33 years ago, Kerry met Meath in Croke Park, with the greatest team of all running out of road and the Royals on the rise. An email conversation with Liam Hayes stirred some memories on Gaelic football and sportswriting, now and then

An hour after last June’s extra-time qualifier defeat to Tyrone in Navan, by which time even the most vocal of Meath supporters had composed themselves, manager Andy McEntee took part in a radio interview.