Preview: All-Ireland Ladies Football finals:
Sunday 3rd August
TG4 All-Ireland ladies football finals
Senior: Dublin v Meath in Croke Park at 4.15pm
Intermediate: Laois v Tyrone in Croke Park at 1.45pm
Junior: Antrim v Louth in Croke Park at 11.45am
By Paul Keane
As we reach game eight of Dublin’s TG4 All-Ireland ladies SFC campaign, and the final hurdle, we are struck by the amount of players they have used – 30 in total.
Injuries have been an issue, robbing joint managers Paul Casey and Derek Murray of players in some cases – Lauren Magee suffered an ACL injury before the All-Ireland series – and adding to their options in others with players like captain Carla Rowe essentially rested until the business end of the campaign.
But the overwhelming feeling when looking at Dublin’s stats is just what a deep panel full of terrific players they have.
Former All-Star Nicole Owens, the prolific Kate Sullivan, Rebecca McDonnell and the ultra experienced Rowe didn’t start a Championship game until the start of the All-Ireland series, or beyond.
It has been one giant chess game for the management who shifted their pieces around whilst collecting another Leinster title, at Meath’s expense, before pushing on with a draw against Waterford and three more wins to secure their return to Croke Park for this weekend’s national decider.
Opponents Meath, meanwhile, have started the same 14 players in all seven of their championship games so far. And if Kerrie Cole, their sensational young forward, hadn’t started the opening round of the Leinster championship, also against Dublin, on the bench, they’d have named the same 15 for every single game.
Two contrasting approaches yet two teams who are unlikely to spring any surprises on eachother on final day. This will be their fourth meeting of the season.
Twice they met in the Leinster championship and once in the Lidl National League. Dublin won them all but as the games have gone on, the winning margins have reduced, from 2-19 to 0-9 in the league in March, to 2-10 to 1-6 in the opening round of the provincial championship to 2-13 to 1-12 in the Leinster final.
Meath were desperate to win that Leinster final but were powerless to prevent a resurgent Dublin reeling off eight points without reply late on to clinch a 12th consecutive title.
“It was probably a very low moment, we didn’t do ourselves justice,” said Meath manager Shane McCormack of that defeat. “We were ahead and we let them back into the game, so that’s probably the biggest thing this year, not finishing games out.
“We were playing in patches at times and in that game against Dublin, for the last 15 or 20 minutes, people were saying, ‘Oh, they’re not fit’ but that definitely wasn’t the reason. It was just about game management and composure. And it’s something we’ve worked on over the last couple of weeks.
“I think the Tipperary game, the All-Ireland quarter-final, really showed that we were onto something because we played for 60 minutes, even with the girls coming on, the finishers. They were fantastic.”
McCormack took over Meath after the 2023 season having previously spent three years in Armagh’s backroom team, as a selector first and then as outright manager.
The former Kildare goalkeeper inherited a Meath panel full of All-Ireland medal winners but having collected back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, they failed to advance beyond the quarter-final stage in 2023 or 2024.
The availability of Vikki Wall for the entire 2025 season has certainly helped. The multi talented forward from Dunboyne has been exceptional alongside her clubmate Emma Duggan in attack, registering 4-43 between them in the championship this term.
Wall’s sister, Sarah, and midfielder Marion Farrelly have shown top form too while the return of 2021 and 2022 captain Shauna Ennis after a cruciate injury has added to their options and leadership.
The list goes on, from adventurous young goalkeeper Robyn Murray to attacker Cole, who scored a brilliant solo goal against Kerry, to Skryne phenom Ciara Smyth.
And yet Dublin, champions as recently as 2023, will still fancy their chances. Their spread of scorers immediately catches the eye. Hannah Tyrrell has blasted 8-33 in total but Sullivan has struck 5-11 and Rowe 2-8. Experienced performers like Sinead Goldrick, Eilish O’Dowd and Caoimhe O’Connor have registered goals too while Niamh Hetherton, with 2-16, is another to be watched.
It has the makings of a cracker.
The TG4 All-Ireland senior decider will throw in at 4.15pm with the intermediate final between Laois and Tyrone taking place at 1.45pm.
Tyrone will be back at Croke Park for a second year in a row, and looking to make up for defeat against Leitrim in 2024.
Both counties will play in the TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Final for a fourth time. Laois were winners in 2022 and 2000, and beaten finalists in 1998, while Tyrone were champions in 2018, and runners-up in 2024 and 2017.
Sunday’s Croke Park action will begin with the junior final between Antrim and Louth at 11.45am.
Louth will be aiming to atone for last year’s final defeat against Fermanagh. But the Wee County won’t get anything easy from opponents Antrim who were TG4 All-Ireland junior champions in 2022, 2012 and 2009.
Louth themselves are previous champions from 2019, 2015 and 1998. It will mark a sixth TG4 All-Ireland junior final appearance for Antrim, as Louth prepare for their eighth. The winners of this final will play intermediate championship football in 2026.