Sunday 15th August 2021  

TG4 All-Ireland SFC semi-final  

Cork v Meath; Croke Park, 3.30pm   

WHEN you consider where both counties are now, it’s remarkable to think that Cork demolished Meath by 40 points in the 2015 Championship.  

Monica McGuirk was in goal for Meath in Thurles six years ago, current captain Shauna Ennis played at corner back and Vikki Wall was in the full-forward line.  

Kate Byrne, Megan Thynne and Sarah Powderly are other panel members involved with Meath this year who also started on that fateful day. 

Fast forward to 2021 and Meath have already shown that they present a real threat to Cork.  

It’s just over five weeks since Cork and Meath met previously in the 2021 TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Senior Football Championship.  

On that occasion, Meath ran Cork all the way, losing out by just two points in a Group 2 opener in Birr.  

If the old saying that forewarned is forearmed rings true, Cork will be very much on their guard for the challenge of a rampant Meath at Croke Park in Sunday’s TG4 All-Ireland semi-final.  

The Meath story in 2021 is quite remarkable. Having won the 2020 TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate title, following two previous Final defeats, the Royal County’s progress since then has been meteoric.   

They captured the Lidl National League Division 2 title in June with a blistering performance against Kerry here at Croke Park, to gain promotion to the top flight for 2022.  

Not content with that, Meath bounced back from that Cork loss to comfortably beat Tipperary and book a slot in the knockout stages of the Championship.  

Against Armagh in the quarter-finals, Meath were brilliant, ending the hopes of a side that had contested a semi-final in 2020, and looked arguably better this year.  

But Meath possess genuine matchwinners in the likes of Vikki Wall, the 2020 Intermediate Players’ Player of the Year, Emma Duggan, Stacey Grimes and Niamh O’Sullivan.  

Cork may start as favourites but they’ll have their work cut out. Orla Finn is a huge loss through injury but the Leesiders still possess power, pace, style and experience in abundance.  

Cork have been far from their best to date but perhaps they’re building up a head of steam at just the right time.  

Eimear Scally’s return to the fold this year was a fillip for Cork and she’s their leading Championship scorer with 2-11.  

Cork (v Meath): M O’Brien (capt.); M Ambrose, R Phelan, E Meaney; E O’Shea, M Cahalane, M Duggan; A Hutchings, H Looney; L O’Mahony, C O’Sullivan, Á O’Sullivan; S O’Leary, K Quirke, M Scally.  

Meath (v Cork): M McGuirk; E Troy, M.K. Lynch, K Newe; A Leahy, A Cleary, S Ennis (capt.); O Lally, M O’Shaughnessy; O Byrne, S Grimes, N O’Sullivan; V Wall, E Duggan, B Lynch.  

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