Pride, passion, commitment.. we’ve got our old Meath back
I HAVE nowhere else to start but with the drama that unfolded in Navan on Sunday.
As a sports journalist and commentator you tend to steer clear of your own county but not so on a snowy, dreary, cold day to play football.
And that’s where the negatives stop. What a remarkable advertisement for Gaelic football in the most horrendous conditions – an outstanding endorsement for our amazing amateur players.
The sheer effort, workrate, honesty and commitment from both sets of players in Meath’s last-gasp win over Kildare was nothing short of heroic.
The collisions, the physicality, the never-say-die attitude, the intensity was all breathtaking.
And the atmosphere and tension generated by the big crowd was something befitting of any big final anywhere. I kid you not.
In Meath, we have huffed and puffed for a number of years and must face up to the reality of that.
But to be among that crowd on Sunday and see them playing with proper steel was so satisfying.
To witness that raw Meath aggression play out to the very end was so important for the players and the supporters.
When you go to matches as a past player, to commentate and to write columns on games, it’s easy to lose what you are, what you were and what you feel deep down.
l can honestly say I’ve always fought hard against that – yet you have to be honest and true to where you are as a county. At times, one or two past managers got upset with me or took exception to my honest appraisals of them and the team.
But l firmly believe we are now at a point of real progression in Meath.
The main reason for that is at long last the players and management are going back to what once made us great – brutal honesty and savage commitment.
The players are now going for balls as if their lives depended on it.
And I’m certain that names such as Lavin,
Mcgill, Ryan, Keoghan,
Gallagher, Mcentee,
Brennan, Campion,
O’reilly, Devine and
Conlon will become more familiar over the next few years.
Andy Mcentee divides opinion in
Meath but one thing he has to be admired for is that he has stuck to his guns.
He basically believes if you are not going to completely dedicate yourself to being a Meath player you better stay away.
Last Sunday the players and management team stood tall and put real pride and passion back in a jersey that had been missing those vital ingredients.
Division 1 football for the first time in 13 years? Now that would be real progress!
We are now at a point of real progression in Meath