How do you solve a puzzle like Meath? It's a question Galway looked to answer in last weekend's TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football quarter-final against the reigning champions.
The test wasn't passed but when it comes to showing their work, Galway came extremely close to deciphering a blueprint that others may follow.
But for Emma Duggan's late, late point in the dying seconds, the Tribeswomen would have taken the game to extra-time.
For Galway's Nicola Ward, the last-gasp manner of the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow. But as the dust settles, she can offer an insight into the way in which Donegal might be able to trouble Meath in this weekend's semi-final at Croke Park.
"We're bitterly disappointed after the weekend," Ward told RTÉ Sport at the launch of Lidl Ireland's 'County Pride' campaign.
"We ran the All-Ireland champions to a point and I think it was one of our best performances in nearly two years with Galway.
"Everything we practiced for Meath came together on the day and it was just the cruelest way to lose in sport. You'd rather be beat by 20 points than lose by a point in the last minute."
The main pre-match focus was on examining the Meath defensive structure which has served them well over a magical 18 months that has yielded All-Ireland and Lidl National League glory.
"Everyone knows about Meath's defensive structure and how they set up," Ward explained.
"They have about 13 players behind the ball and leave two up so our main focus over the last two weeks was not taking the ball into the tackle, because they'll rip you apart if you do, and to use width in our game and I think we did open them up down the wings and we also focused on our scoring efficiency (which) wasn't great against Kerry, and against Westmeath as well it was less than 50%.
"We didn't take any silly shots and when the shots opened up, they went over which was great. So the main things we focused on was running them down the wings and not bringing the ball into tackles."
While Ward was disappointed that Galway exited at the quarter-final stage again, the performance left the panel "extremely proud".
And having been a vital part of Kilkerrin Clonberne's All-Ireland Senior Club title success in January, she's hopeful that winning experience can be carried over onto the county scene in an era when the inter-county competition has become wide open in the wake of Meath's exploits.
"With our club team we had been building for that for 10 years. It's not something that comes overnight," she said.
"While at Galway, (underage) we were lucky to be winning the whole time, when you get to senior level it doesn't progress that quickly and that's something I've found hard to deal with.
"But when I look at the club and how long it took us to get there, with county we might just need another few years to build again.
"With the girls at club, I've known them for so long, they're my best friends and we trust each other as well. I think that's something to be transferred over to county to make success at that level as well."
