Meath class of ‘88 stirred bitter debate in the media
MEATH’S 1988 ALL-IRELAND TRIU MPH -AND THE FURORE THAT FOLLOWED
THERE were triumphs and tribulations, confrontations and controversy, and they were public enemy number one to those living outside the Royal County.
That was the all-conquering Meath team of the late 1980s, winners of two All-Ireland titles, an NFL and numerous provincial crowns.
They matched skill with steel when the need arose and they had both in abundance. Some had reputations to such an extent that one wondered how they had such an affable manager as Sean Boylan.
It was a great time for supporters as the county produced some of the best players ever to grace the game. Their battles with their greatest rivals Dublin were legendary and there was rarely a dull moment. Cork came close behind in that rivalry and there wasn’t much love lost there either.
It is not certain when the ‘Mean Meath Machine’ phase was first coined, but it could well be after the 1988 final replay as 14-man Meath toppled Cork for the second year in succession to put back-toback All-Ireland titles together and become the first county to win the new Sam Maguire.
The teams had drawn 0-12 to 1-9 three weeks earlier in a game that the Leesiders should have won. Teddy McCarthy had a Cork goal after just two minutes. The Munster champions opened up a three-point lead at one stage in the second half but were hauled back level.
Then on the stroke of 70 minutes Larry Tompkins converted a long-range free to put Cork in front.
Meath quickly went in search of an equaliser and got it following a dubious foul on David Beggy. Cork protested vehemently before Brian Stafford calmly stroke the ball over the bar from in front of the posts in the last action of the game.
Meath had played poorly and survived. They had allowed their opponents dictate proceedings, but the failure of the Cork attack to convert chances proved their undoing.
Ahead of the replay the general opinion in the county was that Meath would not be bullied second time around and that is the way it panned out.
There hasn’t been too many more controversial deciders since and the game was a hot topic on the airwaves and the newspapers for days and weeks afterwards, with opinions heavily divided to the merits of Meath’s success.
This was not a game for the faint-hearted, on or off the pitch, and Gerry McEntee made an early statement in what was a bruising encounter. The Nobber clubman connected with Niall Cahalane, flooring the Cork defender in the process, right in front of referee Tommy Sugrue.
That led to a brief scuffle involving several players and after order was restored the midfielder received his marching orders.
That was the catalyst for some hefty exchanges and Meath showed remarkable grit, determination and no little skill as they battled against the odds to emerge victorious on a 0-13 to 0-12 scoreline.
As a spectacle the game was a poor advertisement for an All-Ireland final, being littered by far too many stoppages and niggling fouls.
There was much to admire about Meath’s play, however, in the face of adversity. Their neversay-die attitude and willingness to work for each other paid rich dividends.
Brian Stafford top-scored for the winners with seven points, while Colm O’Rourke hit three and there was a man-of-the-match display from Martin O’Connell, with Bob O’Malley not far behind.
Cork only managed four points from play, with eight of their scores coming from Larry Tompkins frees.
However, the battle left a sour taste and the bitterness continued after the final whistle. There were many who felt that Meath had ‘gone too far’ in their pursuit of glory and a headline in one of Monday’s newspapers stated ‘sportsmanship was on its deathbed’.
There were allegations that Cork player Larry Tompkins was struck on the back of the head by a supporter following the final whistle, while there was also an exchange of words between McEntee and Tompkins. The
Cork forward was one of a number of Leeside players who failed to attend the after-match reception for the competing teams the following day.
At that function in Kilmainham GAA, president John Dowling added fuel to the fire by referring to some of the incidents in the match.
The president told the gathering that he was not happy with some of the happenings in the final.
‘I will not deal with that here, I will deal with it at the appropriate time and place,’ the Offaly man said.
That sparked a witch-hunt by some sectors of the media for a time as they called for an investigation into some of the incidents. Meath County Board was eventually fined £1,000 for not naming the supporter who allegedly struck Tompkins.
Calm was eventually restored - that was until someone in Meath decided to invite the GAA president to a function to present the All-Ireland medals later in the year.
Jack Boothman, Meath’s best loved Wicklow man, was there to present the provincial medals and the atmosphere was jovial with the Leinster Council chairman.
When it came to the All-Ireland medals presentation by John Dowling, there seemed to be a reluctance on the part of captain Joe Cassells before he eventually went up on the podium.
However, two members of the winning team - Gerry McEntee and Liam Harnan - failed to step forward when their names were called.
This was seen as a snub and a protest to the remarks that the president had made in the aftermath of the All-Ireland final. It caused huge controversy when the news eventually broke, but Dowling refused to comment afterwards, stating that the affair was closed.