The number of contenders for the Meath SFC title was reduced to nine following the final round of the group phase at the weekend — and 2011 champions Summerhill were among the big winners.

Meath champions Navan O’Mahonys strolled through to the county SFC quarter-finals with a 0-10 to 0-5 victory over Seneschalstown in yesterday’s fourth-round clash at Stamullen.

Wicklow 1-12 Meath 1-17

Monaghan 2-16 Meath 3-8

ALL-IRELAND COLLEGES SAFC FINAL

The ratification of Mick O’Dowd as Meath’s new senior football manager took place at a County Board meeting in Navan last night.

Mick O’Dowd of the Skryne club was ratified as the new Meath senior football manager in succession to Seamus McEnaney at last night’s county board meeting in Navan.

Andy McEntee has declined to be interviewed for the vacant Meath senior football manager's role, leaving four candidates left out of an initial list of 10.

Two Meath forwards failed to convert penalties in the third round of the county SFC at the weekend but both of their sides gained victories to extend 100% winning records.

As a Meath U21 selector in 2009 and 2010 one of my briefs was to look at as many club championship matches as possible.

Meath’s 1949 All-Ireland-winning senior captain Brian Smyth this week enjoyed a nostalgic return to Croke Park accompanied by his fellow Skryne clubmen, including Liam Hayes and Trevor Giles, who all hold All-Ireland medals with the Royal County.

SEAMUS McENANEY’S appointment as Meath manager last winter may have stirred up a hornet’s nest at the time — and continues to do so — but ‘outside’ influences haven’t been confined to the man charged with guiding the senior footballers.

HOLDERS Skryne failed to make it through to the last eight of the Meath SFC despite defeating already qualified Dunboyne by 0-13 to 0-7 at Navan’s Páirc Tailteann on Saturday evening.

TOM KEAGUE of St Paul’s (Clonee) was ratified as a new Meath senior football selector at last night’s county board meeting in Navan.

CORK football legend Larry Tompkins is set for a return to management.

ROY MALONE took a step into the past to seal Rhode’s third Leinster club SFC final place in five seasons with a dramatic late goal in Navan.

AFTER nine long weeks of speculation, and much debate from both sides, Meath has, for the first time, appointed a manager from outside the county.

SEAMUS McENANEY was finally given the green light to become the fifth manager of the Meath senior football team in seven seasons at the county board meeting in Navan last night.

SEAMUS McEnaney’s high profile management team comes with a price tag of between €60,000 and €80,000.

ENDING a barren 29-year spell in the Wexford SFC and dislodging local rivals Kilanerin in the final generated plenty of joy for the footballers of Castletown last month. But it is the prospect of competing on the provincial and national stages that provided the greatest incentive for the club.

DON’T tell Leighton Glynn that the international rules don’t matter. So proud is the Wicklow man of his involvement that missing out on the first test in Limerick last Saturday wasn’t even considered.

GRAHAM CANTY admits Ireland have ‘a lot of improving to do’ if they are to overcome Australia in Saturday’s second and decisive International Rules Series Test at Croke Park.

A STORMING finish at Páirc Tailteann – albeit after a third quarter slump – saved Skryne’s blushes and booked them a Leinster club SFC quarter-final spot.

THEY don’t own the copyright on sporting drama in Meath but they might want to consider a visit to the patents office after a county football final that brought down the curtain on a memorable season.

IT’S A measure of the impact one family has had on the club that Seneschalstown has gained the affectionate moniker Sheridanstown.

Meath manager Eamon O'Brien has named his first Championship starting side as the Royals face Dublin in the GAA Leinster SFC at Croke Park this Sunday.

DUBLIN will have to plan without full-back Kevin Ryan — out with a hamstring injury — for their Allianz NHL league clash with Cork at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday. But the Dubs are hopeful centre-back Tomás Brady and midfielder Johnny McCaffrey will have recovered from knocks sustained when, respectively, assisting Na Fianna and winners Lucan Sarsfields in the Dublin U-21HC final last Saturday.

New Meath manager Colm Coyle has said he would have no problem welcoming his former team-mates Darren Fay and Trevor Giles back into the inter-county fold.

A YOUNG footballer left fighting for his life after being injured in a pre-season friendly has died.

A young footballer left fighting for his life after being injured in a pre-season friendly has died.

Liam Hayes will have to foil his native county Meath in two weeks' time if Carlow are to remain in the All-Ireland SFC hunt.

KERRY and Tyrone will be strongly represented at this year’s Kilmacud Crokes All-Ireland football sevens in Dublin on Saturday week.

Three-time All-star Trevor Giles is still waiting for his first start of the 2005 championship - and it will not happen at Carrick-on-Shannon on Sunday.

STRANGELY for a man facing into an All-Ireland club football final, Ian Fitzgerald remains unsure if he’ll collect a provincial medal for his season’s work.

CROSSMAGLEN, three times All-Ireland club champions between 1997 and 2000, take on Leinster representatives Portlaoise at Parnell Park tomorrow (2.30pm) in a semi-final which may very well decide the destination of the trophy.

PORTLAOISE are not about to rest on the laurels of winning a Leinster club football title, according to returned star Martin Delaney.

Portlaoise (Laois) 1-11 Skryne (Meath) 2-4

AIB CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS:

CONNACHT SENIOR FOOTBALL FINAL:

Meath kingpins Skryne take on Portlaoise in the Leinster club final in Newbridge today, and it's the Royals' first ever appearance in the provincial decider.

FOURTEEN years ago, Trim native Niall Tully never thought he’d see the day — a Meath side facing Laois opposition as rank outsiders.