MEATH 1987/88
Played 11 Won 10 Drawn 1 Lost 0 Average winning margin: five points
Degree of difficulty:
Dublin were rebuilding but still made it testing in Leinster, however on the national stage there was really only Cork to armwrestle with, the side they had to beat in the final on both occasions. Rating: 7/10
Consistency:
Around for a long time as much as a good one – five Leinster titles in six years and two Leagues; completing League/ Championship double in 1988. They competed in four All-Ireland finals in five years but are perhaps best remembered for the one they did not win when a 10-game marathon to the final against Down drained them. Rating: 8/10
Discipline:
Deemed to be the hardest team in the land although time has softened their image a little. That iconic image of Mick Lyons stroking his chin after he took a Cork punch reminded us that there was a manly honesty there, too. Rating: 6/10
Strength in depth:
A different time when the emphasis on the panel was not so great, so they tended to go with who they knew and trusted. Colm Coyle could qualify as football’s first ‘impact’ sub. Rating: 4/10
Star quality:
Not the kind of team that were into swagger, but the likes of Robbie O’Malley and Mick Lyons were top notch defenders, Martin O’Connell trail-blazed for the modern wing-backs, while inside forward trio of Colm O’Rourke, Brian Stafford and Bernard Flynn tripped off the tongue, and most importantly, hopped off the ground. Rating: 7/10
Total: 32/50