Boylan: Meath ‘madness’ rekindled

Tough year for Meath football?

They’ve rarely known tougher. Boardroom drama and relegation to Division 3 weren’t masked by their championship performances against Wicklow and Carlow.

Stumbling into the Leinster SFC semi-final against a Kildare side that looked capable of contesting for Sam Maguire, they were considered as cannon fodder. But two old warriors knew a certain madness within the county could come to the fore eventually, and no better time than when their backs were against the wall.

“The first day against Wicklow they were five points down,” said former manager Seán Boylan, who refused to discuss his involvement in the managerial crisis following demotion from Division 2.

“I was behind the goals. Wicklow seemed to be on a roll. And I said ‘Lads Meath will kick the sh**te out of them’ and that was what happened.

“Against Carlow the first day I was so despondent after that because things had gone well for them in a way. But after the second game, things had begun to click in a different way. I always said, there is a certain madness in Meath football. You can’t take that out of us.

“You can’t structure us. That is true. It is a mad belief that you can always win and it has always been the same.”

His former star forward and current selector felt the same. Graham Geraghty had stood side by side with McEnaney when the board wanted him out. His very inclusion in the playing panel in May 2011 led to selectors Liam Harnan and Barry Callaghan resignation.

The pressure had been building around the team but Geraghty was confident, if they could click once, they would rattle a few cages.

“I knew the players were there and that we had young players coming through,” he said. “I wasn’t too disappointed with the way some of the players were playing because I knew they had it in them and it was just a matter of getting it out of them.

“Seamus brought John Evans on board as well, probably one of the best coaches in the country. The players have took to him and really rode in behind what he’s doing. We’re delighted with where we are on Sunday but it’s down to a lot of hard work from players over the last number of months.”

And for that very reason, Boylan is confident they can thrive against hot favourites Dublin in the Leinster SFC final on Sunday. Kevin Reilly and Stephen Bray are back in contention while Paddy Gilsenan is 50-50.

The players are coming back at the right time with the right incentive — beating Dublin. They’ve spent the year being criticised by the local media and supporters but McEnaney curried the players favour by standing up to the knockers.

“Football is football, when it starts affecting your personal life as well it’s tough to take,” said Geraghty.

“He stuck by the players. He knew that they were there. You know, I think he has got his reward and been vindicated a little bit as well. He has brought on the young players too which is good as well.”

And if they had changed the management at that infamous county board meeting earlier this year? “I just think it might have been too much of upheaval really,” said Geraghty.

“Over the last three or four years we’re chopping and changing managers the whole time. It’s not good for players. Even for management teams coming in you need two or three years to put your own slant on things. Even, you know, we see it here in Dublin that they expect to win All-Irelands every year but a manager is still given three, four, five years to make his mark, and there’d probably be higher expectations here. I just think that for someone to do a proper job they need to be left at it for a couple of years. But Meath have chopped managers over the last numbers of years.”