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Irish Daily Mirror
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Meath great urges Royals to seize the day v Donegal after breakthrough summer
Trevor Giles is urging Robbie Brennan's Meath to seize the moment as they fight for a place in the All-Ireland SFC final. Giles left Croke Park feeling bittersweet after Meath's 25th year jubilee team celebrations last July. Delighted to have been reunited with his 1999 All-Ireland winning team-mates, the two-time Celtic Cross medal winner's spirits were dampened by the expectation that the Royals' barren championship run since then looked no closer to ending. "It was a little bit sad, leaving that day, because it's so long since we'd won the All-Ireland," said Giles. "It looked like it was going to be a while before we'd be even competing for it." The 50-year-old was still a part of Colm O'Rourke's backroom team that put an emphasis on youth and a long-term plan to get Meath back into championship contention. But Robbie Brennan replaced O'Rourke in September and Giles is made up by the sensational progress made by the panel in reaching the All-Ireland semi-finals for the first time in 16 years. Now that they've made it to the last four, the Skryne man hopes that the Royals will produce the performance of a red-letter summer that has already yielded victories over Dublin, Kerry and Galway. "The Meath lads would know this, it's a massive opportunity on Sunday," Giles stressed. "No guarantee you'll get back there next year. The championship this year, games have been so close. There's teams that just haven't gotten this far - Mayo, Down, Monaghan, Louth and more - really good teams that lost narrowly. "The next few years are going to be equally competitive and tight, so you just have to make the best of your opportunity. That's to the older lads who've been starved of success and the young lads who are just new to this - they have to make the most of this opportunity Sunday. "I think Meath didn't mind who they got in the draw, I'd say they're bouncing into training every night. So, the height of respect for Donegal, but Meath are just on a bit of a roll and they're going to have a good support behind them. And I expect Meath to play well. "The unknown is how Donegal will play. If they hit the heights of the second half against Monaghan and against Louth, they have a decent chance of winning." Giles only faced Donegal once in the championship as a player, the 2002 qualifier won by a Tir Chonaill side that featured Jim McGuinness in it. He recalls that Meath came close to a goal at the death that would have clinched victory but acknowledges that Donegal have had the whip hand over the Royals for a long time now, including last year's league game in Ballybofey that was a cruise for the home side. "All these teams, they don't underestimate Meath but their most recent memories are of beating Meath easily," he said. "I always felt when I was playing, if you were afraid of your opposition, if you thought they could beat you, well, that brought out the best in you. "So that's just a tricky bit for Donegal. I wouldn't say they really fear Meath - they'll respect them and won't underestimate them, but it leaves Meath as a dangerous opponent." Giles admits the buzz around the county mirrors the excitement felt in the championship-winning years of 1996 and '99. And he mentions the full double-decker bus that will be heading from Skryne to Croker on Sunday for the showdown with Donegal. In one way it's even better, he states, given the hugely positive impact of the FRC's rules making it the best championship he can remember. "It's grand saying this is bonus territory, but you have to make the most of the opportunity," Giles said. "Donal Keogan never played in an All-Ireland semi-final, Bryan Menton, Seamus Lavin, they're going to be taking this as their last opportunity and they'll be putting everything into it, and the young lads are the same. So, bonus territory, but you need to grasp the opportunity." Trevor Giles was part of AIB's media day ahead of the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-finals and Tailteann Cup final.
RTÉ News
09-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Meath on a wonderful journey after Robbie Brennan's quick fix
In 2015, the former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger spoke about pre-match nerves, stating that "football is not mathematics". If it were "logical", it would not be so universally popular, explained the Frenchman, while marvelling at the assertion that it is "completely unpredictable". I think we all agree that on any given day anything can happen, no matter what the code. The exploits of the underdog leaving the warm-order fancy and pundits in a state of perplexity will always be noteworthy. Championship 2025 has provided a few tales of the unexpected, most notably Dublin eliminating Limerick from the Liam MacCarthy race. Tipperary, in reaching Sunday week's hurling decider, was also a bolt we didn't see coming. Liam Cahill's side a year or two ahead of schedule, you could say, but their participation on the big day is fully merited. That mix of old and new in sweet harmony under Cahill's stewardship. And what of football, now free from the straitjacket that threatened to render it an irrelevance. A new game thriving amid a flurry of hurling-type scorelines. But would we have any new pretenders to the throne? Football's bolter in 2025, giving their place in the All-Ireland semi-final, is Meath, this after years when a sense of predictability was the case at the business end. There have been exceptions. Fermanagh, Wexford and Tipperary all reaching the penultimate stage when least expected. But Meath sit in a different category. The exploits of Peter McDermott, 'the Man in the Cap' were to the fore as the county claimed its first All-Ireland in 1949. The Royals were now a force, gaining a reputation as a 'hardy' outfit. They went on to win Sam again in 1954 and 67, before the Dubs cast a shadow over them in the 1970s. That said they would often be a handful for Heffo's men, with Colm O'Rourke's penalty miss in the 1976 Leinster final proving costly, a defining moment in the early career of the Skryne legend. "From that day on I was obsessed with beating Dublin in a Leinster final and preferably by a point which I would score in the last minute," O'Rourke would subsequently write in his autobiography 'Final Whistle'. The Royals in time lowered the colours of the Dubs in the provincial decider. O'Rourke would not kick the winning point but made a telling contribution. This was Meath under Seán Boylan. The man the county board turned to just months after Longford sent them packing in Leinster. The herbalist from Dunboyne, the hurling man made Meath relevant again. All-Irelands followed; Dublin-Meath games were now box-office and a new rivalry with Cork was born. Meath's hardy reputation remained. You could add robust to their lexicon. Boylan's reign was lengthy, 23 years in fact. A hard act to follow. And while a couple of All-Ireland semi-final appearances followed in 2007 and '09, along with that controversial Leinster final win in 2010, Meath's stock was on the wane. Managerial coming and goings were regular and they even went outside the county in giving Seamus 'Banty' McEnaney a go. In late 2022, they turned to one of their all-time greats, the aforementioned Colm O'Rourke. An appointment that perhaps should have been made some 20 years earlier? O'Rourke would deliver the Tailteann Cup in his first year, this after narrowly avoiding relegation to Division 3. Mixing it with big boys in the quest for Sam Maguire in 2024 yielded no advancement, with Dublin beating them by 16 points in the Leinster semi-final. There would be no third year at the helm for O'Rourke. He stepped down after believing he was not in a position to announce replacements for outgoing selectors Barry Callaghan and Stephen Bray in time for a deadline set by the Meath board. From where we are now it is interesting to note O'Rourke's comments on the state of Meath football in the aftermath of that provincial loss to the Dubs. "It was a stark reality check for them to see how far they have to go, just in case anyone was losing the run of themselves," he told the waiting reporters at Croke Park. "We haven't closed the gap on Dublin at all. But these players are ambitious and they are willing to work hard and, as I keep saying, a lot of them are very young and lacking experience. "There is no quick fix on Meath football. It is not as if we have been dominating – and I have made the point before – at under-20 or 21 level. We haven't been in a final for 20-something years, or a senior club final in Leinster in over 20 years. It's not as if we have this vast pool of highly qualified winners out there that we can just draft in to the team." O'Rourke had a definite timeframe in mind, when adding: "We have set ourselves on a course of action on a team that we knew was not going to be properly competitive in the short-term, but in the belief that within two to five years that this group will form the backbone of the Meath team for a continuous period of time and they would be a lot better then." Enter Robbie Brennan. Meath are now a lot better than that showing on 14 April last year. Brennan, the former All-Ireland winning manager with Kilmacud Crokes, has overseen quite a rise in the county's fortunes. Would many have predicted that Meath would be involved in an All-Ireland semi-final? No, would be the honest answer. And yet here we are, with Donegal next up for Brennan's side in Sunday's last-four encounter. 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. Defeating Dublin, Kerry and Galway in any championship year would be applauded. And that's what Meath have achieved with a style and a verve that's in marked contrast to recent seasons. There is no shortage of grit either, as typified by their finish against the Tribesmen at a point in the game where we thought they may not summon up another response. Ruairí Kinsella, Mathew Costello, Jordan Morris, and Eoghan Frayne have led the line brilliantly. Full-time: Galway 2-15 Meath 2-16 Scenes of celebration for Meath as they book their spot in the All-Ireland SFC semi-final 📱 Updates - — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 29, 2025 Meath are back alright and did not allow that Leinster final loss to Louth derail their season. Robbie Brennan's fast-tracking of the Royals is one of the managerial accomplishments of recent times, proving that there was a quick fix in the county. He said his players "could run all day" following the win over Galway. A team with momentum. Donegal to provide another test of Meath's credentials, another indicator of how far they have travelled. A lot more to admire apart from being hardy and robust. Watch the All-Ireland Football Championship semi-finals with RTÉ Sport. Kerry v Tyrone on Saturday from 4.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player and Meath v Donegal on Sunday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow live blogs on and the RTÉ News app. Listen to commentaries on RTÉ Radio 1. Watch highlights on The Sunday Game at 10.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
Irish Independent
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Meath leave it late to see off Tribesmen
Meath's season at this level seemed to be at an end when Galway led 2-16 to 2-11 after 54 minutes. The Tribesmen then had an opportunity to put the game out of sight when Jeaic O Cualain rounded keeper Charlie Finnegan but saw his rocket of a shot rebound off the underside of the crossbar to safety a minute later. That was a fortunate let-off for the hosts who then made the most of their good fortune with a spirited revival in the closing minutes. That comeback was started by Charlie Gallagher with the big midfielder pointing on 56 minutes. The Dunboyne club man, son of former senior intercounty keeper David, then hit two wonderful two-pointers to draw the sides' level and match-winner Byrne spurned a chance before lofting over the decisive score. It was end to end stuff throughout with both sides' enjoying spell of dominance and nothing between the teams at half-time despite Meath pouncing for a brace of goals. The opening goal arrived from St Colmcille's Cillian Murphy after seven minutes following good approach play involving Tadhg Foley and Declan Byrne. That left Meath leading 1-2 to 0-2 but it was back level at 1-3 to 0-6 following a point from Oisin O Neachtain on 17 minutes. Meath struck for a second goal when wing back Foley set up Sean Smyth and the Skryne man produced a great finish from an acute angle to the corner of the net. That left the hosts five clear but with Barry Keating hitting his second two-pointer from a free and adding another one from play to take his tally to eight for the half Galway were back level 0-12 to 2-6 at the break. The Connacht outfit were ahead twice in the early stages of the second half before Charlie Gallagher's opening two-pointer left it 2-9 to 0-14 after 38 minutes. However, by the end of the third quarter Galway were back in front after Jeaic O Cualain and Keating combined to set up Ryan Connolly for a well taken goal. Sean Smyth who had an impressive outing had the sides' back level in the early stages of the final quarter. The visitors took control for a spell after that and seemed to be finishing the stronger of the two sides' with Ciaran O'Donnell and Cillian O'Toole both pointing and substitute Joey Cullinane adding a second Galway goal. Then came that miss from O Cualain which would have left the game beyond Meath's reach and that gave Meath the opportunity which they grabbed with both hands. ADVERTISEMENT Meath: Charlie Finnegan; Conal Sheridan, Conall O'Sullivan, Glen Callaghan; Tadhg Foley, Eoghan McBrearty, Niall Lawless; Declan Byrne, Charlie Gallagher 0-7 (3 2p); Will Byrne 0-2, Cillian Murphy 1-1, Sean Delaney 0-1; Adam McEvoy 0-1f, Sean Smyth 1-3 (1f), Stephen Cahill 0-2. Subs: Max Condon for Foley (h-t), Jesse O'Rourke for McEvoy (46), Charlie O'Connor for Sheridan (48), Robbie Johnson for Delaney (53), Bobby Gaffney for Byrne (56). Galway: Evan Burke; Eoin Gannon, Evan Cunningham, Conor Winston; Cathal Heavey 0-1, Jeremiah J Oifoh, Cillian O'Toole 0-1; Andrew Kehoe, Cian Hynes 0-1; Ciaran O'Donnell 0-2, Ryan Connolly 1-1, Oisin O Neachtain 0-1; Jeaic O Cualain, Dara Costello 0-1, Barry Keating 0-8 ( 1 2pf, 1 2p). Subs: Gavin Curran for Kehoe (36), Joey Cullinane 1-0 for O Neachtain (46), Cillian McPhillips for Costello (48), Adam Healy for Connolly (56).
