“Just as quickly as it started, the firing stopped, and a terrible silence hung over the valley. A lone figure lay on the roadside, in the drizzling August rain. A hurried, whispered act of contrition and the firing breaks out again”. If you are a long time supporter of this space, thank you, firstly, but, you will possibly recognise the preceding lines. They are part of the citation at the beginning of Michael – the most beautiful ballad dedicated to the memory of Michael Collins. Who, in all probability, met his demise at the hands of some of his own. Vexed by the fact that he had accepted ‘conditions of sale’, though unpalatable, deemed necessary for the greater good.
The basic gist of the above ode was to the forefront of thoughts watching Meath limply leave Championship 2024 behind them. Like a candy wrapper caught in an updraft, nobody is too sure how it ended up there, nor will they devote too much time to finding out what happens to the cast-off thereafter. Now take your mind back to mBeal Na Blaith, on Sunday at Kingspan Breffni, it was a similar scenario for Meath.
Just as quickly as their admittedly rousing salvation attempt had taken hold it dissipated. Meaning that, akin to the gunfire in Cork over a century ago, the rest of the GAA world may have paused for a few seconds to take note of the development, but, soon enough, things will carry on without Meath as if they were never there.
A situation that is maddeningly familiar at this stage. Though not as infuriating as the predictable twaddle calling for the manager to go within seconds of full time. No, I am not just defending because of who is involved. The same odious dung was being flung around in relation to every manager we’ve had since Sean. And indeed regarding the great man himself near the end. Though in at least three of the cases it could just as easily by said the incumbents were shafted because their faces didn’t fit.
Anyway, without giving anything away, I began my Meath Chronicle piece this week by quoting the opening lines of Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay’ by Otis Redding. Inference being that – with the exception of our lady footballers – the Meath GAA fraternity will have to find another means of watching the time roll away.
In my case, for the short term at least, that will mean waiting for a meadow of hay. Three of them in fact. They’re fit to cut this minute, but there’s just the small matter of needing the weather to play ball. Mind you, even if it doesn’t, there is the option of baling it as silage and wrapping it.
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In other words, there’s more than one way to get things done. So, initially at least, there would have been no immediate panic when Monaghan opened up a three point lead from the off. Courtesy of Jack McCarron (two) and Micheal Bannigan.
A fine solo effort from Cillian O’Sullivan eventually opened Meath’s account in the 11th minute and as is often the way in these situations, the score gave the green and gold a much needed shot of impetus. On foot of which points followed from Mat Costello (three) before our lads took advantage of Rory Beggan’s idiotic nonsense when effecting a turnover and stitching together a brilliant move involving Conor Gray, Jordan Morris and Costello at the end of which Cathal Hickey rolled the ball into an empty net as Beggan gasped back with his tongue hanging out like a labrador in vain pursuit of a postman!
Seconds later came the first major refereeing error which, as is all too familiar, was not to Meath’s benefit. Havlng constructed an almost identical move to that which resulted in Hickey’s goal, it appeared there was going to be a repeat performance. Only this time with Adam O’Neill on the end of it.
But just when it appeared he was about to send the dramatically performative umpire for the green flag again, the Wolfe Tones clubman was taken out of it from behind. Thus, not only should it have been a penalty for the denial of a clearcut goal scoring opportunity, the guilty party would’ve been well entitled to have been bequeathed a black card.
But no dice. Instead, buoyed by having been looked kindly upon by their neighbouring whistler, it was Vinny Corey’s team who concluded the half the stronger, via points from Bannigan (two) and full back Killian Lavelle.
All of which meant Meath started the second half one adrift (1-04 to 0-08), but, whereas it was they who required the sprightly start, it was instead the men from the Stony Grey Soil who attained it. The impressive Stephen O’Hanlon, Jason Irwin and Andrew Woods augmenting the contributions of Bannigan and McCarron. Meaning that those who had begun the day as 2/5 shots with the odds compilers bolted into a 1-16 to 1-07 lead.
Then, however, something of the old Meath DNA sparked. Ronan Jones and James Conlon provided a lift off the bench – and four scores between them – as Costello, Eoghan Frayne and custodian Billy Hogan all pointed, to leave the lads from Kavanagh country with their backsides dangling over the bacon slicer. Alas, a Mat Costello effort which was smartly stopped by Beggan was as near as Meath got to plundering the goal needed to sway the tie back in their direction.
However, in all honesty, it would’ve amounted to a cataclysmic capitulation had Monaghan not held on. So it’s only natural that there will now be a period of reflection and pondering at the end of any campaign. But, as was mentioned in this column last week, there may be a decision to be made.
When Colm took the job, the arrangement was a three year term with a review after two. Presumably, said evaluation will now take place. At the end of which it boils down to this – is there trust and belief in the current entourage to continue what they’ve started or do some genuinely feel that a change at the helm would hasten our return to where it’s perceived we should be?
I simply cannot concur. Not out of any reservations about the individual most likely to assume the reins when the time does come. Not at all in fact. Merely out of a belief that it wouldn’t matter who was at the helm, this team still has a journey to go in its evolution. Now, within seconds of the full time whistle the predictable twaddle calling for Colm’s head on a plate. Just as was the case with Andy McEntee and Mick O’Dowd and Seamus McEnaney and Eamonn O’Brien and Colm Coyle and even towards the end of Sean’s time.
Which would lead one to wonder had any of them heard of Einstein’s theory that the definition of stupidity is repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome. Yes, it’s a different world now, where everybody wants everything done yesterday, but, it has to count for something that both Sean Boylan and Alex Ferguson were in situ in roles which became legendary for quite a while before finding the silver at the end of the rainbow.
Mind you, that is not to say there aren’t questions which will hang over to be asked in the aftermath of the season’s conclusion. Absolutely there are. Prior to Sunday last, exactly why Sean Brennan had fallen so out of favour would have been top of any such sheet coming from this corner.
However, in the interest of fairness here, let it be stated that, in the land Paddy Reilly came back to, Billy Hogan had his finest hour between the posts for the county to date. Right, there was one hairy kickout that led to a point for Monaghan’s Stephen O’Hanlon, but anybody queuing up to lambast the Longwood lad for that, just be mindful that Stephen Cluxton once drew out and planted an Armagh opponent with a box at a time when All Ireland semi final was still very much in the melting pot.
Though the following may appear to directly contradict at least some of what went before it, the longer the game went on in Cavan, the more assured Billy the kid looked. Truth be told, we are very lucky to have two custodians of such quality with the senior panel at present.
That said, it would be difficult not to feel a little for Billy’s brother, Harry, who appears to have been frozen out of the picture. A bit like a certain other undervalued Harry in another Royal family.
With up and coming ‘keepers Oisin McDermott, Brayden Colfer and Cillian Murphy waiting in the wings, it’s one area there should be no worries about that particular area for a long time to come.
Of course, hope and expectation would be that, thanks to the magnificence of our U-20 footballers this year, there should be a steady flow of new talent coming on stream for the seniors in the very near future. Indeed, one could even deem it a reason for criticism that only Jack Kinlough and Brian O’Halloran were added to the seniors. Even though John O’Regan was also part of that set up last term and Liam Kelly, Sean O’Hare, Charlie O’Connor, Shaun Leonard and Jamie Murphy could certainly have had something to offer.
That’s only a matter selection opinions though. I would like to know why certain, well, more experienced players were seemingly let go. Foremost among them Shane and James McEntee, Jack Flynn, Diarmuid Moriarity, Harry Hogan, Thomas O’Reilly, Eoin Harkin and Seamus Lavin. The latter being drafted into the panel late on and then not seeing a second’s game time.
That’s all under the one banner, but, perhaps another conundrum bordering on worry is the following question – do we have a preferred style of play? In other words are we a long ball team or one which is more prone to at least attempt to prosper by suffocating the life out of opposition with swarm defence and then intending to break up the field at pace?
In attempting to answer that myself, it became apparent that, in fact, it would be more accurate to attest that Meath, currently, are neither the chicken nor the egg. I would be of the view that the best football played in the O’Rourke era to date was in fact in the very first league match away to Cork. When, with Shane Walsh hitting 1-7, the Royals chalked up 3-14.
Ironically, though, it was also on that day that one of the recurring foibles of the current incarnation raised its unhelpful head. That of conceding big totals. On that occasion, it was 0-19, a plethora of which were accrued via Steven Sherlock frees. A week later, Clare put 0-16 on them, when only the conversion of four admittedly well constructed goals saved their day.
Above all else, though, what Meath missed more than anything this season was a modicum of luck. Consider the following: Ciaran Caulfield’s shot against Cavan hitting the post, which would have given them the win and therefore left them on the cusp of the promotion Colm O’Rourke so desperately craves. Or Sean Buglar’s goal for Dublin being allowed to stand despite the fact that he had three times the permitted quota of steps.
Or what about the ball coming down off the post from a Sam Mulroy point attempt and falling kindly into the Craig Lennon’s lap before he buried his second ‘major’ in Inniskeen. And then, to round off the sequence of the sporting Gods conspiring against us, Adam O’Neill being done out of a stonewall penalty at a time when Meath were all over Monaghan like flies round a fresh dung
But, of course, the gent with the whistle took absolutely no notice because he was more intent on giving Corey’s crew frees that were like that washing detergent – soft and gentle. Still, the truth, unpalatable though it may be is that this season has been a sobering exhibition of where we currently reside in the overall scheme of things. Having being soundly beaten by Armagh and Donegal, any Div. 1 opposition we encountered and the two most improved teams in the country – Louth and Cork.
There have, to be fair, been intermittent signs of progress, but there’s no magic wand to get us back where it’s perceived we should be.
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