Megan Thynne: 'We couldn’t even get a challenge match. We weren’t good enough for anyone'
Meath's Megan Thynne celebrates after the game with Niamh O’Sullivan. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
Meath dual star Megan Thynne was perilously close to a second Croke Park date in as many weekends, however, the 23-year-old will have to watch the All-Ireland intermediate camogie final from the comfort of her own home.
A four-point defeat to Kilkenny at Nowlan Park last month ended the Royal county's dreams of a most remarkable double.
Nevertheless, the memories of an historic TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship victory over Dublin last Sunday will provide more comfort.
A second half substitute for Eamonn Murray’s side, Thynne helped steer the ship home in the final quarter.
Emma Duggan’s early goal gave Meath a 1-4 to 0-4 lead at the first water break, they were 1-8 to 0-6 ahead at half-time and 1-9 to 0-8 in front at the second water break before Dublin rallied, but Meath held on for the historic win.
The Brendan Martin Cup win was the latest step in the rollercoaster ride of a journey began back in 2015 for a then-teenage Thynne which saw the now infamous 40-point defeat to Cork six years ago.
The Dunsany youngster was still a minor at the time and with Meath struggling to find numbers that year, she was parachuted in for that game.
Monica McGuirk, Shauna Ennis and Vikki Wall also experienced that harrowing 7-22 to 0-3 loss first-hand at Semple Stadium in Thurles.
“I was playing that day, to be honest, we were really struggling back then. We were at the bottom,” reflected Thynne.
“We knew we weren’t going to come out with anything from that game, we just had to play it. It was quite demoralising. You never want to go through a game like that, especially a county game, and get beaten by that much.
“When we couldn’t even get a challenge match I think people just thought, 'it’s Meath, we are not going to get anything out of this'. Those first years, counties would just say no. It was like we weren’t good enough for anyone.
“We felt like that a lot, playing some of the games even in the league. People just thought this will be one we can win. Then again in ways, as players it made us want to prove people wrong, that we were underrated in the last few years. It pushed us more to be better. It was good that people didn’t want to play us.”
Meath channelled that hurt, and under the tutelage of Murray things turned drastically.
They conquered Divisions 3 and 2 in the Lidl National Football League with last December’s TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Championship success another feather in the cap.
The run of success continued with last year's dramatic win over a five-in-a-row chasing Dublin side.
The Meath team met up at the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim at 12.45pm on the morning of the All-Ireland final, they departed Trim at 2pm and returned at around 9pm. Thynne still has to pinch herself to realise what happened in between wasn’t just a dream.
“There were lots of happy tears,” said Thynne.
“It was definitely relief. As we all said, it was stuff of dreams. A lot of us had been in Croke Park as little girls watching the likes of Cork, Mayo, Dublin and Galway playing in finals.
“We dreamed of winning an All-Ireland in Croke Park. For a lot of us it was a surreal moment. We didn’t know if it was actually happening to us or not. Emotions were high. Croke Park was just electric. It was brilliant. You couldn’t be happier, we were on top of the world.
“I had family up there, we went over to them straight away. We got to see our close family and friends and there were more tears in the crowd than there was on the pitch.”
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