SEAN BOYLAN is poised to make a dramatic return to the main stage in Meath as the new director of football.

MEATH captain Seamus Kenny admitted the criticisms of his side from former players have hurt the most in recent times.

Under-21 players Bryan Menton and Ciaran Lenehan will make their Championship bows for Meath as they begin their defence of the Delaney Cup against Kildare.

LAST year’s beaten finalists and champions in 2009, Seneschalstown, went down to a shock Meath SFC defeat at Rathkenny last evening, promoted Nobber beating them 2-12 to 0-14.

Meath 0-17 Tyrone 1-14

Laois 1-14 Meath 1-11

LIKE Mickey Harte a day earlier, Eamonn O’Brien couldn’t hide his frustration with a system that allowed his county to exit the championship courtesy of a side that had been unable to secure a provincial title.

All-Ireland SFC Quarter-Final

THE howls of protest will gush from the Wee county deep into the summer and beyond but any slim chance of Meath offering a rematch disappeared into the ether within half-an-hour of yesterday’s astonishing end game.

WELL, one thing’s for certain — there won’t be a word this week about the World Cup final, certainly not in the north-east.

THE post-match headlines were dominated by the controversial climax to yesterday’s Leinster final but away from the furore surrounding Joe Sheridan’s goal, the Meath camp admitted that they had been fortunate to claim the title after a patchy performance over the 70 minutes. Meath were anointed as provincial champions after blitzing Dublin for five goals in the Leinster semi-final yet they struggled to match those expectations here.

Meath 1-12 Louth 1-10

Louth captain Paddy Keenan is determined to remain grounded ahead of Sunday's Leinster SFC final against neighbours Meath.

Meath captain Nigel Crawford has been named in the Royals' starting line-up for Sunday's Leinster SFC final against Louth at Croke Park (throw-in 2pm).

ANTHONY MOYLES was happy to let Meath’s attack bask in most of the acclaim after Sunday’s devastating destruction of Dublin, but the versatile veteran feels a strong case was made for the defence as well.

IT IS difficult to look at games like yesterday’s Meath v Dublin clash from a neutral perspective.

NINE years have slipped by since Meath last knew the joy of beating Dublin in the championship and the dwindling links with that success are almost severed.

FOR long periods Meath looked like they would secure a place in the last four of the Leinster senior football championship quite comfortably, but as manager Eamonn O’Brien admitted afterwards, his side was relieved to have a second chance.

Kevin Reilly will return to action for Meath in Sunday's Leinster SFC quarter-final against Laois, in the only change to the side that beat Offaly last time out.

ANOTHER frustrating day in Croke Park for supporters and neutrals watching this year’s brand of Gaelic football, but a decent win for Meath nonetheless.

AT LAST.

LEINSTER SHC (First Round): Meath v Offaly (tomorrow, Portlaoise, 3pm)

Shane O'Rourke will make his first championship start for Meath's footballers since 2007 when they meet Offaly in their Leinster championship opener on Sunday.

CORK dual star Eoin Cadogan could discover this week if he will be fit for the county’s senior championship openers in football and hurling.

Nigel Crawford has been announced as captain of Meath's senior footballers for their upcoming Championship campaign.

Donegal 1-12 Meath 0-10

IT mattered little to the Tipperary management that they secured their first victory in the National Football League yesterday in Semple Stadium by beating a Meath side which performed well below the standard normally expected from the Royals.

Meath 2-08 Armagh 0-13

ALL-IRELAND champions Kerry top the nominations for the Opel GPA Football Team of the Year with 11 Kingdom players shortlisted.

The Gaelic Players Association has announced the nominees for its 2009 Football Team of the Year.

THERE could hardly be a more distinct difference in Kerry’s build-up to tomorrow’s All-Ireland football semi-final meeting with Meath in Croke Park from their game a month ago against a Dublin side which had performed impressively on the way to a fifth consecutive Leinster title.

It has all gone a bit pear-shaped since Meath won their last All-Ireland title in 1999, with the Royal County having to go through a long phase of rebuilding.

TEN years ago Sean Boylan pitched a 19-year-old Nigel Crawford straight into the midfield battle for a Leinster Senior Football Championship opener against Wicklow.

THERE were 81,890 people packed into Croke Park three weeks ago to watch Kerry’s breathtaking All-Ireland quarter-final demolition of Dublin and like every other spectator, Eamonn O’Brien departed awestruck at what he had just observed.

Giving suspended captain Stephen Bray the opportunity to play in the All-Ireland football semi-final against Kerry on August 30 had been a huge motivation for Meath going into yesterday’s game against Mayo in Croke Park.

GIVING suspended captain Stephen Bray the opportunity to play in the All-Ireland football semi-final against Kerry on August 30 had been a huge motivation for Meath going into yesterday’s game against Mayo in Croke Park.

Meath 2-15 Mayo 1-15

THE Meath football team of 2009 are beginning to defy all handy categorisation. For a county whose rivers have run dry for a decade now, we would have thought getting to the last eight of the All-Ireland Championship would’ve sated the appetite and anything after that was for embellishment.

GETTING to the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals against Mayo via the qualifier route may not have been the preferred option for Meath.

Meath 1-13 Limerick 2-09

EAMONN O’BRIEN doesn’t like looking back. So, when he took over the management of the Meath footballers from Colm Coyle last winter he wasn’t too preoccupied with what had happened over the course of a campaign which had ended with a humiliating defeat to Limerick in a first-round qualifier game.

Meath manager Eamonn O'Brien has backed the team which beat Roscommon last weekend to do the business again in tomorrow's All-Ireland SFC qualifier against Limerick in Portlaoise (throw-in 7pm).

DESPITE collecting four Connacht titles since their last big success in 2001, Galway have not won a single game in Croke Park or passed the All-Ireland quarter final stage.