Delight as Donegal dig in to topple back-to-back All-Ireland champions Meath

Donegal produced a brilliant battling performance to defeat back-to-back All-Ireland champions Meath on their own backyard and confirm a home quarter-final against Dublin in the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship.

Meath 0-12 Donegal 1-10

Niamh Hegarty, with 1-3, and Susanne White’s five frees helped do the bulk of the scoring for the side managed by Maxi Curran at Páirc Tailteann.

On a tense evening in Navan, Donegal led for the most part but with Meath putting everything into a late charge, there were certainly moments that would leave the nerves dangling.

Meath, typically, were driven on by Emma Duggan and it went right to wire. With the Royal County having come back from five points down at one stage, they were level at 0-11 to 1-8 with seven to play.

There were two close-run things. Firstly, Shauna Ennis got in on goal and saw the whites in Clare Friel’s eyes. Both collided and referee Declan Carolan penalised the Meath centre-back for charging just as she was about to round the Donegal goalkeeper.

After receiving treatment, Friel’s kick-out from the next play was intercepted by Meadbh Byrne, who played a give-and-go with Vikki Wall before slapping in for a goal. At that second, with the roar going up, it looked as though Donegal's brave efforts were going to fall short against a team who has had something of a hoodoo over them for the last 18 months or so. However, on consultation with his umpires, Carolan disallowed the goal for square ball and Donegal could breathe again. 

White, keeping her cool, popped over a free to put Donegal in front again with the home support irate with the referee for yellow-carding Aoife Minogue. Donegal looked to be weathering the storm.

With less than three minutes to play, Karen Guthrie - who was off, on, off and on again - scored a monumental free from the right sideline to edge Donegal into a 1-10 to 0-11 lead. And although Duggan scored one at the other end - her seventh - some clever maintenance of possession from Donegal saw them over the line, with the likes of Niamh McLaughlin and Amy Boyle Carr providing a great degree of both poise and control all game.

Due to a complex set of scenarios that caused considerable head-scratching on Friday, Meath knew with the way it was then - and only then - a draw would mean they topped the group.

Donegal opened Group 2 All-Ireland series with a 2-10 to 1-8 victory over Waterford. In the three-team group, Meath enjoyed a 1-13 to 1-8 victory over Waterford in Dungarvan last weekend, which meant the side now managed by Jenny Rispin and Donegal were both guaranteed a place in the last eight with two out of the three to progress, although the group winners knew they have a home draw in the quarter-finals. It, as well as the psychological boost, was what was on offer on the banks of River Boyne.

A draw would have meant the teams were level on points and the differential it would’ve come down to was who scored more points - over the bar - in their direct clash following the annulment of the head-to-head. Therefore, late in the game, a draw would be as good as a win for Meath. Even both teams' score difference of +5 apiece would’ve been identical. It was that close.

The throw-in was delayed with a continuation of the recent protests. Both teams lined up together with white #UnitedForEquality t-shirts before returning to the dressing rooms and reappearing. The complaints are to demonstrate the frustrations of senior ladies' football and camogie squads.

Early on, Donegal sat in and Meath owned the ball, scoring the opening two points of the contest through Niamh O’Sullivan and Duggan’s first. Content in their shape, Donegal were feeling their way into it and on five minutes produced a fantastic goal, with Hegarty smashing low past Monica McGurk from Katy Herron's pass for a 1-0 to 0-2 lead.

The green flag that waved was go for Donegal, as they clipped over the next three points to go four in front, with White, Hegarty and Katie Dowds the scorers.

Duggan, from a driving run, scored a fine individual score, although it didn’t deter Donegal who then scored through White and Hegarty again to go 1-5 to 0-3 ahead.

While Meath did fire back from here with three points on the trot courtesy of Duggan (two) and Meadhbh Byrne, a White free on the stroke of half-time offered Donegal a 1-6 to 0-6 interval advantage.  Yet despite Donegal kick-starting the second period with another Hegarty point, Wall and her Dunboyne club-mate Duggan split the uprights to keep the Meath challenge alive. 

Friel came from her line early in the second half and was beaten to the punch by Megan Thynn from Duggan’s ball in, only to see it flash wide.

Donegal interrupted this scoring sequence with another White free, only for the wind-assisted Royals to restore parity by the 46th minute thanks to three unanswered points via the boots of O’Sullivan, Duggan and Wall. 

However, for a side who lost all seven of their Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 1 fixtures before being relegated and following a pretty unconvincing win over Cavan and a heavy 1-15 to 2-4 defeat by Armagh in Ulster, the wheels have turned in some style. Donegal produced an unlikely 1-10 to 0-9 victory over the Orchard County to win Ulster and the confidence from that victory has carried them since.

Donegal lost out to Meath in last year’s All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final on a 0-12 to 1-7 scoreline and also in the Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 1 final, 2-8 to 1-9. Bitter pills.

In both of those contests, there were stages when Donegal looked as though they had Meath, only to leave with regrets. In Navan, though, they left with none.

Meath scorers: Emma Duggan 0-7, 6f; Niamh O’Sullivan and Vikki Wall 0-2; Meadbh Byrne 0-1.
Donegal scorers: Niamh Hegarty 1-3; Susanne White 0-5, 5f; Katie Long 0-1; Karen Guthrie 0-1, 1f.  

Meath: Monica McGuirk; Aine Sheridan, Mary Kate Lynch, Katie Newe; Meadbh Byrne, Shauna Ennis, Emma Duggan; Máire O’Shaughnessy, Aoife Minogue; Megan Thynne, Vikki Wall, Niamh Gallogly; Orlagh Lally, Stacey Grimes, Niamh O’Sullivan. Sub: Ciara Smyth for Byrne (58). 
Donegal: Donegal: Clare Friel; Niamh Carr, Abigail Temple Asokuh, Emer Gallagher; Amy Boyle Carr, Nicole McLaughlin, Tara Hegarty; Roisin Rodgers, Niamh McLaughlin; Susanne White, Katie Long, Katie Dowds; Niamh Hegarty, Karty Herron, Shannon McGroddy. Subs: Karen Guthrie for McGroddy (20), Niamh Boyle for Guthrie (half-time), Ciara McGarvey for Long (52), Guthrie for White (58). 
Referee: Declan Carolan (Armagh).