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Meath 2024

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Team announced for the first O'Byrne cup game. Interesting to see Billy Hogan starting with Sean Brennan on the bench, the same happened in the regional all star game so something to monitor. Good to see Adam O'Neill, Campion, Shane Walsh and Conor Gray in the 26 as they were carrying knocks

LeitrimRoyal99 (Meath) - Posts: 1518 - 05/01/2024 10:20:30    2518449

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Good squad for first game of the year. Like some other posters I would be concerned that we may have the weakest management team in Div. 2 with no experienced defensive coach in the set up, despite being very open defensively last year.

Thunderstruck (Meath) - Posts: 469 - 05/01/2024 11:43:40    2518460

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Replying To Thunderstruck:  "Good squad for first game of the year. Like some other posters I would be concerned that we may have the weakest management team in Div. 2 with no experienced defensive coach in the set up, despite being very open defensively last year."
No defensive coach? Who are you comparing here. Name the lads in other setups that are defensive coaches, give them a chance.

199710 (Meath) - Posts: 120 - 05/01/2024 12:37:09    2518472

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Replying To Thunderstruck:  "Good squad for first game of the year. Like some other posters I would be concerned that we may have the weakest management team in Div. 2 with no experienced defensive coach in the set up, despite being very open defensively last year."
Very strong....surprising for obyrne. Only 1 debut. No cian McBride?

Jones position interesting...assuming if this works out keoghan moves to corner for league?

bert09 (Meath) - Posts: 1805 - 05/01/2024 13:02:29    2518478

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Replying To 199710:  "No defensive coach? Who are you comparing here. Name the lads in other setups that are defensive coaches, give them a chance."
It wouldn't even be a defensive coach in name. But we've a manager and 3 coaches. All were forwards in their playing days and all are from Meath and don't have experience outside Meath clubs and would seem to think very similarly and traditionally about the game. Kevin Walsh with Cork would be a defensive minded coach for example. I hope our management team are smart enough to know that principles of how they'd like the game to be played need to be sacrificed in favour of game plans that will allow you compete and win games against higher quality opposition. Time will tell on that I suppose

LeitrimRoyal99 (Meath) - Posts: 1518 - 05/01/2024 13:29:17    2518482

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Replying To LeitrimRoyal99:  "It wouldn't even be a defensive coach in name. But we've a manager and 3 coaches. All were forwards in their playing days and all are from Meath and don't have experience outside Meath clubs and would seem to think very similarly and traditionally about the game. Kevin Walsh with Cork would be a defensive minded coach for example. I hope our management team are smart enough to know that principles of how they'd like the game to be played need to be sacrificed in favour of game plans that will allow you compete and win games against higher quality opposition. Time will tell on that I suppose"
Couldn't agree more, our management team is made of forwards, the likes of Neil Mc Gee is in with Donegal, an all star defender who will provide significant guidance to young defenders, I just wonder who can provide this guidance in the Meath set up. Our defence was very porous last year I just don't see how this can change without input from a more experienced defender/defensive coach. To make the step-up i feel we need someone with the coaching background of Kevin Walsh, Paddy Tally, Donnie Buckley etc. As a Meath supporter I hope i am proven wrong.

Thunderstruck (Meath) - Posts: 469 - 05/01/2024 14:02:31    2518490

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On a more positive now I believe we have 11 players who will be playing Sigerson with Maynooth, TUD, DCU and UCD. This is excellent progress as we only had a handful a few years back

LeitrimRoyal99 (Meath) - Posts: 1518 - 05/01/2024 14:14:12    2518491

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Replying To Thunderstruck:  "Couldn't agree more, our management team is made of forwards, the likes of Neil Mc Gee is in with Donegal, an all star defender who will provide significant guidance to young defenders, I just wonder who can provide this guidance in the Meath set up. Our defence was very porous last year I just don't see how this can change without input from a more experienced defender/defensive coach. To make the step-up i feel we need someone with the coaching background of Kevin Walsh, Paddy Tally, Donnie Buckley etc. As a Meath supporter I hope i am proven wrong."
I don't think you can say if a guy was a good forward, he couldn't know anything about defending or a defensive setup. Jim Mcguinness was a midfielder so does he know little about forward or defensive play? What has Kevin Walsh really achieved? I know Galway played some dour football during his tenure but never got to an All Ireland. I thought Meath actually did improve defensively last year but I guess let's see after a few league games with full strength team back. I'd be more concerned and concentrated on forward play and score taking so maybe we do have the right people but again I won't jump to conclusions.

winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 576 - 05/01/2024 14:21:59    2518493

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Replying To Thunderstruck:  "Good squad for first game of the year. Like some other posters I would be concerned that we may have the weakest management team in Div. 2 with no experienced defensive coach in the set up, despite being very open defensively last year."
Looks like a good team! Will be really interesting to see how Jones goes at 6 - I think this could well be his best position! If it works, we could also see Flynn and Gray as a unit in the middle as the year progresses and that really sounds interesting to me! Coffey has done well with Ballinabrackey so not knocking him - I just think the other two could be the long future in midfield!

It will be interesting to see how this back unit goes - no Ronan Ryan and Keoghan on the bench. Ryan was excellent for Summerhill and for Meath last year and I am guessing he is injured. Keoghan is probably being minded a little! Adam O'Neill is a really good player and good to see him get a start. Hopefully they can keep it tight at the back!

I suspect Costello will drop out and probably leave Lynch and Moriarty up front with Lynch the closest to goal! I think Campion, McGowan, O'Connor and Costello all offer point scoring threats form outside the D and this could open things up a little inside!

Hopefully we will see a positive approach from management and team!!

Royalblufill (Meath) - Posts: 510 - 05/01/2024 15:13:44    2518501

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Replying To LeitrimRoyal99:  "It wouldn't even be a defensive coach in name. But we've a manager and 3 coaches. All were forwards in their playing days and all are from Meath and don't have experience outside Meath clubs and would seem to think very similarly and traditionally about the game. Kevin Walsh with Cork would be a defensive minded coach for example. I hope our management team are smart enough to know that principles of how they'd like the game to be played need to be sacrificed in favour of game plans that will allow you compete and win games against higher quality opposition. Time will tell on that I suppose"
100%. Principles need to be left in the car.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 05/01/2024 15:22:22    2518503

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We have a much weaker sideline than last year. Our defense was taken asunder against average teams like Offaly limerick etc. we cannot view playing and beating poor div 3, and div 4 teams as progress with any defence or indeed forward positions.
My one worry with the new sideline set up is have we any contrarian in there ? I know we had last year . The worse thing any team could have is everyone in agreement with manager. Also the lack of any real experience is worrying. And you cannot Insert an opinion of how everyone should play football in the modern game. Going man to man may work against like of Waterford and Wexford but surely we learned how crazy this was against Dublin and Derry. I hope that Colm has learned a valuable lesson and we will see a more modern set up this year. On a sad not it appears that the best full back in county won't play under current management. So we just have to move on.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 05/01/2024 15:33:40    2518507

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Replying To winatallcost:  "I don't think you can say if a guy was a good forward, he couldn't know anything about defending or a defensive setup. Jim Mcguinness was a midfielder so does he know little about forward or defensive play? What has Kevin Walsh really achieved? I know Galway played some dour football during his tenure but never got to an All Ireland. I thought Meath actually did improve defensively last year but I guess let's see after a few league games with full strength team back. I'd be more concerned and concentrated on forward play and score taking so maybe we do have the right people but again I won't jump to conclusions."
He got Galway promoted to division 1 winning a division 2 title after they were in division 2 for 5 years. He then kept them up in division 1 and got them to a league final and all Ireland semi final. Beat Mayo for the first time in championship in 8 years. Won 2 Connacht titles which they hadn't won for 8 years at that point. And made Galway a consistent respectable division 1 side again. Not to mention he brought Sligo from division 4 to division 2 and beat Galway and Mayo in the championship. Put it this way if a manager took over Meath (a former power with a big population, resources and languishing in division 2 like Galway in 2015) and within 3 years got us promoted, to a league final beating our rivals and getting to an all Ireland semi final I for one wouldn't care what style of football we played

LeitrimRoyal99 (Meath) - Posts: 1518 - 05/01/2024 16:14:01    2518511

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I hope the players are approaching the new year with a more positive frame of mind than some of our fans.

bert09 (Meath) - Posts: 1805 - 05/01/2024 18:25:12    2518530

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Replying To LeitrimRoyal99:  "He got Galway promoted to division 1 winning a division 2 title after they were in division 2 for 5 years. He then kept them up in division 1 and got them to a league final and all Ireland semi final. Beat Mayo for the first time in championship in 8 years. Won 2 Connacht titles which they hadn't won for 8 years at that point. And made Galway a consistent respectable division 1 side again. Not to mention he brought Sligo from division 4 to division 2 and beat Galway and Mayo in the championship. Put it this way if a manager took over Meath (a former power with a big population, resources and languishing in division 2 like Galway in 2015) and within 3 years got us promoted, to a league final beating our rivals and getting to an all Ireland semi final I for one wouldn't care what style of football we played"
He had excellent resources as far I remember in terms of players available to him given their underage success and Galway supporters were unhappy with the style of play and dour nature of it. I'd take what we have to be honest. Weren't they relegated from div 1 under his tenure too.

winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 576 - 05/01/2024 19:06:55    2518537

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Replying To LeitrimRoyal99:  "He got Galway promoted to division 1 winning a division 2 title after they were in division 2 for 5 years. He then kept them up in division 1 and got them to a league final and all Ireland semi final. Beat Mayo for the first time in championship in 8 years. Won 2 Connacht titles which they hadn't won for 8 years at that point. And made Galway a consistent respectable division 1 side again. Not to mention he brought Sligo from division 4 to division 2 and beat Galway and Mayo in the championship. Put it this way if a manager took over Meath (a former power with a big population, resources and languishing in division 2 like Galway in 2015) and within 3 years got us promoted, to a league final beating our rivals and getting to an all Ireland semi final I for one wouldn't care what style of football we played"
Well said

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 05/01/2024 22:16:05    2518561

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Replying To Royalblufill:  "Looks like a good team! Will be really interesting to see how Jones goes at 6 - I think this could well be his best position! If it works, we could also see Flynn and Gray as a unit in the middle as the year progresses and that really sounds interesting to me! Coffey has done well with Ballinabrackey so not knocking him - I just think the other two could be the long future in midfield!

It will be interesting to see how this back unit goes - no Ronan Ryan and Keoghan on the bench. Ryan was excellent for Summerhill and for Meath last year and I am guessing he is injured. Keoghan is probably being minded a little! Adam O'Neill is a really good player and good to see him get a start. Hopefully they can keep it tight at the back!

I suspect Costello will drop out and probably leave Lynch and Moriarty up front with Lynch the closest to goal! I think Campion, McGowan, O'Connor and Costello all offer point scoring threats form outside the D and this could open things up a little inside!

Hopefully we will see a positive approach from management and team!!"
Don't think Ronan Jones has the discipline in his game to be a good 6, he can be very wild with his decision making once he gets his hands on the ball, also dont think he has the height or aerial ability to be a good midfielder either, his best position for me is probably a defensive minded wing forward, i could be wrong but would expect that 6 position to stay with Harnan, I've heard harnan is still on the panel.


If the full back line consisted of Keoghan, Adam O'Neil and Ronan Ryan I would feel pretty good. Big question for me is can we get some consistency out of the forward group. Eoghan Frayne, Shane walsh and Jordan Morris have the potential to be top players. Matthew costello has probably been our most consistently good forward but even he could take his game to another level.

Sheridan2010louth (Meath) - Posts: 178 - 06/01/2024 13:14:05    2518613

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Replying To winatallcost:  "He had excellent resources as far I remember in terms of players available to him given their underage success and Galway supporters were unhappy with the style of play and dour nature of it. I'd take what we have to be honest. Weren't they relegated from div 1 under his tenure too."
They weren't relegated from division 1. They went up in 2017 and went down in 2021 under Paraic Joyce. And he had some good players for definite but they had been in division 2 for a few years before it and done nothing in championship. And yes people in Galway were unhappy about the style of play but I personally don't care how we play once we're winning. To win the ultimate prizes you need to be more expansive but Meath aren't in a position to contend for anything. I think it's putting the cart before the horse to worry about the style of play first. Be solid defensively, mind the ball, be hard to beat first and then expand out from that is how I would see it

LeitrimRoyal99 (Meath) - Posts: 1518 - 06/01/2024 16:32:30    2518653

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Replying To LeitrimRoyal99:  "They weren't relegated from division 1. They went up in 2017 and went down in 2021 under Paraic Joyce. And he had some good players for definite but they had been in division 2 for a few years before it and done nothing in championship. And yes people in Galway were unhappy about the style of play but I personally don't care how we play once we're winning. To win the ultimate prizes you need to be more expansive but Meath aren't in a position to contend for anything. I think it's putting the cart before the horse to worry about the style of play first. Be solid defensively, mind the ball, be hard to beat first and then expand out from that is how I would see it"
I don't think promotion to div 1 and a couple of Connaught titles counts for much at all given the players he had. And it wasn't exactly a winning style of play. Ultimately the teams that can play most expensively in moving the ball directly will be successful. Understandable that a defensive structure is important but I remember one of the complaints about his Galway teams was actually a huge number of players behind the ball but not many of them doing anything. As I mentioned, Meath appeared to improve defensively as year went on last year and expect further settlement this year.

winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 576 - 06/01/2024 21:25:47    2518712

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Replying To winatallcost:  "I don't think promotion to div 1 and a couple of Connaught titles counts for much at all given the players he had. And it wasn't exactly a winning style of play. Ultimately the teams that can play most expensively in moving the ball directly will be successful. Understandable that a defensive structure is important but I remember one of the complaints about his Galway teams was actually a huge number of players behind the ball but not many of them doing anything. As I mentioned, Meath appeared to improve defensively as year went on last year and expect further settlement this year."
Time will tell when we play divison 2 level teams. But did we improve defensively or did we just play worse teams. Our defensive was brutal in the league. Still conceded 2-14 against Antrim in the Tailteann semi. 0-14 against Down which would have been a lot more if they could shoot at all. I'd still be very fearful of our defense against top opposition. And yes the teams that are most expansive will succeed (i.e Dublin and Kerry). But success for us at the minute is becoming a division 1 team and in my opinion that means coming defensively solid first, like Monaghan, Derry, Galway, Armagh have all done. Hopefully I'm proven wrong. Good to get off to a winning start. Hopefully beat Longford and get a crack at the Dubs with a weakened team in the O'Byrne final

LeitrimRoyal99 (Meath) - Posts: 1518 - 07/01/2024 00:00:52    2518737

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Replying To LeitrimRoyal99:  "Time will tell when we play divison 2 level teams. But did we improve defensively or did we just play worse teams. Our defensive was brutal in the league. Still conceded 2-14 against Antrim in the Tailteann semi. 0-14 against Down which would have been a lot more if they could shoot at all. I'd still be very fearful of our defense against top opposition. And yes the teams that are most expansive will succeed (i.e Dublin and Kerry). But success for us at the minute is becoming a division 1 team and in my opinion that means coming defensively solid first, like Monaghan, Derry, Galway, Armagh have all done. Hopefully I'm proven wrong. Good to get off to a winning start. Hopefully beat Longford and get a crack at the Dubs with a weakened team in the O'Byrne final"
Totally agree. We were very shaky in the first half in back line. Fouling again rather than been confident in tackle. The build up to the goal was a worry . That been said when keoghan came on made a huge difference, also big shout for billy to be the keeper his kick outs and awareness to where the player was was top notch for me I'd like to see more of him in goals before league, to see if he is the no1. Hickey was wasted at midfield and really only got going in second half. That was a poor louth team and we ended up making them look that. We have to hit the ground running in league as we have the easier games early on. A win is a win and give's management a chance of another look at a few lads next Saturday. The more games we get before league the better.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 07/01/2024 10:35:57    2518768

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