The tenacity shown by Dublin in getting past Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final was fuelled by a collective will to get the job done in extra-time, according to their goalkeeper Abby Shiels.
As the clock ticked towards 60 minutes at Glenisk O'Connor Park, the Connacht side were a point to the good and with possession. However, the Dubs forced a turnover and were eventually awarded a free. Hannah Tyrrell stepped up and showed the requisite composure to point. Extra-time followed, as did goals aplenty, with the team in blue holding firm to seal their spot in next Sunday's decider against Meath at Croke Park.
Shiels, at times, was a worried observer in Tullamore, particularly when Galway had the ball and the advantage on the scoreboard heading towards the end of normal time.
Recalling that Saturday evening in the midlands, when speaking to the media ahead of this year's battle for the Brendan Martin Cup, she said: "It was definitely not the most ideal game for a goalie to be in. I was the last line of defence and such a small margin at the end. Galway put it up to us right from the start. They made kick-outs really difficult.
"They attacked every time they got the chance. Luckily enough, we stood up and showed a bit of resilience at the end. We showed our fitness and pulled through. We were very grateful for Hannah Tyrrell's free-kick at the end of normal time. Obviously, we stood up in extra-time and were able to pull through before it got too dark that evening.
"I do think you don't feel like you can bring too much to the plate. Obviously, you just have to encourage everybody to keep pushing up the pitch and keep putting pressure on. I think I found myself even on the halfway line at one point in that match. Definitely not the nicest situation to be in, but we got there in the end, which was nice."
"The regrouping after normal time and going into extra time was a big help, a big encouragement"
Got there they did and the Lucan Sarsfields custodian added: "There a sense of relief at the end. Coming back on the bus there, it was a late night. We were reflecting on the bus straight after the game, like 'this could have been a bit better, this could have gone differently'.
"We were well aware that the game could have been taken away from us, and it nearly was at the end of normal time. The regrouping after normal time and going into extra time was a big help, a big encouragement. We could all step up together. We were ready for extra time. We'd done it in the previous year. So if we had to do it, we knew whatever it would take, we'd have to do it."
Like many who patrol the posts, Shiels has also experienced life as an outfield player and dabbled in soccer before concentrating on ladies football.
As is the case with the men's game, she is acutely aware of the greater importance now being placed on kickouts.
"They're a major possession now," she stated.
"They start attacks, if you go long, you could be straight through in an attack. So they're very important. You want to maintain possession every chance you get, so you don't want to give the ball away too easily. I know in the Galway game, Galway really put it up to us in regards to the kick-out press. It made it difficult, so we have to think about a bit more going into this weekend.
"In training, we'd pull aside with a goalkeeper coach and then obviously our other goalkeepers and do a bit of handling, footwork, shot-stopping, and then kick-outs and distribution and stuff like that."
Shiels is aiming for a second All-Ireland medal after being involved in the win over Kerry in 2023. She was involved as the Dubs suffered what was then a surprise final-day defeat to the Royals in 2021.
"I'm glad I was around from that point of view, knowing what Meath did to us that year," were the overall reflections from that September day.
"We all felt it. If you're not playing on the pitch, your impact is in the training ground, you're pushing everybody on. So I do think we all felt it that year. It'll play a role this Sunday, but obviously, you have to park it in that sense and keep playing the game we've been playing up to this point.
"Keep raising our standards in this game and doing everything that's right to help us get over the line this Sunday."
And while Dublin have been a little bit more consistent in their run to the final - and defeated Meath in the Leinster final - Shiels was at pains to point out out that the race for senior glory is now a lot more competitive.
"This year is probably one of the more open championships I've seen," she feels.
"It's definitely getting more open as the years go on. It's more competitive. The league seems so long ago now when you look at Meath's run in the league, and even our own run in the league this year, it was up and down throughout.
"Similar enough, in 2023, we were written off quite early. So to stand up in the semi-final game and the final game that year, to show people our capabilities and how high we can raise our standards on the pitch, just shows that you can't write anybody off too early. That goes for both teams this Sunday, I think."
With Irish players featuring more in the AFLW, the return of Sinéad Goldrick to the Dublin fold was warmly welcomed in 2024. Goldrick was a Premiership winner with Melbourne Demons, with Shiels hailing the Foxrock–Cabinteely player as "an unbelievable athlete".
Her appreciation for 'Goldie' is clear.
"The encouragement she can give to me, even to the younger girls, she's a great person to have in front of you. She breaks out at the back. She's real reliable on the ball. She brings a calm head as well, which sometimes you might need as a goalkeeper. You catch eye contact with Goldie and you're like, right, we're all good. She's definitely a massive asset.
"For her to come back last year, I know we were knocked out in the quarter-final (against Galway). But even for players like her now to be back in a final, you're just delighted for them and just delighted as a team that we can do that. Hopefully things go our way on Sunday."
Follow a live blog on the All-Ireland Ladies Football Championship final, Meath v Dublin, on Sunday from 4.15pm on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1. Watch highlights on The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
