Meath brought an end to Dublin’s decade-and-a-half dominance of the Leinster senior football championship by tearing up the script with a spirited 0-23 to 1-16 win over the capital men in Portlaoise this afternoon.

Robbie Brennan’s men put together a remarkable first-half display at O’Moore Park to go up by as many as 13 points before eventually taking a 0-17 to 0-5 advantage at the half.

Matthew Costello, Eoghan Frayne, Bryan Fenton and James Conlon were among the Royals’ scorers in the opening period and, while the holders hit points to get back within single digits early in the second-half, two Frayne scores would help cushion the Meath lead back to 10 come the 46th minute.

The inevitable Dublin push saw points from Lorcan O’Dell and Paddy Small backed up by a Cormac Costello goal in the 54th minute to turn up the heat on the Brennan’s side heading towards the closing 10 minutes.

Small and Con O’Callaghan fisted over scores after that, and a two-pointer from Colm Basquel would dwindle Meath’s advantage down to just two points with seven minutes remaining, as the Leinster champions looked to have all the momentum heading down the home stretch.

However, the Royals’ ship was steadied by a sorely needed Aaron Lynch point and Frayne's 11th of the day provided the insurance, as they achieved a first win over their old rivals in 15 long years and now have a Leinster final date with Louth to look forward to on May 11th.

Aaron Lynch with a HUGE score for @MeathGAA 🥶

Football clips brought to you by @AIB_GAA #TheToughest pic.twitter.com/PjLq3b5zcn

— GAA+ (@GAAPlusOfficial) April 27, 2025

A ROYAL victory!! 👑 pic.twitter.com/MkU9FQKcKO

— GAA+ (@GAAPlusOfficial) April 27, 2025

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