Ger Brennan fires up Louth with ‘healthy hatred' rallying cry ahead of Meath grudge match

The Irish Sun

08-05-2025

GER BRENNAN is relishing Louth's 'healthy hatred' with Meath ahead of Sunday's Leinster final.
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Louth manager Ger Brennan has issued a rallying cry to his team ahead of their Leinster final clash vs Meath
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Louth manager Ger Brennan reckons the rivalry between the counties is healthy for the game
Meath denied the
Louth's search for their first Delaney Cup since 1957 goes on, but Brennan has led them to their third provincial final in a row.
Brennan's men sealed their first championship win over Meath in 49 years in last year's All-Ireland group stages, and backed it up with a final day NFL Division 2 win in March to avoid the drop.
And the former Dubs defender knows the beef is real when it comes to the Royals.
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He said: 'I think this year, between my time in Louth this year and last year, what I have come to appreciate is that there is a very healthy hatred between Meath and Louth.
'Similar to what it was with Dublin in the 90's and that four-in-a-row back then and even as far as the 2000's between Dublin and Meath.
'It has kind of softened over the last five years with the Dublin dominance, but now there is a real kind of healthy hatred between both counties - so it is something I am feeding off myself and I am enjoying.'
And the 2010 narrative is dominating the build-up to Sunday's clash, which is set to draw well over 50,000 punters to Croke Park.
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Meath torpedoed the Dubs 5-9 to 0-13 with Brennan in their shattered defence, but the drama did not end there.
Furious scenes marred the end of the final as Sheridan's goal stood, ref Martin Sludden had to be escorted off the pitch and the Royals lifted the Delaney Cup.
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Louth fumed at the injustice and it took them 13 years to get back to the Leinster decider under Mickey Harte in 2023.
And Brennan hopes they can banish the ghosts of 2010, just as Dublin did when they claimed Sam Maguire a year later.
He said: 'I don't know how much 2010 actually does come into it for both sets of players. I think for the supporters, that's a different conversation, I would say. There's no love lost there.
'When you were playing at the time you didn't want any of them to win.
"But someone had to, and then you were so annoyed with your own performance from the semi-final that you were trying to kind of put that right.
'I think myself, Barry Cahill and Bryan Cullen were in the half back line.
"We couldn't get a handle on them and then there was a period of maybe 10 to 15 minutes where Meath just blitzed us and scored three goals.
'We couldn't get a handle on them and they just drove hard at us. That was a poor performance from Dublin that day.
'In saying it, there was probably the guts of 15 or 16 of us that played that day against Meath in 2010 that would have been involved in the All-Ireland final in 2011.
"So it was a good kick in the arse that we needed as a group.'
Dublin's dominance in Leinster lasted until Meath stunned them in Portlaoise. Louth had already done their bit against Kildare, and watched events unfold at O'Moore Park on the bus back to Dorgheda.
Some of the squad roared
Brennan won five Leinsters and two All-Ireland with the Dubs, but the capital conveyor belt has stalled - and Sunday's clash is as big as they come.
HISTORIC CLASH
He said: 'We were watching it on the team bus. The county chairman, Sean McClean, had GAA+ on his phone. We were watching the second half. Everyone was engrossed on the bus.
'Dare I say, there was probably a few Louth men cheering on Meath for 35 minutes. I remained neutral. There was great excitement on the bus coming back to Drogheda.
'I think we'd all agree that the gap has closed between the chasing pack Leinster, the Louth and Meaths of this world and Dublin, that outrageous talent that began to come as I was finishing up.
'Are those same fellas coming through? They're not, and the gap has closed. To be fair to Robbie Brennan, the way he got the lads playing against Dublin the last day, they were worthy winners.
'It doesn't bother me who we were going to play, but getting results against teams that you hadn't beaten for decades.
"And even back to my own playing time with Dublin, beating Kerry in the National League down in Fitzgerald Stadium in 2009 and then we bet them two years later in the All-Ireland final.
'So it probably does help when you break the hoodoo. I think going into this game here it will be fairly evenly matched. Both groups of players know each other quite well.
'But again that bit of confidence certainly helps. It is probably better than losing but I think the Leinster final itself will probably take on a world of its own.
'I think there will be so much at stake for both counties, the history that comes with it.'
And Brennan knows the bonus ball is a more favourable draw.
He added: 'The players are not stupid, they see these things but it's just another little carrot there on top of winning the trophy you know.
'Our lads will have seen the group for the winners and the groups for the losers and you would say that being in with a Monaghan, being in with a Down and being in with Clare is a more favourable group than the other side, so it is a bit of an extra carrot.'