi-final. Others no doubt will be waiting, only too willing to step up to the mark on Sunday. Meath's win over Dublin was built around a tremendous will to win; an unquenchable work rate and hunger topped off with some neat pieces of skill, not least Ger Doherty's late, game-clinching three points. It was a potent combination that clearly caught Dublin on the hop. Can Meath push on from here? There are no serious injuries for Paula Cunningham and her selectors to worry about. A full complement will be needed on Sunday. The problem is that Laois now know what to expect and that could help them to a narrow win here - and direct the Royal County girls down the qualifier route.