Emma Duggan details trials and tribulations in Royals ascent

Just under three years ago, Emma Duggan scored 1-02 as Meath got the better of Sligo in the Lidl National Football League Division 3 final in Clones.

The Dunboyne youngster had just turned 17, she was in fourth year in school and about to embark on a remarkable journey alongside her fellow Royals.

The curve has pointed upwards since then, apart from a heart-breaking defeat to Tipperary in the 2019 All-Ireland Intermediate Championship final at Croke Park.

Today, Duggan and her Meath teammates return to St Tiernach's Park as All-Ireland senior champions but it has been a difficult couple of months.

The 19-year-old has learned what losing big games feels like again; her club St Peter’s Dunboyne lost an All-Ireland semi-final against Mourneabbey, Meath were beaten by Dublin just a few weeks ago, and DCU Dóchas Éireann were knocked out of the O’Connor at the semi-final stage.

"The club All-Ireland semi-final was a big kick in the backside," said Duggan who is a Glenveagh Homes Gaelic4Girls ambassador this year.

"We’d come off the back of a really, really successful year. It was a really hard defeat but I think, for me anyway, I’ve talked to a couple of girls about it, we’d come off the back of a really long year. Motivation probably wasn’t quite there. We hadn’t got a break yet.

"Losing that game motivated me a bit more, thinking I don’t want that to happen again now.

"I was nearly mad to get back in after that game again. It was a bad day but a lot of things happen for a reason.

"And the game for DCU, I’m probably not quite over that yet to be honest. It was a really poor performance by ourselves. But I think again that showed with that group of players, it was such a talented group with so much potential and it showed the fine