Meath Forum

Moving On!

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Replying To Sheridan2010louth:  ""he's been the best fullback at club level over the last 5 years" this is an easy statement to throw out there but Adam O'Neill has played a lot of games full back for the tones since 2021 and for me is a far better player. Was huge in 2021 when they won Keegan. I doubt it will be long until he takes the full back spot for meath, he has all the attributes you would want a full back to have."
Its an easy statement because its unarguably true. Adam O Neill looks like a serious addition and you are probably right, if he continues to develop as he is he will have the number 3 jersey (or 2 or 4) as I think Liam Kelly is a serious operator as well albeit probably a year or two off Senior County at the minute. But do you not think O Neill himself would benefit from playing alongside McGill? If it was a case that he didn't try or bother putting the effort in then by all means cut the lad loose, but anyone who has played with/coached or been involved in any team McGill has been on will tell you that simply is no the case.

Anyway he's gone this year and all I can say is I hope O Rourke's ego isn't to big to ask him back in next year, not beg, but ask. As big a fan I am of McGill he does still need to have the hunger to player for Meath, which he definitely did this year but a year out and just with the club may change his priorities next season

ratlag (Meath) - Posts: 557 - 08/03/2023 10:09:08    2462675

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Colm O Rourke is the manager.
He has decided not to leave McGill out, end of story. Managers live and die by their decisions. O Rourke is only selecting a panel for the good of Meath football.
I was disappointed to see Mcgill and McMahon lose their place.
Bit talk about flogging a dead horse with the McGill situation.
Just move on, if it works people will be saying O Rourke is a genius in a few years time, the same people who are on this site now whinging about about a manager making decisions

atta (Meath) - Posts: 698 - 08/03/2023 10:58:44    2462694

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Replying To Sheridan2010louth:  ""he's been the best fullback at club level over the last 5 years" this is an easy statement to throw out there but Adam O'Neill has played a lot of games full back for the tones since 2021 and for me is a far better player. Was huge in 2021 when they won Keegan. I doubt it will be long until he takes the full back spot for meath, he has all the attributes you would want a full back to have."
Shane Glynn is the Tones fullback for the last number of years with Adams brother Daniel at 6.

Adam has been Tones go to man marker the last couple of years, not too many lads have got the better of him. He came from nowhere in 2021 to now being one of the best backs in the county however he's not even the best fullback in his club. In 2019 when McGill was at his best Shane Glynn was in on the Meath panel pushing him. I spoke to a selector at the time about if McGill got injured and he said they have a ready made replacement in Glynn.

UsernameInvalid (Meath) - Posts: 354 - 08/03/2023 11:36:16    2462714

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If fitness is an issue then Shane McEntee should also be dropped given how off the pace he was in the first game and Jack Flynn as well given how long it took for him to get back.

I have no issue with CoR dropping players if they aren't meeting a standard but give them 4 or 5 league games to get themselves right. McGills fitness couldn't have been overly bad, he was playing in a Leinster semi final with his club in November.

Dessie Farrell didn't rush McCaffery or Howard back. Mannion is still not back.

Kerry still haven't brought Geaney back, Galway done the same with Walsh.

All these lads are a similar age and have played they same amount of football as McGill

UsernameInvalid (Meath) - Posts: 354 - 08/03/2023 11:46:31    2462719

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Replying To ratlag:  "What a load of rubbish once again. You start by saying 'few know exactly what happened' and then go on to say that McEntee had issues with him (which is a 100% lie and a joke of a comment to make about a manager who gave 6 years of his life to the team and a player whos been in the county teams since Minor). In each of the 'Dublin Hammerings' McGill was one of few players to win his individual battle on most (not all) occasions, but as you said, when the issues with the squad are further out the pitch he can hardly be expected to stop everything. McGill had a 12 month season last year between club and county, O Rourke wanted him back in with county 1 week after the Downs game (Some advocate for player Welfare) and McGill said he needed a break and would be back in January which O Rourke took issue with. Obviously coming back in January he would be slightly behind the rest of the squad but he is no less fit than those playing at the minute and I know that for a fact!!
And finally, exceptions are made by every smart county manager and team for players whoc had been on the go for 12 months, just look at the Cliffords with Kerry this year and Walsh with Galway, lads need a break and if O Rourke couldn't see that then we have a massive issue."
Final post on the McGill issue, firstly last manager had issues, for whatever reason he ignored many a bad displays. May be down to manager staying way to long with no mprovement and could not see what most did. Being in county team since is part of the problem, way to comfortable, first name on team sheet and when change came and more demanded of him especially fitness wise he did not make the grade for the type of football COR wanted to play. He got required break with no issue, however, on return no change..Colm made the right call, he got his chance but failed to take it. Being fit enough to play FC with his club is a long way short of what is required for intercounty. As for begging him to come back, COR might as well pack his bads now. Do you not ask why he is the only one, if he was treated so badly would his friends and team mates especially fellow club men not have stood up for him, would questions not be asked at least by local media? They did and were told it was a fitness issue. Let it go, support the lads who have fully committed, it will be a long season for some if all they talk about is one man, it looks like things will be fractious enough without making it all about him. McGill, for now anyway, is the past and has nothing to do with this Meath team. We have plenty of good lads that will grow into top class backs given a bit of time. Time for us all to move on, just like the Meath panel have.

seadog54 (Meath) - Posts: 2135 - 08/03/2023 12:30:55    2462734

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Replying To UsernameInvalid:  "If fitness is an issue then Shane McEntee should also be dropped given how off the pace he was in the first game and Jack Flynn as well given how long it took for him to get back.

I have no issue with CoR dropping players if they aren't meeting a standard but give them 4 or 5 league games to get themselves right. McGills fitness couldn't have been overly bad, he was playing in a Leinster semi final with his club in November.

Dessie Farrell didn't rush McCaffery or Howard back. Mannion is still not back.

Kerry still haven't brought Geaney back, Galway done the same with Walsh.

All these lads are a similar age and have played they same amount of football as McGill"
Yeah spot on. Shane Walsh was given all the time in the world to get back by Galway and he had been playing for a Dublin club.

McGill had been trying to win a club Leinster title for Meath and should have been given time to rest after it and get his fitness up.

Nothing that flood has done wrong but having McGill in full back and flood in the corner would strengthen the team a good bit imo. Having a full back line with players who have never played for Meath before along with o hare and Dan o neill the next in line is too much of a jump

Royal.1 (Meath) - Posts: 29 - 08/03/2023 13:06:31    2462748

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Along with all this about McGills fitness, you'd swear the players were running rings around everyone else, against Derry a huge problem was the game plan and not knowing how to break them down but the intensity was so far off of them which shows that there fitness levels are miles ahead and we really started to slow down at stages against Clare and Louth.

Royal.1 (Meath) - Posts: 29 - 08/03/2023 13:20:15    2462752

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Replying To seadog54:  "Final post on the McGill issue, firstly last manager had issues, for whatever reason he ignored many a bad displays. May be down to manager staying way to long with no mprovement and could not see what most did. Being in county team since is part of the problem, way to comfortable, first name on team sheet and when change came and more demanded of him especially fitness wise he did not make the grade for the type of football COR wanted to play. He got required break with no issue, however, on return no change..Colm made the right call, he got his chance but failed to take it. Being fit enough to play FC with his club is a long way short of what is required for intercounty. As for begging him to come back, COR might as well pack his bads now. Do you not ask why he is the only one, if he was treated so badly would his friends and team mates especially fellow club men not have stood up for him, would questions not be asked at least by local media? They did and were told it was a fitness issue. Let it go, support the lads who have fully committed, it will be a long season for some if all they talk about is one man, it looks like things will be fractious enough without making it all about him. McGill, for now anyway, is the past and has nothing to do with this Meath team. We have plenty of good lads that will grow into top class backs given a bit of time. Time for us all to move on, just like the Meath panel have."
I fully support the lads that are in their and the team. I don't have a problem with the manager or him making calls he deems the right ones (every manager does this and will never get 100% agreement from everyone). I do however have issue with people coming onto an anonymous forum and slating a man like McGill. He isn't unfit end of story, he is faster and better suited to county football than any of the lads who have played in the full back line so far this year. In his position he doesn't need to be as fit as players further out the field, he needs to be fast and strong which anyone on the panel will tell you he is near the top of both those categories. I can't speak for other players but I'm fairly sure Wallace and McMahon were keen to go back but wanted a similar break as well.

As I said I fully support the team and hope that they do well, but I won't read comments about a lad I know that are full of lies and miss-information.

ratlag (Meath) - Posts: 557 - 08/03/2023 13:41:10    2462757

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Replying To Royal.1:  "Along with all this about McGills fitness, you'd swear the players were running rings around everyone else, against Derry a huge problem was the game plan and not knowing how to break them down but the intensity was so far off of them which shows that there fitness levels are miles ahead and we really started to slow down at stages against Clare and Louth."
Actually think it's the one area we have regressed in most. We seemed very unfit v Limerick.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 08/03/2023 14:20:28    2462773

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Replying To UsernameInvalid:  "Shane Glynn is the Tones fullback for the last number of years with Adams brother Daniel at 6.

Adam has been Tones go to man marker the last couple of years, not too many lads have got the better of him. He came from nowhere in 2021 to now being one of the best backs in the county however he's not even the best fullback in his club. In 2019 when McGill was at his best Shane Glynn was in on the Meath panel pushing him. I spoke to a selector at the time about if McGill got injured and he said they have a ready made replacement in Glynn."
Well I hate to burst your bubble here but you are totally wrong, Adam O'Neill played at full back for the Tones the entire year of 21 he was the standout full back that year. Shane Glynn was centre back. Dan O'Neill only got on the team at the start of the championship he only came on a sub in the feis cup final against us. Before that he was abroad and before that he was recovering from a cruciate injury so didn't play for almost 2 years. To also say he came from nowhere in 2019 is also incorrect as he had played senior against up on several occasions the previous couple of years. I never saw Shane Glynn play full back until last year as before that they had Eoin Harrington and Ciaran McLoughlin.

latouche25 (Meath) - Posts: 520 - 08/03/2023 16:58:18    2462846

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I agree regards not going on and on about 1 player, and I think the Mcgill issue should be dropped as he doesn't seem to be coming back. But some of the waffle on here about his last 6 years in a meath jersey is mind boggling. Right last year wasn't his best for sure, but I'd argue the 5 before it, he was on the shortlist for Meaths best performers each of those seasons, he got nominated fir an all star in one of them ffs. Very good, to excellant full back at times, maybe yee took him for granted. I seen some people single out his performances against Dublin, like everyone else played so well them games that if it wasn't for mcgill the weak link we'd have challenged them ??? In 2019 vs Dublin , if you look back , he had the better of his man , and he had the same lad very well marked in 2021 too. It was nothing to do with the previous managers "favourites", he was picked at full back for Meath cause he was the best full back in the county, and arguably still is. I feel he should have been given some Leeway as, as others have pointed out, many of the more senior intercounty footballers do. He didn't get any, and he's gone now so it should be left at that, we have plenty other things to be worrying about anyway.

southmeathgael (Meath) - Posts: 885 - 09/03/2023 14:04:48    2462983

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Replying To latouche25:  "Well I hate to burst your bubble here but you are totally wrong, Adam O'Neill played at full back for the Tones the entire year of 21 he was the standout full back that year. Shane Glynn was centre back. Dan O'Neill only got on the team at the start of the championship he only came on a sub in the feis cup final against us. Before that he was abroad and before that he was recovering from a cruciate injury so didn't play for almost 2 years. To also say he came from nowhere in 2019 is also incorrect as he had played senior against up on several occasions the previous couple of years. I never saw Shane Glynn play full back until last year as before that they had Eoin Harrington and Ciaran McLoughlin."
Spoke to a Tones man on it today. Glynn was fullback from the quater final on in 2021. Adam went to corner back, Conor Sheppard moved to the wing and Daniel O Neill went to center back.

Tones had two bad performances in the 2020 and 2021 Feis Cup final that year.

Look I'm not saying Adam O Neill will make a bad fullback, at the minute there are multiple issues with our defence as a whole and I don't think playing someone in fullback who isn't a specialist is a good idea.

Likewise with Flood, he plays in multiple positions for St. Brigids because they have so many gaps to fill they take it game by game and see where they need him.

McGill is suited to fullback because he has played there at Meath minor, u21 and senior. He plays there constantly for his club. We have had a number of issues the last 3 years in goalkeeper, center back, midfield, free taker, marquee forward, do we really need to add fullback to that list?

UsernameInvalid (Meath) - Posts: 354 - 09/03/2023 16:04:43    2463023

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