Meath's underage Ladies' football has gone through some mixed fortunes in the past 12 months with the county's Minor, Under 16 and Under 14 sides all competing during the season with the latter side landing a Leinster title in their crusade. The Minors and Under 16's may have failed in their bid to capture provincial glory in 2008, but Meath's Under 14 side made history by becoming the first Royal Ladies outfit to capture silverware since the turn of the century. The Under 14's Leinster Championship triumph over Laois outshined the provincial semi-finals which the county's Minor and Under 16 sides exited respectively. Unfortunately, hopes of an All-Ireland title coming to Meath were dashed when the Royal girls suffered a heart-breaking four-point defeat in June at the hands of Galway in the All-Ireland quarter-final. However, hopes will be high this year that the youngsters coming through from the successful Under 14 squad of 2008 can help the above grades thrive and eventually bring Meath Ladies football to the top. Minors go down to old rivals Meath's Minor Ladies went down to their neighbours Dublin for the second consecutive year at the semi-final stage of Leinster Minor Football Championship last season, which was enough to end their interest for the year after just two games in the competition. However, a good start in their provincial Championship campaign suggested that the Royals would do otherwise as the trounced Wicklow by 23 points in the Leinster MFC quarter-final back in April. The Meath girls made the trip south to Greystones to take on Wicklow at the Éire Óg GAA Grounds looking to get themselves off to a morale-boosting start against the Garden Ladies. With a full squad of players to choose from, Meath entered the game with confidence and got off to the right start when Tara Ryan pointed the first score after three minutes of play. On the day Wicklow 'keeper Linda Dempsey was superb, denying Meath's danger forwards the net early on, but eventually the visitors made the breakthrough when Shannon McDonagh and Hayley Lawton both crashed in goals in the last two minutes of the half, putting the scores at 2-6 to 0-1 for the interval. Aisling Doherty at half-forward got Meath off to the ideal start for the second-half by netting within five minutes of the restart and a hat-trick of points from team captain Stephanie Byrne followed by white flags from Lawton, McDonagh and Fiona O'Neill had Meath on their way to a second Leinster semi-final in as many years. However, it was the Royals' defence which would receive much of the credit for the performance in Greystones as they put up a stingy display to only allow the hosts one point throughout the course of the match. Meath ran out emphatic winners on a score-line of 4-12 to 0-1 to advance to the last four of the Leinster MFC where they would host Dublin, seeking revenge for a defeat at the hands of their rivals in the same fixture back in 2007. The meeting between the two at Páirc Tailteann was to act as the curtain-raiser to the men's senior meeting of Dublin and Westmeath in the Division Two National Football League final. Naturally, the game drew a firm Dublin crowd who weren't to be disappointed in the first game of the day as the Dublin Ladies took Meath for 16 points to send them crashing out of the Championship for another year. The Dubs' attacking trio of Noelle Healy, Fiona Hudson and Arlene Cushen proved the hosts undoing on the day as they combined to put their side four in front in the opening stages with Meath yet to reply. Alisha Jordan got the Royal Ladies right back in the game when she found the net on 12 minutes after a brilliant individual effort from the Skryne player decreased the deficit to two points, but the Metropolitans would run riot from there on in, with five further points before the interval to cause concern for the home side going into the break, trailing by 0-12 to 1-2. The two sides exchanged points from the restart with Tara Ryan and substitute Aisling O'Reilly keeping the faith by pointing for the Royals. Dublin also scored twice to maintain the difference at seven coming towards the 40-minute mark where they blazed away from their opponents with an unanswered 1-6 in a devastating ten-minute spell that effectively ended Meath's involvement in the Leinster MFC. Impressive points from Aisling O'Reilly and Stephanie Byrne were to be a consolation on a day which the Meath Ladies will want to forget, as Dublin were the team to advance to the provincial decider on a scoreline of 1-22 to 1-6. The defeat spelled the end to a disappointing year for Meath's Minor side, mirroring that of their 2007 campaign, but many positives could be taken from the fact that several of the players in the squad were still Under 16, and some even Under 14, for the next term with the likes of Aisling O'Reilly, Marie O'Shaughnessy and Samantha Monaghan bound to prosper and hopefully benefit from gained experience in the coming years. Under 16's fall at semi-final hurdle Two weeks after Meath's Minor Ladies suffered a drubbing at the hands of Dublin in the Leinster MFC semi-final, the Royal County's Under 16 Ladies went down to Laois by 12 points at the same stage of their provincial Championship trail. Ronan Carley's side won three of their five games throughout their provincial campaign; defeating Westmeath, Kildare and Wexford, while losing to Laois twice which was enough to keep them from getting their hands on that coveted Leinster title. The Royal Ladies' opening match paired them with Westmeath where they played out a scrappy affair in the wet and windy conditions of Dunganny back in late March. Full-forward Aisling O'Reilly was the star performer on the day, putting in a fantastic individual display which saw her kick 0-8 of Meath's 0-13 tally. By half-time Meath had all but sealed the result as they led the Lake County 0-9 to 0-1, with O'Reilly and Laura Gilsenan pointing the way for their side. Five minutes within the restart the visitors shocked the Royals when they found the back of the net, but the score seemed to revive the home side as good work up front saw free after free being awarded in Meath's favour and O'Reilly pointed to the finish-line. Next up for Carley's side was a third round clash with neighbours Kildare, and with confidence high after the win over Westmeath the week before, Meath would have fancied themselves against the Lilywhites'. A blistering 7-13, 3-5 of which came from the outstanding Aisling O'Reilly, saw Meath crush Kildare on the day as they neared closer and closer to taking their place in the last four of the Leinster Under 16 Ladies Championship. Goals from O'Reilly and Siobhan O'Sullivan helped the Royal County into a 2-7 to 0-3 lead at half-time and two more from the full-forward and a rebounded penalty from Navan O'Mahonys' Samantha Monaghan settled the issue as Meath ran out comprehensive winners with their sights now set on their meeting with Laois a fortnight later. Meath played host to Laois in Dunganny with two affirmative victories under their belts and searching for a third to clinch the top spot in the group which would guarantee them a place in the last four of the Leinster Under 16 Championship. However, the Royals were stunned when the visitors swept late in the first-half to hit two goals to give them an advantage of six points going in at the break. Meath were very much still in the game knowing that there were only two scores in the difference coming out for the second-half, but the O'Moore Ladies only conceded a point from the restart and scored four in a stubborn display to deny the Royals. The result came as a shock to Meath after having two thrilling wins up to now, but Laois had shackled Aisling O'Reilly to just a single point on the day and it had its baring on the hosts as they now needed to win their remaining group game against Wexford to avoid an abrupt end to the season. Meath bounced back from the defeat with one of their best performances of the year to put 4-18 past Wexford and book their place in the Leinster Under 16 Ladies Championship semi-final. Defender and team captain Rebecca Considine played a pivotal role at the back for her side, while Megan O'Brien and Laura Gilsenan were immense around the centre, Aisling O'Reilly top-scored on the day with an impeccable 2-7. After pulling ten points clear in the first-half, the Royals defended well against an attempted onslaught from the Model County and points from O'Reilly, Gilsenan and O'Brien made sure that Meath would go through to the semi-final where a trip away to Laois awaited them. Gunning for revenge after their defeat at the hands of the O'Moore County in April, Ronan Carley's team travelled Stradbally knowing that a win would earn them a place in the Leinster Under 16 decider, and the likes of Aisling O'Reilly and co up front would be looked to to fire them there. O'Reilly got them off to a settling start by breaking through with a fine point and with steady defending at the back by Helen Lawless and Aine Fagan had looked to have gotten them off to the ideal start. However, the hosts shocked Meath with a goal from Rachel Conroy to put them into the lead and a point from Aisling Keogh had the Royals trailing by 1-2 to 0-1 after 14 minutes. Meath's fortunes looked to have turned coming towards the close of the half when Vivienne McCormack was fouled and referee Pat Kehoe (Carlow) awarded a penalty to the visitors. McCormack stood up to strike the penalty herself but the effort was saved and rebound cleared by the Laois 'keeper. Laois would hit three more points to Meath's one before the half was out, putting the scores at 1-5 to 0-2 in favour of the home side. The O'Moore's started the second-half the stronger side with centre-forward Alice Malone leading the way. O'Reilly and Kristina Troy raised white flags in reply but two quick goals from the Laois attack ended any chance of this Under 16 side making an appearance in the provincial final for the year. Despite heavy defeat in the final, Meath will have to look back on their 2008 Championship trail with some fondness, particularly ace attacker Aisling O'Reilly who emerged as a star from the campaign with a scoring tally of 5-25 in total, and she is bound to provide a major boost to the Meath Minor Ladies side next year. As well as that, Samantha Monaghan, Kelly Allen and Bridgetta Lynch along with several others in the squad remain underage for the Royals' Under 16 squad for next season and will have no doubt gained great experience from a year where they came close to provincial glory. Under 14's end eight-year wait A comprehensive win over Laois in the Leinster Ladies Under 14 Championship final saw Meath capture the county's first piece of silverware in the Ladies grade since the year 2000. Managed by Eamon Murray, the Royal girls' successful provincial trail started back in late March with a trip to Westmantown where they took on neighbours Dublin in a testing tie for the first round of the Leinster Championship. Meath got the campaign off to the worst possible start when they conceded two early goals to the Dubs, with the first-half wind having a huge bearing on the hosts getting themselves into a 2-5 to 0-2 lead at half-time. Knowing that they had a mountain to climb in the second-half, the Royals raced out of the traps from the restart with a quick 1-1 from Leanne Lynch. The visitors opted for the choice of point rather than goals, obviously stressed to them at half-time by manager Eamon Murray, and when Adrienne McCann and Katie Callaghan grabbed a brace each, along with a single from Aine Bennett, Meath were right back in the game. The defence held Dublin scoreless for a total of 28 minutes in the second-half with Cliona Murray and Laura Bagnall both playing central roles. The Dublin defence struck a late goal to leave the Meath fans cautious, but much to the relief of the Royal faithful points each from Laura Dempsey, Sinead Coyle and substitute Orla Bracken proved enough for Eamon Murray's side to hold out for a vital one-point victory, with the score-line reading 1-12 to 3-5. With a stirring victory registered over their Dublin rivals, Meath would now face Kildare in the semi-final of the Leinster Championship to try and seal a coveted provincial final spot. On the day, the Royals were to be inspired by a relentless performance from full-forward Adrienne McCann who struck a hat-trick of goals to sink the Lilywhites in Cappagh on an emphatic score of 4-10 to 1-7. Kildare put it up to the visitors in the first-half with a goal from Royals' captain Sinead Coyle on the stroke of half-time the reason why Meath led at the break by just one point. Once again Murray's half-time team talk worked wonders, and this time Meath had come out gunning for goals with great work being done in all sectors of the pitch to create chance after chance, and in the end it was McCann who would finish to the net on three occasions to make sure the Royals prevailed and set up a final meeting with Laois after their second Championship victory on the trot. The Royals went into the match knowing that if they could overcome the O'Moore County that they would bridge an eight-year gap without Ladies football silverware in the county. The provincial decider was to be played on May 18 at the neutral venue of the Clane GAA grounds in Co. Kildare, with the Royal County having a clean bill of health going into the encounter. The game ended up being a cruise for Eamon Murray's charges to maintain their 100% record in the province for the year and capture the coveted Leinster crown. A goal from Laura Dempsey after just two minutes of play had them on their way with Dempsey, Jacinta Maher, Lauren McCann and Katie O'Callaghan all pointing before Aine Bennett and Adrienne McCann added further green flags late in the first-half to establish a 3-4 to 0-4 lead at the interval. Meath's defence worked tirelessly to hold firm for the second-half and only allow Laois two points with Cliona Murray, Ceilidh Dalton and Lauren McCann once again all outstanding at the back, while Katie O'Callaghan added 2-1 to the Royals tally in the second-half to seal the Leinster title for the Royal County on a score-line of 5-9 to 0-6. When referee Tony Clarke sounded the full-time whistle, the Royals' team, management and supporters all celebrated with joy as the eagerly awaited Sinead Coyle to hold the Leinster Cup aloft as it was presented to the Meath captain by Leinster Council President Bill Daly. With awaited Leinster success now secured, the space of two weeks saw Eamon Murray's charges now looking towards All-Ireland glory as they met Donegal in the All-Ireland quarter-final at Breffni Park, Cavan. Coming off the back of three wins in their province, the Royals faced an unknown challenge in the form of Donegal, but settled into the game after a nervy first ten minutes without a score to take a 0-3 to 0-2 advantage on 22 minutes with scores from Jacinta Maher, Adrienne McCann and Katie O'Callaghan. Further points from O'Callaghan and Maher put the difference at three, Donegal shocked the Royals with a goal to level the game, but Aine Bennett's superb goal after a strong run down the left saw Meath take in a 1-5 to 1-2 lead at half-time. The second-half wasn't two minutes old before Adrienne McCann had the ball in the back of the Donegal net to open the flood gates for Meath. Leading by example, team captain Sinead Coyle darted forward to score the Royals' third goal and when Aine McBennett added a further 1-1 to her tally it was known by all in attendance that Meath would be competing in the Ladies All-Ireland Under 14 semi-final for 2008. Meath faced Galway in the last four at Pairc Ciaran, Athlone in June in search of an All-Ireland final spot for the first time in eight years. In a thrilling contest, the Royals would come up short by four points in their first Championship defeat of the year to dash any hopes of Eamon Murray's side making an appearance in the All-Ireland decider. From the opening minute it just didn't seem to be for the Royal girls as Galway hit the net just seconds from the throw-in, a '45 metre free from Sinead Coyle, who put in an excellent display on the day, was the equalising score as the captain's kick looped over the Galway 'keeper and found the net. Meath took the lead through two well-executed goals from Navan O'Mahonys' Jacinta Maher in quick succession but a further 3-2 from the Galway attack for the remainder od the half saw the Connacht side take in a six-point lead at the half-time whistle, with the scores reading 4-6 to 2-3. After Meath had squandered a five-point lead into a six-point deficit by the break, team captain Sinead Coyle attempted to set the tone for her side with a terrific point early in the restart. Coyle would strike two more goals before the half was out but Galway hit a decisive 1-3 to make sure it was them who would advance to the All-Ireland at Eamon Murray's side's expense. Meath's exit from the All-Ireland Championship was heart-breaking for all involved with the Royals, but with a Leinster title secured and numerous amounts of talent coming through the ranks many positives will be taken from what can be branded as a successful year for the Meath Ladies' Under 14 side. Undefeated in Leinster, while being led by their immense captain Sinead Coyle, who scored an outstanding 3-2 from midfield in the All-Ireland semi-final defeat, the Ladies county underage scene in Meath looks very promising indeed for many years to come. The U14 side which contested the All-Ireland semi-final was: N. Geraghty, K. Jennings, C. Murray, C. Dalton, K. Fallahy, L. McCann, K. Blaney, L. Bagnall, S. Coyle (3-2), K.Callaghan (0-2), A. McCann (0-1), L. Dempsey (0-1), A. Bennett (0-1), J. Maher (2-1), L. Murray. Subs - L. Lynch (0-1) for Fallahy, D. Moroney for L. Murray, J. Kavanagh for Bennett, S. Stanley, R. Irwin, E. O'Hare, O. Bracken, L. Patterson, M. Scanlon, M. Buchanan, N. Lister, R. Flynn. Tweet

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