Meath Sports Awards: A dualy remarkable year for Outstanding Na Fianna ladies

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Leinster titles in both camogie and football a unique accomplishment

Na Fianna Camogie and LGFA were announced as the recipients of the Meath Chronicle Outstanding Achievement Award, following a hectic 2023 for both the camogie and football teams.

Both teams won their respective competitions at County and Leinster levels. The year only came to an end a few weeks before Christmas when Na Fianna’s camogie team were beaten finalists in the All Ireland Intermediate Camogie final.

Dual star Meadh Downey was present at Bective Tea Rooms to accept the Outstanding Achievement award on behalf of her teammates and afterwards reflected on a fantastic 2023. Downey first spoke about getting one up on rivals Kilmessan in the Meath senior camogie championship final.

“We won it last year, but the club had never done two in a row, so it was great to achieve that. We probably didn’t play great in the final itself. It was good to grind out the victory on the day. The support from the club was incredible and it is always nice to get one up on Kilmessan,” recalled Downey.

Na Fianna at that stage had already been crowned Meath intermediate football champions in 2023. Downey spoke about the heartbreak of losing the 2022 final because of a last-minute goal and the determination this year to make amends.

“We were in the final in 2022 and lost by a last-minute goal. That was a hard one to take. So last year we were adamant to make sure that nothing like that happened again and try to see out the game. It was kind of closer than what we would have liked at the end. Thankfully we were able to keep our heads and see out the game. It was fantastic to get back up to senior."

Another day that stands out as a highlight for Meadh Downey was the victory over O’Moores of Laois in the Leinster Intermediate Camogie final. Downey also spoke about how the team grew from the many close encounters that they had throughout the year.

“We had so many great days in the last 12 months that it is hard to remember the details from all of them, but the day against O’Moores of Laois down in Carlow in the Leinster final was another fantastic day. We were playing so well in the first half and then we just dropped the head a bit and let them get back into the game.

"I suppose we got used to playing a lot of close games last year and that kind of helped us through some of those tight encounters and helped us grind out victories."

Controversy surrounded the Meath outfit ahead of their All-Ireland semi-final clashes as it became apparent that the teams were going to be expected to play both games over the course of one weekend. This proved ultimately to be a step too far for Downey and her teammates

“We had two weeks from winning the Leinster camogie to that weekend. The first week we were kind of trying to get one of the fixtures moved," she recalled.

"We were trying to get some coverage and kick up a bit of a fuss. I think when we were a week away from the semi-finals we realised it was not going to change. At that stage, we just had to focus on the task at hand, knuckle down and just prepare ourselves as much as we can.

"It is kind of disappointing because, in the end, the whole controversy overshadowed everything that we had achieved at that stage. We prepared as much as we could for it and unfortunately, it just was not enough in the end."

Nevertheless, it was a fantastic year for both codes in Na Fianna and especially the 10 dual players who all played significant roles in both sides throughout the year. Meadh was proud to accept the award on behalf of her teammates and also wanted to recognise the incredible support shown to the team.

"It is a very proud achievement. For us to win two Leinster titles last year, you would never even dream of it, you would never even dream of winning one really," she said.

"To be recognised by the Meath Chronicle and by the county as well is really nice. The support, not only from within Na Fianna but from the entire county during the Leinster and All Ireland campaigns was absolutely incredible.

"When we went down to Mallow to play Glanmire in the football semi-final, it seemed like a home game for us, even though Glanmire was from only 20 minutes up the road. It was incredible. Even though it didn’t happen for us, the support that day did touch us and it will always stay with me and the rest of the girls as well," concluded Downey.

MEATH SPORTS AWARDS WINNERS

Sportsperson of the Year

Young Sportsperson of the Year

Club of the Year

Team of the Year

Unsung Hero

Hall of Fame