Meath Forum

Problems And Solutions

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We're actual no.1 seed in the whole of the TC. Are we going to win it? Can't see it. We probably could if we hadn't gone winless in 6 games, form and confidence must be at an all time low. Let's say we get Longford in first game, they lost to Offaly by a point so realistically there will be no game that will be a guaranteed win considering where we are at right now. It'll say a lot how we respond in first game. We may not have hit rock bottom just yet.

NYRoyal (USA) - Posts: 31 - 01/05/2023 02:47:11    2474853

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Replying To seadog54:  "Getting rid of manager after six poor results/dont see improvement seems at best extreme. Do we adopt a next man up policy, you have six games to turn things around or you too are out the door? Dont expect a lot of interest in position. CB went for internal choice last time, because we had no outside interest, COR was approached to put his name forward, having no inital interest. Reason I back Colm to complete his term is nothing to do with anything other than what is right. There is no way the CB can go back on the deal they struck only last year. At that stage even they realised we were at best threading water and sinking further every season. We constantly call on them to get their house in order, doing what you ask, strips then of any shread of integrity or credability. So best of luck getting next man up."
So now the best excuse for keeping current management is that the cb have to honor their word. I've heard it all now. Regardless if that structure is destroying the players and everyone involved in it and turning kids off in their droves. Ok.
Also may I add that it is widely known that you only improve playing the best teams. The glorified Tommy Murphy cup will only keep us at this low level we became THIS YEAR, I'm glad to see so many people happy we playing and MAYBE beating the likes of London and new York ffs. I give up.
The solution is after the glorified Tommy Murphy we bite the bullet and say thanks for the effort Colm it didn't work out and I'm sure RTÉ would be glad to have you back. And get someone anyone who can set a team up properly, hard to beat, with a structure and fitness levels required. We are heading to div 3 next year if we don't do exactly that.
Who would we beat in division 2 next year ? Armagh ? Donegal? Louth ? Cork ? Kildare? Cavan ? Fermanagh? It's hard to see a win in anyone those games if current management remains.
End of

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 01/05/2023 11:09:41    2474879

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Replying To royaldunne:  "It's the Tommy Murphy cup under a different name. It's pathetic that we are in it. I'm ambivalent to it. Also I don't see many teams we will beat looking at them there Wexford might be our best chance in first game.
You just know we gonna draw Antrim too , Offaly would beat us easily if we drew them. Probably Leitrim would fancy their chances too. We are in such a diabolical situation I really don't know anymore"
If you don't care about it don't go to any of the games and stop going on about it on here. Get back involved next January.

southmeathgael (Meath) - Posts: 937 - 01/05/2023 11:41:05    2474886

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Replying To Ashrules:  "The training preparation and strategies are of the 1970s. The best clubs and best players especially those suited to the modern game are left out in favour of those from 'well connected families'.
Good players from last year's were dropped. And the new players were dropped.
If it is going to be worth paying into Meath games next year Sentimentally about the 1980s is not going to do it. Management need to be dropped now."
not sure about how the general Meath supporter feels today, but im hoping things can be as bad as im feeling
What a few months . Crikey. is it this bad, is this our lot for the next decade . I know its not The Role of the CB , to bring us along, but would it be beyond someone in a position of authority to give us some communication that says their is a Plan and there is Someone at the Wheel . Ive said before , i do have some sympathy for COR, as i genuinely suspect that he had no real idea of where we were at before he Took the Job . Can i ask , what level of interaction is there between Senior officials , Team Management, Past & Present, Is there a Specific Long Term Plan for each Code as to where We as a County see /measure Success , say in 5 years or 10 years. have we targets ? ...where/how does it all stitch together
It seems to me that each County squad is still to a large extent an autonomous Unit ...in fact , on darker days, it seems to me that there is not only a lack of communication between the various Management Teams, but in fact their is internal division & competition , bordering on rivalry , to prove each other right or wrong , or to prove who is a better Management Team
On Specifics ...COR , will stay ...and Needs to stay , of for no other reason, to save some personal & County credibility .
Now beyond the Tailteann Cup , what would be a great Service, that he could salvage , would be to truly look at the structures during is Time in charge of the top Job, and come up with a Plan . Surely he has access to friends & colleagues within other counties, and he can get access to see how Monaghan , Louth , Mayo, Derry, ...how they are doing things
And of Course . So Roll up Sleeves COR...become a Facilitator. You took the wrong Job, but you can still do some good . Get cracking where you wanted to 20 years ago

Thelongwoodslasher (Meath) - Posts: 401 - 01/05/2023 13:23:31    2474905

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Replying To Young_gael:  "Seed 1) Meath, Cavan, Fermanagh, Limerick
Seed 2) Down, Offaly, Antrim, Wicklow
Seed 3) Longford, Tipperary, Laois, Wexford
Seed 4) Leitrim, Carlow, Waterford, London

So this is the line-up for the draw. The fixtures for Meath will be vs. third seed first, then fourth, then second. Get through that and you're into the Qtrs etc. There is a clear pathway into the knockout stages of this tournament, the question is; can this Meath panel get themselves into a position to challenge?

I dont know how to feel about it all."
Be good to go far in it - give lot of young players some experience and memories - might as well give many u20s a go in it. Only way is up. I'd be more inclined to go to a match in this down in some nice real GAA stadium (Tullamore, Enniscorthy etc) rather than go to that Kip in Drumcondra for an annual hammering from the GAA's golden child.

Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1352 - 01/05/2023 14:58:05    2474910

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Replying To royaldunne:  "It's the Tommy Murphy cup under a different name. It's pathetic that we are in it. I'm ambivalent to it. Also I don't see many teams we will beat looking at them there Wexford might be our best chance in first game.
You just know we gonna draw Antrim too , Offaly would beat us easily if we drew them. Probably Leitrim would fancy their chances too. We are in such a diabolical situation I really don't know anymore"
Meath people can not take this approach to the Tailteann cup I don't think. The reality is with a one year of an exception we've been a borderline Tailteann cup team for 10 years. Since 2012 we have 2 wins against non Leinster teams in championship, Sligo by 2 points and Clare by 1 point, that's it. Meath schools have gotten to 1 Leinster A final in 20 years, no meath senior club has got to a Leinster final in 19 years and our under 21's/20's have got to 1 Leinster final in 22 years. Tailteann cup is where we belong and not just because of management but because of talent of the playing pool as well. Andy McEntee overachieved with that Meath team to have 12 months of being really competitive. But bar 2019 we would have been in Tailteann cup in 2018 and right at the bottom of Sam in 2017, 20, 21 and 22 as well had the championship been that format and similar under MOD. I will be extremely annoyed if meath players don't fully buy in to this competition as it is their level and a chance to win some games for the first time in a long time

LeitrimRoyal99 (Meath) - Posts: 1523 - 02/05/2023 10:25:54    2474956

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Replying To LeitrimRoyal99:  "Meath people can not take this approach to the Tailteann cup I don't think. The reality is with a one year of an exception we've been a borderline Tailteann cup team for 10 years. Since 2012 we have 2 wins against non Leinster teams in championship, Sligo by 2 points and Clare by 1 point, that's it. Meath schools have gotten to 1 Leinster A final in 20 years, no meath senior club has got to a Leinster final in 19 years and our under 21's/20's have got to 1 Leinster final in 22 years. Tailteann cup is where we belong and not just because of management but because of talent of the playing pool as well. Andy McEntee overachieved with that Meath team to have 12 months of being really competitive. But bar 2019 we would have been in Tailteann cup in 2018 and right at the bottom of Sam in 2017, 20, 21 and 22 as well had the championship been that format and similar under MOD. I will be extremely annoyed if meath players don't fully buy in to this competition as it is their level and a chance to win some games for the first time in a long time"
99% of people on here agree with you. Give the 20s a good run out in one or 2 of the games and let them see what adult football is about. This is our grade and will be untill these lads start gettin into their mid 20s. Simple as that.

Irish_downunder (Meath) - Posts: 640 - 02/05/2023 10:57:27    2474960

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Replying To Crinigan:  "Be good to go far in it - give lot of young players some experience and memories - might as well give many u20s a go in it. Only way is up. I'd be more inclined to go to a match in this down in some nice real GAA stadium (Tullamore, Enniscorthy etc) rather than go to that Kip in Drumcondra for an annual hammering from the GAA's golden child."
Would agree with this....I have a renewed interest in things since we exited the Leinster Shampionship. Being involved in that as it rolled along to its inevitable conclusion held absolutely no appeal. If it was possible to not enter that sham next year I'd be all for it.

Looking forward to the draw this afternoon and hoping for the best with the TC.

Greenfield (Meath) - Posts: 523 - 02/05/2023 11:29:06    2474971

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Replying To Greenfield:  "Would agree with this....I have a renewed interest in things since we exited the Leinster Shampionship. Being involved in that as it rolled along to its inevitable conclusion held absolutely no appeal. If it was possible to not enter that sham next year I'd be all for it.

Looking forward to the draw this afternoon and hoping for the best with the TC."
Would love nothing more than for Meath just to boycott the whole farce. Looks like Glenn Ryan would be on board too!

Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1352 - 02/05/2023 12:09:24    2474988

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Replying To Irish_downunder:  "99% of people on here agree with you. Give the 20s a good run out in one or 2 of the games and let them see what adult football is about. This is our grade and will be untill these lads start gettin into their mid 20s. Simple as that."
Isn't that just treating it like the obc ? I mean if we taking it seriously then we use minimal u20s.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 02/05/2023 12:24:56    2474996

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Replying To southmeathgael:  "If you don't care about it don't go to any of the games and stop going on about it on here. Get back involved next January."
I'll go to every game to see players for next year. I view it same as obc. As any proud Meath man would

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 02/05/2023 12:26:29    2474997

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Replying To mmc:  "I think you need counselling you take this too serious .
There was a time I'd die for football I put my wedding back because of the leinster final in 97 and that didn't go too well neither did the football .
Football is puke now not worth getting stressed over backwards , sideways , hand pass after hand pass frees going backwards , goalies out in the middle of the field , the mark , and its almost none contact .
Nothing like the good old days of 15 against 15 man on man and the best team win .
Don't get stressed it's not worth it anymore"
True football is a terrible spectacle right now , it's the least entertaining sport out there right now.

Every year rugby makes changes to the laws to make it more of a spectacle , and every year it has improved as a sport and and a real joy to watch , but the GAA has done absolutely nothing to improve football and make it more entertaining for its audience , you get pundits saying it's really good to watch because of the tactical aspect of it , it's a kind way of saying it's absolutely garbage because 99.9% of fans don't watch it for the tactics.

Yes football has lost a lot of interest over the years , on the website there is a massive drop of on clicks to anything to do with football and more people now than ever have the internet which is odd . Like even here rewind the clock back 10 years ago on hoganstand there was posts every few minutes on all forums , I believe people just lost interest because football is down right terrible to watch and it won't improve because nobody at gaa headquarters are doing anything to make it better for the fans to watch.

WhyTheLongFace (Meath) - Posts: 934 - 02/05/2023 13:02:46    2475019

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Replying To Crinigan:  "Be good to go far in it - give lot of young players some experience and memories - might as well give many u20s a go in it. Only way is up. I'd be more inclined to go to a match in this down in some nice real GAA stadium (Tullamore, Enniscorthy etc) rather than go to that Kip in Drumcondra for an annual hammering from the GAA's golden child."
absolutely, I'll be happy getting into the car and heading for those places or grounds such as in Belfast, Enniskillen, Waterford, Carlow, Tipperary etc, and id love to see some U20's given a shot, particularly against 3rd and 4th seed opposition. If we are in it, then have a right good go at it and try win it. Id be dissapointed and Id wager all involved would be if Meath dont at least reach the last 4. No matter Im proud of supporting Meath and I hope these lads get some wins under their belt.

Young_gael (Meath) - Posts: 596 - 02/05/2023 13:04:05    2475021

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Replying To LeitrimRoyal99:  "Meath people can not take this approach to the Tailteann cup I don't think. The reality is with a one year of an exception we've been a borderline Tailteann cup team for 10 years. Since 2012 we have 2 wins against non Leinster teams in championship, Sligo by 2 points and Clare by 1 point, that's it. Meath schools have gotten to 1 Leinster A final in 20 years, no meath senior club has got to a Leinster final in 19 years and our under 21's/20's have got to 1 Leinster final in 22 years. Tailteann cup is where we belong and not just because of management but because of talent of the playing pool as well. Andy McEntee overachieved with that Meath team to have 12 months of being really competitive. But bar 2019 we would have been in Tailteann cup in 2018 and right at the bottom of Sam in 2017, 20, 21 and 22 as well had the championship been that format and similar under MOD. I will be extremely annoyed if meath players don't fully buy in to this competition as it is their level and a chance to win some games for the first time in a long time"
I think this is one of the best posts Ive seen in a while on the forum. You summed the whole thing up very well. The win over Clare was the Rd.4 qualifier that got Meath into the Super 8's a few years back, and the win over Sligo was in Navan when Mickey Burke got the winner into the hospital end. Wow... since 2012 only those two wins... that is stark reading when you think about it.

And youre right, this is an opportunity for this group to get 3/4/5 games under them, playing at the appropriate level and hopefully getting the job done.

Overall, having thought about it, Im all for embracing this tournament and bringing our best to it. I hope the panel feels the same way.

Young_gael (Meath) - Posts: 596 - 02/05/2023 13:08:10    2475026

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Replying To WhyTheLongFace:  "True football is a terrible spectacle right now , it's the least entertaining sport out there right now.

Every year rugby makes changes to the laws to make it more of a spectacle , and every year it has improved as a sport and and a real joy to watch , but the GAA has done absolutely nothing to improve football and make it more entertaining for its audience , you get pundits saying it's really good to watch because of the tactical aspect of it , it's a kind way of saying it's absolutely garbage because 99.9% of fans don't watch it for the tactics.

Yes football has lost a lot of interest over the years , on the website there is a massive drop of on clicks to anything to do with football and more people now than ever have the internet which is odd . Like even here rewind the clock back 10 years ago on hoganstand there was posts every few minutes on all forums , I believe people just lost interest because football is down right terrible to watch and it won't improve because nobody at gaa headquarters are doing anything to make it better for the fans to watch."
I agree with his post as well. It has gone downhill in a big way. I watched Dublin v Kildare on the GAA Go App at the weekend and it was a very depressing spectacle. Not just the game, but there couldnt have been 20,000 at it, plus remember Louth v. Offaly was before it. The stadium was literally 1/4 to 1/3 full. There was absolutely no one in the upper tiers at all and empty seats galore in the lower Cusack and Hogan. It was dire. Im only 30 years of age and I remember Leinster quarter finals and semi finals selling out Croke Park, I remember parking spaces within 3/4km of the ground were like hen's teeth.

You see the fundamental issue is that the top counties and their officials know deep down that the game is now struggling for viewership and publicity that isnt negative, but theyre on top so it suits them to put up as there is the illusion of success. Many counties were irrelevant before blanket defences and tactical styles, Strength and conditioning up the wazoo etc, and the game is their game now... so us on the bottom giving out can be easily cast aside as disgruntled fans. Its simple. Plus the GAA is and always was incredibly conservative.

I mean if this trend continues and is tip-toed around for another 20/30 years I could see a 3/4 tier championship or perhaps longer league campaigns and more niche, smaller competitions. As standards slip and interest wanes, the answer will be to further ring fence teams into poorer standard competitions and keep the teams that rise to the top at the top. The GAA knows that ultimately football is the Dublin/Kerry show and it always was.

Young_gael (Meath) - Posts: 596 - 02/05/2023 13:26:04    2475040

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Replying To Young_gael:  "I agree with his post as well. It has gone downhill in a big way. I watched Dublin v Kildare on the GAA Go App at the weekend and it was a very depressing spectacle. Not just the game, but there couldnt have been 20,000 at it, plus remember Louth v. Offaly was before it. The stadium was literally 1/4 to 1/3 full. There was absolutely no one in the upper tiers at all and empty seats galore in the lower Cusack and Hogan. It was dire. Im only 30 years of age and I remember Leinster quarter finals and semi finals selling out Croke Park, I remember parking spaces within 3/4km of the ground were like hen's teeth.

You see the fundamental issue is that the top counties and their officials know deep down that the game is now struggling for viewership and publicity that isnt negative, but theyre on top so it suits them to put up as there is the illusion of success. Many counties were irrelevant before blanket defences and tactical styles, Strength and conditioning up the wazoo etc, and the game is their game now... so us on the bottom giving out can be easily cast aside as disgruntled fans. Its simple. Plus the GAA is and always was incredibly conservative.

I mean if this trend continues and is tip-toed around for another 20/30 years I could see a 3/4 tier championship or perhaps longer league campaigns and more niche, smaller competitions. As standards slip and interest wanes, the answer will be to further ring fence teams into poorer standard competitions and keep the teams that rise to the top at the top. The GAA knows that ultimately football is the Dublin/Kerry show and it always was."
Intercounty football will be dead in 10-15 years, the main GAA spectacle will be the Dublin club championship as seeds well sown there. It's all so predictable. The best Kerry players will be based there and certain intercounty teams will play something akin to the railway cup.

If the soccer crowd had a brain cell between them they'd be making serious hay in counties up and down the country. Still, League of Ireland crowds booming and GAA crowds off a cliff, if a LOI club set up in Dunsaughlin or Navan there'd be huge interest at this stage - at the end of the day people just want something to get behind and take an interest in, that's why Leinster rugby took off. It always makes me sad when I see photos of huge crowds from old Meath matches… where are they all now? How do they pass their sundays? What's sports are their kids now playing? Have they given up on the GAA?

Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1352 - 02/05/2023 14:34:14    2475102

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Replying To Crinigan:  "Intercounty football will be dead in 10-15 years, the main GAA spectacle will be the Dublin club championship as seeds well sown there. It's all so predictable. The best Kerry players will be based there and certain intercounty teams will play something akin to the railway cup.

If the soccer crowd had a brain cell between them they'd be making serious hay in counties up and down the country. Still, League of Ireland crowds booming and GAA crowds off a cliff, if a LOI club set up in Dunsaughlin or Navan there'd be huge interest at this stage - at the end of the day people just want something to get behind and take an interest in, that's why Leinster rugby took off. It always makes me sad when I see photos of huge crowds from old Meath matches… where are they all now? How do they pass their sundays? What's sports are their kids now playing? Have they given up on the GAA?"
Im with you most of the way there. I dont think inter-county football will be dead, per sé, but itll be tiered another time in the future, provinces will be gone and club games will likely be more interesting as you alluded to. It wont be dead, but it might as well be. Whatever magic is left could be gone by then.

And absolutely 100%, the FAI is missing a trick on expansion in the provincial towns. They likely havent the budget or scope or even support but I think a Meath based team would CLEAN UP. We're talking tens of thousands of tickets and a million euro induatry if it was done right, marketed with green/yellow jerseys, the royals, the right imagery, the big battle vs the Dublin clubs and the local derbies v. Drogheda and Dundalk... its a potential goldmine. Its an idea ripe for the picking because the GAA appeal is fast approaching niche level in the county.

Young_gael (Meath) - Posts: 596 - 02/05/2023 15:01:50    2475121

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Replying To Crinigan:  "Intercounty football will be dead in 10-15 years, the main GAA spectacle will be the Dublin club championship as seeds well sown there. It's all so predictable. The best Kerry players will be based there and certain intercounty teams will play something akin to the railway cup.

If the soccer crowd had a brain cell between them they'd be making serious hay in counties up and down the country. Still, League of Ireland crowds booming and GAA crowds off a cliff, if a LOI club set up in Dunsaughlin or Navan there'd be huge interest at this stage - at the end of the day people just want something to get behind and take an interest in, that's why Leinster rugby took off. It always makes me sad when I see photos of huge crowds from old Meath matches… where are they all now? How do they pass their sundays? What's sports are their kids now playing? Have they given up on the GAA?"
If you look at any old photos from the crowds they were mostly 20/40 age group and that's all county's , if you look at any photo now it's mostly 50/60 age group , people say football will be dead in 10 or 15 years time , I will say less than that , because football is not attracting a younger audience , and the younger audience is the future of football , look at a Leinster rugby crowd and it's a very young audience also , GAA have already lost the attention of the younger generation and they don't even realise it and that's unbelievable , because anyone at the top of the Gaa is mostly 50/60s and comes from a completely different ideology .. there thing is that the crowds will come back and it will be someone else's problem to sort out when my term is over , the boomer attitude to every problem!

Aussie rules is the opposite , it's beating rugby as a spectacle in Australia , the average attendance is 42k , Aussie rules kicks more and they never removed the physicality out of the game , if you remove the physicality out of a game , you will get a game more lil basketball, which is what football is right now !

WhyTheLongFace (Meath) - Posts: 934 - 02/05/2023 15:20:49    2475135

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Replying To LeitrimRoyal99:  "Meath people can not take this approach to the Tailteann cup I don't think. The reality is with a one year of an exception we've been a borderline Tailteann cup team for 10 years. Since 2012 we have 2 wins against non Leinster teams in championship, Sligo by 2 points and Clare by 1 point, that's it. Meath schools have gotten to 1 Leinster A final in 20 years, no meath senior club has got to a Leinster final in 19 years and our under 21's/20's have got to 1 Leinster final in 22 years. Tailteann cup is where we belong and not just because of management but because of talent of the playing pool as well. Andy McEntee overachieved with that Meath team to have 12 months of being really competitive. But bar 2019 we would have been in Tailteann cup in 2018 and right at the bottom of Sam in 2017, 20, 21 and 22 as well had the championship been that format and similar under MOD. I will be extremely annoyed if meath players don't fully buy in to this competition as it is their level and a chance to win some games for the first time in a long time"
Nail on the head, this has been a slow and painful desent for Meath. At least TC gives us something on our level to aim for. I expect management and entire panel to give it their best shot and hopefully supporters realise we are needed now more than ever. I was at the Leinster game at w/e and it is great to be supporting a winning team, however we have to take good with the bad. A good chance to regroup and have a positive end to season.

seadog54 (Meath) - Posts: 2195 - 02/05/2023 15:25:40    2475143

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Replying To Young_gael:  "Im with you most of the way there. I dont think inter-county football will be dead, per sé, but itll be tiered another time in the future, provinces will be gone and club games will likely be more interesting as you alluded to. It wont be dead, but it might as well be. Whatever magic is left could be gone by then.

And absolutely 100%, the FAI is missing a trick on expansion in the provincial towns. They likely havent the budget or scope or even support but I think a Meath based team would CLEAN UP. We're talking tens of thousands of tickets and a million euro induatry if it was done right, marketed with green/yellow jerseys, the royals, the right imagery, the big battle vs the Dublin clubs and the local derbies v. Drogheda and Dundalk... its a potential goldmine. Its an idea ripe for the picking because the GAA appeal is fast approaching niche level in the county."
Royal Meath FC :)

Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1352 - 02/05/2023 17:17:47    2475198

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