‘The whole county has rowed in behind us’...Ennis grateful for support ahead of crucial Kerry clash

Anybody who might wish to get a sense of what it was to be in the Beatles, the Rolling Stones or even the Bay City Rollers back in the day should hang around the entrance of the Pairc Tailteann tunnel after a Meath ladies game.

There they will see hordes of youngsters many with their small arms stretched out through the wire looking for one of the heroes in green to reach out and give them a high five. Then out the back as the players leave the dressingroom area and head for the carpark another, starry-eyed group of youngsters are seeking to have their jerseys signed - or selfie taken.

A few weeks ago interim manger Jenny Rispin said that there is "great love" for this Meath team and she's right about that - any of the youngsters, or parents, who waited around after Saturday's game would doubtless have agreed with that assertion.

Even the defeat to Donegal didn't dampen the fact that this Meath ladies team has undiminished star quality - at least in the eyes of their adoring band of young fans. Win or lose they support them.

There is however, underneath all the drama of the games, the perceived glamour of being All-Ireland champions, a grittier reality. A bubbling discontent that shows little sign of abating.

On Saturday that growing discontent was shown in the way the Meath, and Donegal, players wore t-shirts with the logo: 'United in Protest.' It was also seen in the way the players again sat down together in the middle of the pitch just like the previous week in Waterford. They added another dimension or tweak to their protest on Saturday by returning to the dressingrooms after the national anthem and before the start of the game. It all ensured the game started about five minutes late.

The strength of feeling among the players is considerable. They are not for turning. That was evident talking to Meath skipper Shauna Ennis. "Every county seems to be rowing in behind the protest, that's good, we're just seeking to get what the lads have," she said.

"As it stands we don't get any expenses at all, any travel expenses, that's a big one for us and then having a physio at training, there are still a lot of standards the lads have that we don't get, that's what we are fighting for. We don't have physios at training, pitch access has been really hard for us as well, that's a big issue.

"We have been lucky in Dunganny the last few weeks but during the winter it was a nightmare to try and get out on any pitch, it's really difficult ringing around to different clubs trying to get out on pitches. Some clubs are very good but at the end of the day this is something we shouldn't have to deal with either."

Ennis says she would "love" to see the LGFA become an integral part of the GAA. "Whether I see that in my playing career or not I don't know because I don't know how long it will take but that's definitely the end goal for us - to be all united under the GAA. Again I know they are working on that at the moment but I don't know how long it's all going to take. We want to put some things in place before that happens because, as I say, we don't know how long it will take.

"I don't know the next step, we're just taking it week to week, we don't have a long term plan in place but we'll put our heads together and see what we'll do."

The Na Fianna player says the last thing the players want to do is go on strike but there can be no doubting the resolve within the ranks of the players. If things don't change they will walk - or "up the ante" as the Meath skipper put it.

She is confident the public are behind the players - and their cause. "Anyone who has a daughter, a sister, or whatever relation, they just want the best for them, equal opportunity," she added. "The whole county has rolled in behind us and the amount of support we get on and off the pitch whether it is here in Pairc Tailteann or walking down the street everyone wants to talk about football and it's great, it has raised the profile of the game in the county."

Reflecting on the match itself Ennis talked about how the Meath just didn't convert the goal chances they had - "myself included" - but she felt the overall performance was "an improvement."

Next up is a clash with Kerry, a team that defeated Meath 1-18 to 0-9 in the league in March. Ennis points out a lot of Meath players were missing that day. Next day, she insists, it will be different.