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Unconsidered Royals riding high on more than good luck

In 2024, Meath footballers hardly pulled up trees. They were well beaten by Dublin in the Leinster semi-final and lost all their games in the All-Ireland round-robin. It would turn out to be Colm O'Rourke's final year in charge. Robbie Brennan, the All-Ireland winning club manager with Kilmacud Crokes, subsequently took over. A new campaign. The Royals garnered eight points from their Division 2 campaign with four wins and three losses, coming behind Monaghan and Roscommon. And then at the end of March, Joe McMahon and Martin Corey stepped down from their roles as selectors/coaches. The omens did not look good. Fast forward to the end of June and Meath are in an All-Ireland semi-final. A championship run where they have already beaten Dublin, Kerry and Galway and reached a Leinster final. Sunday's win over the Tribes saw them finish the stronger and now a date with Donegal awaits in the last four. Tough times make strong men, and Meath now appear a team transformed, even if they are still being underestimated #sundaygame 📺 — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 29, 2025 Speaking on The Sunday Game, Peter Canavan has been impressed in how Brennan's side have gone about their business since their management upheaval, saying: "The wheels could have come off the wagon back then in the middle of the league". What also pleased the two-time All-Ireland winner was how they responded to Galway's two-goal burst with ten minutes left in the Croke Park quarter-final. "Meath were six up with 15 minutes to go. Galway came back to level and then went three up. So we thought that was the bit where Meath had one their bit and played well. Galway would go on and win it. "They did not follow that script. Meath showed real character to come back in the style they did. "It was a tentative first half; it was an arm wrestle. When the game opened up and the two teams went at each other Meath weren't found wanting. "They beat Dublin, they beat Kerry, they beat Galway. It can't all be luck."