MEATH boss Shane McCormack is plotting a Royal revenge mission after his side saw off Tipperary in yesterday’s quarter-final clash.
The Leinster finalists sealed a TG4 All-Ireland semi-final showdown with holders Kerry — the team that beat them in last year’s quarter-finals — after sinking the Premier 2-17 to 1-6 in Navan.
Vikki Wall and Niamh Gallogly goals put Meath — champions in 2021 and 2022 — into a commanding 2-9 to 0-2 interval lead and Tipp never recovered.
McCormack knows his team will not lack incentive against Kerry in the last four after going out at the quarter-final stage to the Kingdom in Tralee in each of the last two seasons.
The gaffer said: “I’m very proud of the girls. They’ve gotten a lot of criticism over the last year and a half.
“The last time they won the All-Ireland was in ’22. We’ve brought in a lot of girls and they’ve been working extremely hard. Very disappointed with the last two years down in Tralee, so we have them in a couple of weeks’ time and we’ll be ready for it.
“I have mentioned the last couple of months, we’ve been playing in patches. The last 15, 20 minutes we’ve been going out of games. It wasn’t lack of fitness, it was just managing it.
“In fairness to the girls, there was a lot of composure shown there and we kept going for the 60 minutes. Even the girls who came on, they finished the job. Super, delighted for them.”
Tipp never looked like catching them after the break although Aishling Moloney found the net in the closing stages.
Defeated chief Ed Burke added: “Meath came out of the blocks far quicker in the first half. I think physically they were just far stronger and they dominated us.
“When that comes at you in one burst . . . I think for ten minutes there they scored 2-5 and that’s the game in a nutshell.
“The second half, I thought we came out and we battled well. We gave a bit of a better account of ourselves. Look, Meath are deserving winners.”
And while McCormack is planning his reprisal, Daniel Moynihan is wary of a Dublin one coming his way.
Galway — runners-up to Kerry in 2024 — defeated Dublin in the quarter-finals last year and are on a collision course with their rivals on Sunday week after Saturday’s win over Waterford. And boss Moynihan knows what to expect this time around.
He admitted: “It’s going to be an interesting game. Dublin had a difficult situation last year going to extra-time and us just catching them at the end. So, I’m sure their tails will be up.
“They’ll be looking forward to playing us and getting a little bit of revenge against us.
GALLOPING GALWAY
Kate Slevin’s first-half penalty laid the platform for a 1-7 to 0-3 Galway interval lead over Waterford at Tuam Stadium before going on to win by 1-18 to 1-12.
Moynihan added: “We have a huge variation of scorers and that’s fantastic for me as a manager. It causes a little bit of confusion for other teams as well in knowing who to pick up. We started really, really well.”
Lauren McGregor — who finished with 1-7 of the Déise total — struck the net early in the second period but her side were unable to catch Galway.
Manager Tomás Mac a tSaoir admitted: “We just didn’t hit a lot of the markers we’d laid out in the first half. We probably left too much work to do in the second half.
“A spirited comeback in the second half but we just couldn’t squeak in close enough to maybe squeak ahead.
“Lots of things to build on. Those girls inside there know they’re not that far away from busting into the top section of counties that have been performing over the last five or six years. They have to start thinking about that now for the next couple of months.”
THE DEFIANT DUBS
Dublin joint-manager Paul Casey said they have plenty of room for improvement despite seeing off Cork by 3-15 to 0-7, with Hannah Tyrrell leading the way with 1-5.
The former senior men’s star explained: “I think for lots of the game, there were probably lots of aspects that we weren’t overly happy with.
“Our shooting let us down on a number of occasions, but in fairness to our girls they battled to the very end and their work-rate was superb throughout.
“We’re really pleased and delighted to be in the semi-final.” Cork chief Joe Carroll conceded: “I thought Dublin were superb all the way through.
“I think their pace, their tackling was at a different level to what we’re at and what we have been used to.
“I would definitely say the best team we have seen play this year so far. They mightn’t win an All-Ireland, but if they keep producing performances like that, they won’t be far off it.”
QUEEN OF THE KINGDOM
Síofra O’Shea scored a hat-trick to help Kerry to a 3-12 to 0-11 win over Kildare in Tralee on Saturday.
Kerry manager Mark Bourke said: “The goals were absolutely crucial.”
Armagh and Mayo ensured survival in the senior grade for 2026 on Saturday.
The Orchard got the better of Donegal by 0-15 to 0-5, while the Connacht finalists overcame Leitrim by 2-14 to 0-13
In the Intermediate Championship yesterday, Wicklow were victorious by 3-11 to 3-8 after extra-time over Offaly in an all-Leinster relegation clash to ensure survival in the second tier.
