Meath nail great team goal with appointment of former King Cole

Take yourself back more than three decades. A different world. One which still hadn’t been blessed with – or blighted by if you prefer – the whole online, instant world. Now read on…

Back then, even from a local perspective, we waited for the Weekender – Lord rest its gentle soul – on a Tuesday evening, the Meath Chronicle on a Wednesday evening and the three times daily farming and sports updates on LMFM radio with Nicholas Duff and the late, great Brendan Cummins respectively.

In a national sense, the ‘music’ radio stations might have given five minutes sports bulletins every couple of hours while RTE Radio One had sporting updates twice a day unless there was a major international event going on.

Yes there has always been Saturday and Sunday Sport programmes on the radio but, with regard to, say, what was going on in club competitions around the country, the dulcet tones of the late Sean Og O’Ceallachain at 11:04pm every Sunday night were an essential ingredient to staying informed. Therein were fueled the topics of conversations around breakfast tables and in canteens nationwide. Or indeed around the globe.

‘Did you see Nemo Rangers were knocked out in Cork’ or ‘Ballyhale have to go to a replay down in the Marble City’. And it all began with Sean Og’s “Go mBeannai Dia daoibh a chairde Gael agus sin iad na priomh-torthai cluichi inniu”

“May God bless you my Gaelic friends and here are the main match results today”.

Thus the ritual would begin, each of the 32 counties in order and then London, for example, “Co Meath: Senior Football Championship, Group A, Round 3 – Summerhill, the holders, 3-24; St Peter’s, Dunboyne, 1-14. Group B, Round 3 – Dunshaughlin/Royal Gaels 4-13; Gaeil Colmcille 2-13. On it would roll until every result submitted by each Co Board P.R.O. got its bit of airtime.

However, reason for mentioning the legendary late broadcaster was that, on occasion, if there were major GAA announcements expected in the upcoming week, they would also be flagged up during the Newcastlewest native’s bulletin. As in, Sean Boylan is expected to be reappointed unopposed as Meath manager on Monday night.

That admittedly old fashioned but missed way of doing things came  back to mind recently when news of the appointment of Mick Cole as Meath senior hurling manager was confirmed on Tuesday evening. Not only because it’s not all that long ago an interested party would have had to wait until either the Tuesday or Wednesday evening in the local papers to find out such things from the Co Board meeting.

Also, however, out of recalling how difficult it often was to get coverage of the fortunes of Meath hurling team in the national media during a lot of the years Mick would have hurled with the county.

Even when they did pull off noteworthy achievements such as defending Offaly and Wexford in the NHL and drew with Dublin.

Thankfully, due to advances in technology and the marked improvement of things in the county from a hurling perspective that is not the case any longer. Due to the undying passion by and efforts of disciples of the small ball code in the Royal County.

The fruits of which have, it must be said, delivered a Nicky Rackard and three Christy Ring Cup titles and a National League promotion since 2014.

So, what sort of setup, player -wise is the incoming boss inheriting? Well, between coaching roles with his native Rathmolyon, his adopted home club, Na Fianna and previous Jubilee Cup (Meath SHC) winners Ratoath and Kildalkey, the three time Jubilee winner himself more than has his finger on the pulse of Meath hurling.

Not to mention the fact that at least two of his nephews should and in all likelihood will be in the mix for selection when it comes to those fielding in the McNamara Feeds green jerseys.

What will be even more important though will be to see if Mick and whoever he brings with him as fellow mentors can coax back some of the fine hurlers who turned their backs on the inter county game whilst the previous regime was in situ.

Including but not limited to Sean Quigley, James and Padraig Kelly, Jacksie Regan, Nicky Potterton, Evan Fitzgerald and Shane Whitty back to the fold.

Any or all of the above would be massive boosts to the prospect of the new management team achieving what should be possible with the resources there are in the county.

At the very least, appointing somebody of the respect and standing with the hurling fraternity as is Mick Cole it should get everyone pulling in the same direction. Which, drastic though it might seem would be progress in itself.