Some comments on where we are as a county

1 Meath have not advanced and got to grip with modern football and tactics. But I think Andy McEntee / Colm Nally manager / coach partnershp is a more modern div 1 management team. McEntee has an excellent CV and Nally is one of the best coachs in leinster. I think we are improving and have improved especially since 2018 season on playing modern football

2 Meath have had problems at the back since Boylan retired. We have been shakey at the back for years. Last year we were strong at the back. And we have allot of quality defenders eg Keoghan and McGill.would get on every team in div 1 , leaving Dublin to one side. While Harnan, Lavin, Gallagher, Ronan Ryan are all good natural defenders. Meath have a good defence with good natural defenders. Lavin McGill and Gallagher were as good a full back line in last years championship. They are young and are improving at the back.

3 7 or 8 players returning to the panel who are proven county players will help eg Donal Lenihan , Ronan Jones, Brian Conlon , Joey Wallace , Eamon Wallace , Paddy Kennelly , Alan Forde will help the panel. While new exciting young talent like Shane Walsh , Jack O Connor , Matthew Costello , Jordan Morris , Thomas Murtagh along with last years new young talent eg James Conlon , Dara Campion and Devine all leads me to believe we will be stronger this year.

3 Its a good time for allot of our players to get promoted as they reach the peak years of 26 27 eg James McEntee 25 , Shane McEntee 25 , Cillian Sullivan 25 , Padraig Harnan , Seamus Lavin 25 , Shane Gallagher 25 , Byran McMahon 27 , Conor McGill. 26. All these player have lots of experience and many of them have improved dramaatically in the last 12 months. Lavin , Harnan , J McEntee ; Sullivan , Gallagher are all improving and can only still improve.

4 I think the problem areas of midfield and full forward line are much stronger now. Ronan Jones will return in March and for me he is best midfielder in the county. He hasnt played since 2017 in competitive game ( he was excellent v louth in the championship in 2017). Jones Was home at christmas and played v laois 2 weeks ago and was excellent. He is still only 23. Brian Conlon is one of the most atletic footballers in the county. Colm O Rourke was raving about Conlon a few years ago saying he is great prospect for Meath. Played his first game for Meath v Donegal in championship in 2017 at age 19 and he was excellent at midfield v Donegal. He was unavailable last year and for 2018 championship. He was excellent man of the match v Westmeath in Bryne cup a few weeks at midfield. He will be another option at centre field. He is still only 23
Paddy Kennelly was last on the panel 2 years ago. When he was first choice midfielder and 3 or 4man of the match performance in a row for Meath v Down , louth and Westmeath at midfield. Again he is another option we didnt have last year. He is 25. While Thomas Murtagh was excellent in club championahip playee some Byrne cup action and impressed me. He is another big powerful midfield option we didnt have last year. He is only 21. For me Brian Menton / Ronan Jones midfield with. Brian Conlon, Paddy kennelly , Thomas Murtaght and Shane McEntee ( and even Ethan Devine also could be tried at midfield) means midfield is much improved then last year with options. We also have a new goalie this year who has good long kickout and has more options to kickout to this year eg Domiic Yorke.

4 I believe the full forwars lime is much improved with 7 new inside forwards on the panel
1 Donal lenihan before he left was the best forward in Meath. He hasnt played for Meath in nearly 2 years. At 28 he is peaking as a player.
2 Shane Walsh. Best full forward in the county ans only 18. He is a proper modern full forward target man. Somerhing we havent had since Geraghty retired in 2011. Walsh is strong powerful atletic good finisher and freetaker with good hands. He also has lots of pace. He came onto panel in July and played his first ever start for Meath in super 8s v kerry. He caused havoc for kerry full back line scoribg 6 points , 3 from play. He is a serious prospect and he was only 18 last year when he caused havoc v kerry
3 Jack O Connor was top scoer in Meath club chanpionahip and he is only 19. He had a good Byrne cup and could start v Tyrone.
4 Joey Wallace has lots of experence playijng v Dubs in leinster final.at 19. Last year he was top inside forward in Meath club football leading Ratoath to county final. He is very skilful and very fast. He hasnt played for Meath for nearly 2 years. He is back and still only 24.
5 Oisin O Brien Played underage for Galway and played for Galway seniors at the start of last year. He is with Navan now and had great season with them. He scored in every game in Bryne cup as an impact sub. I can see him being used as impact sub in the league. He has got a great eye for goal. He is 27.
6 Jordan Morris. Was excellent for under 20s in their victory v Dublin recently. He is on the senior panel.and played in Bryne cup. Only 19 but an exiciting talent , hes one of these new breed of exciting Meath forwarda who can win their own ball and at 19 are ready for inter county senior football eg Shane Walsh. Morris comes from the part of county in the north of small villages that produce quality Meath inside forwards like Brian Stafford , Ollie Murphy , Brian Farrell , Ray Magee and Mickey Newman. I think he can carry on this tradition. He also can win his own ball and is strong skilful footballer for 19. Another addition to the forward line.

So for me with 4 new midfielders and 6 or 7 new inside forwards it helps our iption.

Yes we are a county stuck in the past talking about the past. But I believe we are entering s new era in Meath football a more progressive era and stronger Meath. For me the post Sean Boylan era is over (2006 to 2018. )And 2020s is a new era.

We were always going to dip after Boylan left. When a sucessful manager leaves after 2 decades in charge that team will always dip. Look at Man Utd after Ferguson left look at Arsenal after Wenger left. We didnt help things when we had 4 managers in 6 years after Boylan left and we ignored underage for ten years. And of course just as we dipped out greatest rival Dublin had unprecendented sucess. The real issue that really set Meath back atop of all of this, was the fallout from 2010 leinster final. Both counties suffered pyschologically after that final. louth yo yoed up and down the division since. While Meath were stuck in div 2 since.

The first thing it did was it broke that Meath team 07 to 11 up way to early . That Meath team.had quality forwards and had huge potential. They reached 2 All Ireland semi finals in 3 and defeated and Dublin, Tyrone , Mayo and Galway in the championship in 3 years and lost to great kerry team by 4 points in semi final. They beat great Tyrone team at their peak in championship in 07 q final. The 2010 leinater final broke that team up as we had 3 managere in 3 years and O Brien who won a leinster and got Meath to All Ireland semi final in 2 years was let go. Then O Dowd came in and dropped senior players. That team 07 to 11 had huge potential but 2010 leinster final broke it up.

But it was the pyschological damage after 2010 leinstet final that negatively impacted Meath. I feel it badly effected the morale of players and supporters. It was the last time Meath were up at top football table and it effected our pride and morale. We were called bads sportsmen and all that stuff We are very proud county. Pride are selves on maniless and a never say die spirit. 2010 it effecfed our pride and tradition. It wsnt something we could celebrate and I felt morale of supporters after 2010 dipped. Then defeats to Dublin in 2014 and 2015 v Westmeath and allot of supporters walked away from the team. Only in the last 12 months have we seen a slow but steady return of supporters.

It effected our players.I felt the players that came thru in last ten years lacked the old Meath swagger and confidence especially forwards like O Rourke Geraghty Flynn Murphy had. We always had better forwards then Dublin. We had better quality forwards then Dublin in 40s 50s and 60s. Even in the 70s our forwards were better then Dublin eg Mattie Kerrigan , Ken Rennicks and Colm O Rourke. And we had much better forwards then Dublin in 80s and 90s and even in 00s we had better forwards then Dublin. Thats was one of the reasons we were so sucessful v Dublin and had periods of dominance over Dublin that are unprecedented in GAA history.

We always seemed to have better forwards then Dublin. The same way kerry have better forwards to Cork and traditionally Galway have better forwards to Mayo. IIts only in this decade that Dublin had much superior forwards. Meath lacked quality forwards coming thru and the players lacked confidence and swaqgger of Meath players of old. I felt allot of players our lacked confidence. I felt the 2010 leinster and the fallout effected the morale and the pride and spirit of Meath footballers and supporters. Its hard to explain. But 2010 did impact negatively on the county.

However something has changed since beginning last year. Young talented Meath players are coming through in groups and making an immdiate impact , we havent seen this in years. But what I see with these players is the old swagger and confidence we havent seen from Meath players and especially forwards in years. When was the last time an 18 year old for Meath played kerry second best teams in country in the championship and 18 year caused havoc v the kerry full back line. Look at Campion also was excellent v kerry scoring a great goal. Campion was excellent v Donegal.in Ballybofey in league. Or James Conlon scoring 8 points in leinster championship before the final.at 19 and only started one game. There is a swagger and confidence about these young footballers. Many of them have never lost to Dublin at underage
When we defeated Dublin in under 20 league 2 weeks ago that was 5th time we have beaten Dublin at underage in 5vyears . Dublin were wiping the floor at underage v Meath 5 or 6 years ago. The gap has closed.

And for them young Meath forwards and players .2010 is just you tube moment. They cannot really remeber it . They were 8 or 9 years old , so they cannot understand or really have felt the raw emotions, the atmosphere, the fallout of 2010 leinster final. As the years go on playerw coming through 2010 leinser final.fades into history. It did effect us very negatively pyshcologivally as a county. But I feel that era post Boylan is over.

Just regards Meath atitude tradition is a negative issue. When we are weak it is a negative. We think we are better then certain counties. We are not. But whe. we strong it is an adavatages because we have no inferior complex or not in awe of the top teams. Our records v the top teams traditiionallly is second to none.

I am confident Meath will be much stronger in the 2020s. Meath have got their act together at underage. There is progress here. And I think this will continue and Meath kildare louth and Wicklow I expect to have a good decade at underage with the east leinaster project. For the first time in Meath football history there is work at underage which is agood as amywhere in the country. Under Seamus kenny Meath have implemented a plan that is carbon copy of what Dublin did in last ten years. Kenny says it will take 5 years before u see it impact Meath senior. Meath kildare louth and Wicklow have got more coachs and extra finance to deal.with growing population.

Dublin have had 60 plus full time coachs in last tem years. Meath and kildare had 3. In last few months Meath have 22 and so have kildare. Its not as big as Dublin but its 7 times more the full time coachs Meath used to have. That has to be massive plus on the groune. There is a plan on the ground and it is real.sign of development that Meath means business. The rebuilding of Pairc Tailteam is also a sign Meath are slowly but surely getting its act togetgher. Dublins sucess has forced counties like Meath and kildare to get thier act togeher.

Also this population explosion could be a benefit to Meath and kildare. Meath up to 2000 had a mainly rural average population. Just less then 100000 . When Meath beat Mayo in 1996 Mayo had a bigger population. Meath population has doubled to 200000 since 2000. Yes this has been negative so far as Meath footballs traditions have been diluted. However going forward it could be. a huge benefit. The south east of the county was once not strong football area and produced very few county player. From. Enfield Dunboyne Dunshauglin up to Bettystown and including Rataoth and Ashbourne. Especially rataoth and Ashblurne did not produce county players. Since 2000 Dunshaughlin , Dunboyne, Blackhall gaels and Ratoath have won their first senior club titles. Bettystown , Enfield and Ashbourne clubs will
soon follow. It now means there is no area in the county were players dont come from. North south west and now south east is a new strong football area in the county. We need to keep football alive in football heartlands but if we can tap into this new population explosion in the south east well then Meaths best days could be ahead of us.

So many things that are happening in Meath hapnenned in Dublin. Dublin got extra coachs and finances . So have Meath. Meaths is at a much smaller scale then Dublin. But it marks a substantial plus to the development of Meath football. Also Dublins sucess was built on underage. Meath are showing of progress at underage and I think that will continue. Also Dublins sucess was built on gaa popularity growing in south side suburbs since 2000 an area that was once football wasteland wg Kilmacud Crokes , Ballyboden , Cuala. Could growth in football popularitu in Meath new suburbs follow Dublins path?. Could Rataoth or Ashbournw become Ballyboden of Meath football?..Meath captain is an Ashbourne man Mentom and the iconic number 3 Meath jersey is a Rataoth man McGill . Rataoth are the county champions. This was unthinkable 15 or 20 years. Whoever taps into populatuon growth in their county of Meath kildare Louth or Wicklow could potentially have sucess even unprecendented sucess. The best days of Meath football could be ahead of us.

If you said in 2009 that within ten years Dublin would win a five in a row or Donegal would win Sam in 3 years time or if you said in 2002 that Tyrone would 3 All Irelands in next 5 years or if you said in 1990 that Donegal Derry and Down would win the next four All Irelands on each occassion you would have been laughed and your sanity questioned. Evety decade throws up surprises. Things happen that no one expected
.Maybe Down or Derry or Armagh or laois will
win Sam by 2030. Might sound impossible now but stranger thinga have happened. Football is not static counties do not go in straght lines counties do not have he same level all the time. Counties go up and down . I believe Meath is entering an upward curve.

Yes there will be ups and downs. But I belivee overall Meath will have a better 2020s then the last decade. I dont know what Meath will.actually achieve. But people should never underestimate the passion , the tradition , the spirit , the love people in Meath have for Meath gaelic football teams. Amd watching our greatest rival have unprecendented sucess will just another reason to spur Meath on. Domt underestimate the unreal.the unnatural passion for the green and gold in Meath. Meath is a great football county. It still is. Its had a bad period. But everytime we were dowm before we rose up and were. sucessful. Maybe just maybe the best days of Meath football are ahead of us. Stranger things have happened before in the gaa.

Furlong1949 (Meath) - Posts: 1067 - 20/01/2020 01:29:25    2260979

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 20/01/2020 22:31:51    2261228

Furlong1949 (Meath) - Posts: 1067 - 21/01/2020 03:39:51    2261246