Dynamic Donegal seek to quell Meath momentum

The cheesy All-Ireland songs are already emanating from Meath - a round early, says you - though no tune better encapsulates their 2025 season than 'Dog Days are Over'.

For a decade and a half, to see Meath playing well, you had to turn on Laochra Gael. In the dark days of 2011-24, they were a nostalgia county, forever harking back to Mick Lyons and Graham Geraghty et al to distract from a grim present.

In those years, the impression from the outside was that the county's morale had been completely destroyed by the development of the Dublin juggernaut under Jim Gavin, Meath football having traditionally built its self-esteem on the idea that they could always take on Dublin at any time.

But that was then and this is now.

Their win over Dublin in the Leinster semi-final was a cathartic, ecstatic moment after which anything suddenly seemed possible. Back in April, this result was still a seismic shock. If Meath repeat the feat next year, no one will be taken aback.

While Louth avenged the 2010 business in the subsequent Leinster final - having dominated the breaking ball in the second half, a failing Meath have since rectified - Robbie Brennan's side have regrouped in stunning fashion, overcoming Cork in a blizzard in Navan and then sensationally upending Kerry in the final round of the group phase.

Then came their one-point win over last year's All-Ireland finalists Galway in the quarter-final, Meath somehow recovering after shipping 2-03 in the four-minute spell shortly before the hour mark.

Out of nowhere, Leinster's ultimate sleeping giants, a tragic case for most of the 2010s and early 2020s, are back in the All-Ireland semi-final for the first time since 2009.

Perhaps no team has witnessed such an abrupt positive transformation in their fortunes since their opponents this week did back in 2011.

Where has this come from?

It transpired that no team was better suited to the new rule changes than Meath. There were early signs of this in the league for those inclined to look.

Their seven-point win over Division 2 favourites Roscommon in Round 4 of the league was the earliest indication that something was brewing.

Crucially, they boasted the size and athletic profile in midfield to exploit the new kickout rules, the likes of Conor Duke, Jack Flynn (currently injured), Conor Gray and the returning Bryan Menton coming to the fore. This has been the launchpad for much of their success.

They were also blessed with an abundance of two-point shooters, with Duke, Ruairí Kinsella and Eoghan Freyne all well capable.

Mathew Costello teeing up Jordan Morris for the decisive second goal against Galway

Inside-forwards Mathew Costello, 2023 Tailteann Player of the Year, and Jordan Morris have been on the go for a few seasons but have this year emerged as stars. The 3v3 rule has facilitated Meath's willingness to kick direct in counter-attacking situations, from which Morris in particular has profited.

They also defend and compete with an aggression and physicality redolent of traditional Meath teams and had a significant edge over Galway in that regard. Full-back Sean Rafferty is already showing the potential to become a folk hero in the mould of Lyons and Darren Fay.

Bizarrely, their manager outed himself as one of the staunchest critics of the FRC's handiwork late in the league, Brennan complaining in a widely circulated interview that the new rules had merely created a bastardised mish-mash of a few rival field games.

Around then, they hit a major snag, their Ulster-based coaches Martin Corey and Joe McMahon abruptly leaving the managerial set-up shortly before championship, the pair subsequently pitching up in Kilcoo.

This, combined with their promotion push fizzling out, dampened expectations a tad in the run-in to championship.

They came from way behind with the aid of a strong breeze to beat Offaly in their Leinster opener. Then came the Dublin result and the start of a new era.

The consensus is that this is their stiffest test yet. Donegal's second-half demolition of Monaghan in what was their third game in successive weekends had an ominous feel.

Trailing by seven at the break, Donegal scored a whopping 1-15 after half-time, pouring forward in waves and barely missing a single shot. Oddly, their few second-half misses came courtesy of Michael Murphy.

After the preliminary quarter-final, now former Louth boss Ger Brennan popularised the phrase 'repeat sprintability'. Clunky as it may be, it does nonetheless capture the relentlessness of Donegal's running game.

Working the ball through the hands with speed, they seem to be able to reverse their way out of any tight spot, always managing to manufacture a scoring opportunity, whatever the opposition defensive set-up.

The Ulster champions have a huge breadth of scorers both from long range and in closer. Michael Langan and Ciarán Thompson can bomb them over from range. Their nominal wing-backs Peadar Mogan and Ryan McHugh are free-scoring, as is Dáire Ó Baoill when introduced.

Michael Langan celebrates with Ryan McHugh after scoring their only goal in the quarter-final

Oisín Gallen is currently favoured to Paddy McBrearty in the inside forward line, though the latter will surely be deployed at some stage.

FRC rule-maker Murphy's return has been a wild success, the 2012 captain now seemingly a nailed-on starter, as influential as he was in the 2010s and a regular option on Shaun Patton's long kickouts.

Donegal had five Ulster SFC titles to their name when Jim McGuinness first assumed the managerial job in late 2010 - all of them won during the various managerial (and player-managerial) stints of Brian McEniff. One of these yielded the first championship meeting of Meath and Donegal in the 1990 All-Ireland semi-final, when Donegal were a Cinderella outfit and Meath were intimidating pantomime villains.

As of now, they have 12 and McGuinness has presided over five of them in just six attempts - an extraordinary record.

It's hard to recall that they were in rag order back in 2023, amid upheaval at managerial upheaval, with several of their top players deciding early on that it was a good year to sit out.

McGuinness was prevailed upon to return and has again delivered back-to-back provincial titles. On resuming in the job, he set about building a wall and rebuilding a winning culture. This time last year, he was left to rue a missed opportunity in the semi-final defeat to Galway.

A year further on, the Donegal train looks hard to stop, regardless of Meath's momentum.

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Finbarr Roarty, Brendan McCole, Peadar Mogan; Ryan McHugh, Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Caolan McColgan; Hugh McFadden, Michael Langan; Shane O'Donnell, Ciaran Thompson, Ciaran Moore; Conor O'Donnell, Michael Murphy, Oisin Gallen.

Subs: Gavin Mulreany, Stephen McMenamin, Odhran McFadden-Ferry, Eoin McHugh, Caolan McGonagle, Odhran Doherty, Patrick McBrearty, Jamie Brennan, Niall O’Donnell, Daire Ó Baoill, Jason McGee.

Meath: Billy Hogan; Seamus Lavin, Seán Rafferty, Ronan Ryan; Donal Keogan, Seán Coffey, Ciarán Caulfield; Bryan Menton, Adam O'Neill; Conor Duke, Ruairí Kinsella, Keith Curtis; Jordan Morris, Mathew Costello, Eoghan Frayne.

Subs: Seán Brennan, Brian O'Halloran, Eoin Harkin, James McEntee, Cian McBride, Conor Gray, Aaron Lynch, Daithí McGowan, Shane Walsh, Diarmuid Moriarty, Cathal Hickey.

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