By Paul Keane

These are exhilarating times for Vikki Wall, the most famous face in a Meath football team smashing through all sorts of barriers and glass ceilings.

Commercial opportunities, rounds of media interviews and even a Late, Late Show appearance have all followed Meath's fairytale All-Ireland senior triumph.

"It has been hectic," smiled Wall who revealed she has put the second semester of a Masters Degree in DCU on hold while she attempts to put some 'balance' on it all.

A National Dairy Council sports ambassador for 2022, Wall's latest opportunity came just a few miles up the road from her native Dunboyne, at the Sport Ireland Institute in Abbottstown, where she joined four other athletes for a discussion on diet and nutrition.

Wall was introduced as an All-Ireland and National League winning Meath footballer though she could yet be an Australian Rules player before the year is out.

It is no secret that AFLW clubs have been monitoring the progress of the powerful 23-year-old forward while Wall, for her part, hasn't shied away from her interest in a potential switch.

Meath manager Eamonn Murray pushed things on a step further when he said in advance of the recent Lidl National League final win over Donegal that he felt it was inevitable Wall would end up in Australia later this year.

"Look, I have nothing confirmed at the moment," said Wall. "I suppose, look, it's something I have spoken about that I do have interest in. But no, nothing to confirm at the moment anyway."

So no contract signed?

"No, nothing signed," maintained Wall. " Look, I'm committed, I'm here to see how far Meath can go this year. So that's the only kind of update I have on it at the moment."

The seventh season of AFLW activity will see four new clubs join the roster, bringing to 18 the number of teams involved. Opportunities could emerge for other LGFA players too though Wall clearly ticks all the boxes as a strong runner with a Rolls Royce engine, excellent aerial game and high skillset.

The fact that the new AFLW season could begin in August, shortly after the All-Ireland ladies final, would be a consideration for anyone thinking of jetting south.

In the long-term, an even greater consideration may be whether it's actually possible for Irish players to combine both AFLW and LGFA careers, as has been the case up until now.

Players have spent the early part of the year in Australia playing the oval ball game and come home then to compete for their counties in the championship. The day could be coming when it will be a straight choice between football in Australia or football in Ireland.

"I actually don't know," said Wall of the potential conundrum. "I suppose it's only kind of when you're in that situation (you'll know), I don't know. Like, even the dual player (in Ireland) and that kind of thing, if I look at some of the girls and even maybe some of the lads, I think it's so admirable that they're able to do it, but I actually don't think I'd be able to do it. That balance, that side of things, it's very difficult."

Wall isn't convinced that her absence, or the loss of any Meath player for that matter, would necessarily be a crushing blow to the team.

"I don't think it comes down to one or two individuals, to be honest," said Wall, the 2020 Intermediate Footballer of the Year. "I think if it did, a lot more teams would be successful. I think it comes down to much more than that.

"Obviously there are flipsides to it and you can look at it and say how important it is to stay and to see the progression of Meath ladies. But then, people and individuals, whether it's going travelling for a few years and stuff like that, people do do it, it's just a case I think of focusing on the underage structures in Meath and focusing on a bigger picture rather than one or two players.

"Even if I do or don't go, there are obviously people that will retire and things like that as well. It's focusing on longevity and not letting it just be a cycle of what happened five or six years ago when there was a huge amount of retirements and it kind of went back to square one really and we had to build again. I think that's what will be the higher focus. I don't think it's about individuals really, no."

Meath's next challenge is the Leinster championship. They will play Dublin on May 7 and Westmeath a week later in a three-team group. The top two will contest the May 28 provincial final at Croke Park.

Having already faced Dublin once this year, in front of a huge crowd in the league in Navan, there is the potential for a couple more meetings between the neighbouring counties beyond the May 7 encounter too.

"They're an unbelievable side and for years have been the kingpins of ladies football," said Wall of the team that Meath beat in last year's All-Ireland decider.

"Every time we play them, or whether it's Dublin, Cork, Westmeath or whoever we're going to be facing, it's exciting to be playing these games and I think it's exciting for ladies football generally to see how close a lot of the games this year were, that dramatic finish to the Dublin-Donegal game for instance."

* Vikki Wall is a National Dairy Council sports ambassador for 2022 and was speaking at the Sport Ireland Institute about her dedication to a balanced and nutritious diet. The perfect post-performance recovery drink, milk is rich in protein – an important nutrient for muscle growth and maintenance – and provides a natural carbohydrate source to help refuel energy stores. The National Dairy Council’s marketing campaign – ‘From the Ground Up’ – is back on TV, encouraging people to take pride in Irish dairy and demonstrating the passion and commitment of the farmers that make it happen.