Ennis all about accentuating the positives ahead of All-Ireland showdown

So now it can be revealed. The reason why Meath launched that comeback to beat comebacks against Cork. The reason why they overcome impossible odds to retrieve a situation that looked hopeless. Beyond redemption.

Let's play the tape back a little. It's the All-Ireland SFC semi-final a few weeks ago. Cork are not so much winning as cruising. They led by seven points with normal time almost up.

Meath's Niamh Gallogly points. The Royals launch an attack, Emma White wins a penalty. Stacey Grimes slots it home. Cork kick out the ball, the Royals launch another attack. Emma Duggan bags a goal. A draw. In extra-time Meath push on to win. Lazarus' comeback is nothing by comparison.

Amazingly - as Meath captain Shauna Ennis revealed when she spoke to the Meath Chronicle at the team's media event at Dunganny - the players had prepared for such an eventuality.

It's an indication of the kind of fine detail that goes into preparing this team. An insight into why they have travelled so far in such a short space of time. Why they are the talk of the town.

"You have to give credit to Cork, they had pinned us back well. In the dying moments of injury time I honestly didn't know we were going to pull it out of the bag. I was just looking up from the half-back line and sort of willing the rest of them on. It was just amazing to get those goals when we did," the skipper said as she recalled those few minutes of real theatre.

"The momentum was really with us in extra-time and we pushed on but bouncing back after falling behind is something we practice in training a lot. We might not go to the extent it was in the semi-final but we'd pretend we were four points down with five minutes to go. We'd practice those scenarios.

"It had happened to us before. We fell behind against Westmeath in last year's All-Ireland Intermediate final. They scored a few goals early on so we know we can come back if we fall behind."

There are other reasons, of course, why Meath have made such an impact. There is the talent the players possess, their willingness to work and graft to obtain a high level of fitness. There's also the guidance provided by Eamonn Murray and his backroom team of Paul Garrigan, Hayley Clarke, Michelle Grimes, Paddy Dowling, Mark Brennan, Eugene Eivers and Shane Wall. There is someone else captain Ennis references.

"We work with an amazing sports and exercise psychologist Kelley Fay. She has given us a lot of tools to deal with different scenarios, different situations. Also the girls will have their own different routines and all that has instilled that self belief you need.

"We couldn't ask for a better coaching team behind us, they have us in peak fitness, we put in a lot of hard work at the start of the year by doing a lot of running by ourselves so when we came back we were in good condition."

Perhaps because of her own approach to life or because of the work done with Kelley Fay (or perhaps a little of both) the Na Fianna players says she is not burdened down by the thought of entering the cauldron that is Croke Park on All-Ireland final day. If anything it's the opposite.

"It's a fantastic opportunity, that's the way we are looking at it. A fantastic opportunity to be in a senior final. I don't think many people would have picked us at the start of the year to be there. We probably haven't played Dublin competitively in five or six years, it will be new to us, it will be new for them too. I think it will be a really good game."

A teacher by profession Ennis points out that she returns to school a week before the final, something that it offers is "a welcome distraction."

She adds that while Dublin are clearly a very formidable force, and strong favourites, she or her colleagues will not be obsessing about them. "In all our games this year we focused more on ourselves. We like to focus on ourselves and hopefully what we do will combat their strengths."

As captain Ennis says she feels that little extra layer of responsibility before adding her job is made a lot easier by the fact the squad is very self-motivated.

She won't be practicing any acceptance speeches before the game. Tempting fate is not her thing.

And even if Meath fall well behind to Dublin there's always the chance they can spark one of those well-drilled comebacks, that has become something of a trademark.

She knows, as the rest of us also know now, that when it comes to her team it's never over until it's over.