REGAN: NO MORE YO-YO
JACK REGAN is desperate for Meath to return to the Joe McDonagh Cup — and to stay there this time.
The Royal County captain wants to shed their ‘yo-yo’ reputation and to become seriously competitive again.
Meath are favourites to collect a third Ring Cup since 2016 at Croke
Park.
They beat Derry in the group stage with a gutsy win in Owenbeg when down to
14 men for the second half.
But even a piece of silverware won’t satisfy attacker Regan, who wants to push on to bigger things under Seoirse Bulfin.
“The last time we won the Ring Cup in 2019, we went up to the Joe McDonagh,” said Regan (pictured). “We stayed up in 2020 and were beaten by Down in the first round in 2021.
“But we went on to play Kerry and beat them by five or six points and actually nearly got to the Joe McDonagh final that year. We lost out on score difference.
“We played a relegation play-off the following week against Kildare and probably put in one of our best performances I’ve seen from a Meath team.
“It’s about trying to get back to that point and to push on, or to maintain it for a couple of years.
“You don’t want to be known as the yo-yo team are going up and back down, up and back down.”
Regan is confident that Limerick native Bulfin is the right man to lead the Royals’ revival.
Titles
Bulfin made his name as Davy Fitzgerald’s coach, winning AllIreland and National League titles with Clare and a Leinster title with Wexford.
“He’s brought a professionalism that I probably thought I’d never see around the place,” added Regan.
“The effort and the work all the lads are putting in is second to none. In years gone by, collective gym sessions, they weren’t really collective gym sessions because there was no real buy in to them.
“But I don’t think I was at a gym session this year where there were less than 29, 30 lads.”
Kiltale man Regan has excelled from both placed balls and in open play, blasting 1-46 in the campaign.
His hope is that they can replicate the Round 3 win over Derry.
“Going in at half-time against Derry that day, we had only 14 men,” said Regan.
“In the first two or three minutes of the second-half, they got a penalty and a free and a point from play.
“We could have easily just reverted into our shells and said, ‘Sure we gave it a go, it didn’t work out’.
“But we got our teeth stuck into it and we dug out a result.
“It was probably one of the best Meath performances I was ever involved in, the most heart and guts I saw to get us over the line.”