Kildalkey on a sunny spring evening provided the backdrop for the 2023 Meath camogie Division 1 Féile Final.

Reigning county champions, Na Fianna entered the final as slight favorites after a convincing win over Kilmessan in the quailifiers in Kiltale .

Navan O'Mahonys had two tough battles, over coming Killyon by the barest of margins , and beating Ratoath by 4 points to earn the golden ticket of a final place and the tag of slight underdogs.

The Navan girls made a bright start and were 2 points to the good after 10 minutes with the scores coming from the free taking skills of Lauren Donnegan , a 45 meter free and a particularly difficult long range free from out on the right wing .

The Na Fianna girls were defending valiantly and they gave the team a really good platform to get a footing in the game.

After 15 minutes Na Fianna had hit the front when a speculative Farrah Stack  shot for a point deceived the Navan O'Mahonys goal keeper and found its way into the net .

As the teams heard the short whistle  the score line read

Na Fianna 1-0 Navan O'Mahonys  0-2.

Na Fianna started the second half on the front foot. In a game where both defences refused to give an inch it was turning into a battle of the free takers . Aoibhinn Ward struck next with a free for Na Fianna who now had the luxury of a 2 point lead with less than 10 minutes to play. With scores at a minimum this looked like a big lead.

A number of subs were introduced by both sides in the hope of finding the magic formula.

As the O'Mahonys girls pushed to try an get back into the game , the match winning score came from the most unlikely of sources.

Midfielder Sophie Craig found herself inside the opposition box , she was the first to react to a loose ball on the left side of the penalty box , she unleashed a bueatiful Seamus Callanan-esque ground stroke to the bottom corner of the Na Fianna net.

The last few minutes in keeping with the majority of the match, were a total war of attrition with neither side budging an inch. The hooking and blocking on show were of the highest order.

After an absorbing battle Referee Anthony Hoey, who incidentally had a wonderful match, called a halt to proceedings.  

It was the O'Mahonys girls who celebrated a tough victory and will now look forward to representing Meath on the national stage.

Na Fianna will be a little disappointed with the result but certainly not with the manner of their performance and effort.

Full time ...Navan O'Mahonys 1-2 Na Fianna  1-1

The teams that lined out were ...

Navan O'Mahonys; Salomëja Slusnyte (Captain), Anna Browne, Grace Kielty, Órna Maguire, Holly McKeigue, Grace Hogan, Hannah Byrne, Sarah Byrne, Sophie Craig, Eva Roe, Sadhbh Byrne, Lauren Donnegan, Éabha Wickham, Hannah Snow, Anna Killoran, Alannah Rogers, Laura O'Donnell, Amy Hain, Martha Tansey, Genevieve Dorrigan, Hailey O'Reilly, Caoimhe Mulchrone, Amy Betson

Na Fianna; Fiadh Dorgan, Kate Ellen Cleary, Sarah Heffernan, Robyn O'Reilly Higgins, Casey Kelly, Rosie Grehan, Louise Kane, Aoibhinn Ward, Lucy McKenna, Holly Sharkey, Farrah Stack, Isobel O'Neill, Caoimhe Hanley, Niamh Doyle, Sorcha Coffey, Tara Coffey, Hannah O'Sullivan, Keelin O'Rafferty, Róisín Ryan, Samantha McDonnell, Laoise Tracey, Leah Kane, Lucy Conway, Ruby Grehan

 

 

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