Meath on a wonderful journey after Brennan's quick fix

In 2015, the former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger spoke about pre-match nerves, stating that "football is not mathematics".

If it were "logical", it would not be so universally popular, explained the Frenchman, while marvelling at the assertion that it is "completely unpredictable".

I think we all agree that on any given day anything can happen, no matter what the code. The exploits of the underdog leaving the warm-order fancy and pundits in a state of perplexity will always be noteworthy.

Championship 2025 has provided a few tales of the unexpected, most notably Dublin eliminating Limerick from the Liam MacCarthy race. Tipperary, in reaching Sunday week's hurling decider, was also a bolt we didn't see coming. Liam Cahill's side a year or two ahead of schedule, you could say, but their participation on the big day is fully merited. That mix of old and new in sweet harmony under Cahill's stewardship.

And what of football, now free from the straitjacket that threatened to render it an irrelevance. A new game thriving amid a flurry of hurling-type scorelines. But would we have any new pretenders to the throne? Football's bolter in 2025, giving their place in the All-Ireland semi-final, is Meath, this after years when a sense of predictability was the case at the business end.

There have been exceptions. Fermanagh, Wexford and Tipperary all reaching the penultimate stage when least expected.

But Meath sit in a different category. The exploits of Peter McDermott, 'the Man in the Cap' were to the fore as the county claimed its first All-Ireland in 1949.

Colm O'Rourke in action for Meath against Dublin in the 1983 Leinster quarter-final

The Royals were now a force, gaining a reputation as a 'hardy' outfit. They went on to win Sam again in 1954 and 67, before the Dubs cast a shadow over them in the 1970s. That said they would often be a handful for Heffo's men, with Colm O'Rourke's penalty miss in the 1976 Leinster final proving costly, a defining moment in the early career of the Skryne legend.

"From that day on I was obsessed with beating Dublin in a Leinster final and preferably by a point which I would score in the last minute," O'Rourke would subsequently write in his autobiography 'Final Whistle'.

The Royals in time lowered the colours of the Dubs in the provincial decider. O'Rourke would not kick the winning point but made a telling contribution. This was Meath under Seán Boylan. The man the county board turned to just months after Longford sent them packing in Leinster.

The herbalist from Dunboyne, the hurling man made Meath relevant again. All-Irelands followed; Dublin-Meath games were now box-office and a new rivalry with Cork was born. Meath's hardy reputation remained. You could add robust to their lexicon.

Seán Boylan overseeing a Meath training session in 1996

Boylan's reign was lengthy, 23 years in fact. A hard act to follow. And while a couple of All-Ireland semi-final appearances followed in 2007 and '09, along with that controversial Leinster final win in 2010, Meath's stock was on the wane. Managerial coming and goings were regular and they even went outside the county in giving Seamus 'Banty' McEnaney a go.

In late 2022, they turned to one of their all-time greats, the aforementioned Colm O'Rourke. An appointment that perhaps should have been made some 20 years earlier?

O'Rourke would deliver the Tailteann Cup in his first year, this after narrowly avoiding relegation to Division 3.

Mixing it with big boys in the quest for Sam Maguire in 2024 yielded no advancement, with Dublin beating them by 16 points in the Leinster semi-final. There would be no third year at the helm for O'Rourke. He stepped down after believing he was not in a position to announce replacements for outgoing selectors Barry Callaghan and Stephen Bray in time for a deadline set by the Meath board.

From where we are now it is interesting to note O'Rourke's comments on the state of Meath football in the aftermath of that provincial loss to the Dubs.

"It was a stark reality check for them to see how far they have to go, just in case anyone was losing the run of themselves," he told the waiting reporters at Croke Park.

Con O'Callaghan finding the net for Dublin in the 2024 Leinster semi-final

"We haven't closed the gap on Dublin at all. But these players are ambitious and they are willing to work hard and, as I keep saying, a lot of them are very young and lacking experience.

"There is no quick fix on Meath football. It is not as if we have been dominating – and I have made the point before – at under-20 or 21 level. We haven’t been in a final for 20-something years, or a senior club final in Leinster in over 20 years. It’s not as if we have this vast pool of highly qualified winners out there that we can just draft in to the team."

O'Rourke had a definite timeframe in mind, when adding: "We have set ourselves on a course of action on a team that we knew was not going to be properly competitive in the short-term, but in the belief that within two to five years that this group will form the backbone of the Meath team for a continuous period of time and they would be a lot better then."

Robbie Brennan shows his delight after Meath's win over Galway

Enter Robbie Brennan.

Meath are now a lot better than that showing on 14 April last year.

Brennan, the former All-Ireland winning manager with Kilmacud Crokes, has overseen quite a rise in the county's fortunes. Would many have predicted that Meath would be involved in an All-Ireland semi-final? No, would be the honest answer. And yet here we are, with Donegal next up for Brennan's side in Sunday's last-four encounter.

The Royals garnered eight points from their Division 2 campaign with four wins and three losses, coming behind Monaghan and Roscommon.

And then at the end of March, Joe McMahon and Martin Corey stepped down from their roles as selectors/coaches. The omens did not look good.

Defeating Dublin, Kerry and Galway in any championship year would be applauded. And that's what Meath have achieved with a style and a verve that's in marked contrast to recent seasons. There is no shortage of grit either, as typified by their finish against the Tribesmen at a point in the game where we thought they may not summon up another response.

Ruairí Kinsella, Mathew Costello, Jordan Morris, and Eoghan Frayne have led the line brilliantly.

Full-time: Galway 2-15 Meath 2-16

Scenes of celebration for Meath as they book their spot in the All-Ireland SFC semi-final

📱 Updates - https://t.co/bLbpEzINcx pic.twitter.com/EodCssTkg2 — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 29, 2025

Meath are back alright and did not allow that Leinster final loss to Louth derail their season.

Robbie Brennan's fast-tracking of the Royals is one of the managerial accomplishments of recent times, proving that there was a quick fix in the county. He said his players "could run all day" following the win over Galway.

A team with momentum.

Donegal to provide another test of Meath's credentials, another indicator of how far they have travelled. A lot more to admire apart from being hardy and robust.

Watch the Tailteann Cup final, Limerick v Kildare, on Saturday from 2.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1

Watch the All-Ireland Football Championship semi-finals with RTÉ Sport. Kerry v Tyrone on Saturday from 4.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player and Meath v Donegal on Sunday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow live blogs on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to commentaries on RTÉ Radio 1. Watch highlights on The Sunday Game at 10.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player

Click here to read article