Daire Rowe

MEATH teams used to make a habit of winning major trophies in Croke Park, but the Royal County had suffered a barren run of seven years - that was until Syddan clubman Daire Rowe captained the Juniors to a Leinster crown in June at the expense of Louth.

Rowe certainly led by example, topscoring for his side with five points in the 0-19 to 0-10 victory, and he hit a further 1-5 as Meath subsequently steamrolled Kilkenny 2-21 to 2-8 to reach the All-Ireland decider.

Mighty Kerry proved too strong in that game in Portlaoise, but it still proved to be a memorable occasion for Daire as he became the youngest player ever - at the age of 20 - to captain a Meath team in an all-Ireland adult final.