Breakthrough sides need help
MEATH’S breakthrough win in the Leinster Championship qualifier group last weekend brought me back to my time as the county’s hurling manager.
We had a memorable win against Laois in 2002 – my first year in charge.
At that stage, we were operating in Division 1 and that was a testing experience.
The players worked so hard that first year. After beating Laois, we later faced Offaly in the qualifiers. It was close with 10 minutes to go before my old team-mate Johnny Dooley came on as substitute in Navan and scored three points to put the match to bed. Up until then I was thinking ‘Are we really going to do it?’
We organised a team holiday and the players went to Lanzarote that winter, but, surprisingly, some didn’t return to the squad the following year.
There was always a lot of pressure on players with club football commitments and I was struck by that lack of belief to come back.
There was on-going hassle over fixtures and player availability, underlining the difficulty for those counties trying to breakthrough.
Things slipped a bit and here Meath are, 15 years later, looking like they have laid solid foundations.
Kerry beat Offaly in last year’s League, so to beat them was a big deal for Meath. It makes today’s game against Laois a huge one.
They have the traditional hurling clubs, they have the numbers and facilities. Can they take it to the next level?
Can we make a Dublin out of it? That’s how the GAA should see it. Fifteen years ago Dublin hurling was in a decent state but not really going anywhere. Now look at them.