Royals can kick on after bringing 'buzz back' to Meath, says Rafferty

The Na Fianna clubman was arguably the breakthrough player of the season.

Meath and Na Fianna star Sean Rafferty pictured at Croke Park at the launch of the 2025 Beko Club Champion. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Sean Rafferty reckons he and Meath are at the start of a journey which can take them to silverware success in the coming seasons.

The Na Fianna clubman was arguably the breakthrough player of the year, powering Meath to the All-Ireland semi-final in his debut campaign.

Rafferty was overlooked for Meath minor and U-20 teams and had only previously made two senior appearances in the 2023 O'Byrne Cup.

But new Meath manager Robbie Brennan started him in all but one of Meath's 16 League and Championship games this year, pitting him against some of the game's very best.

Meath picked off Championship wins over Dublin, Cork, Kerry and Galway before the party ended with a heavy All-Ireland semi-final loss to Donegal.

Speaking at the launch of the 2025 Beko Club Champion, an initiative open to all clubs in Leinster, Rafferty said he wouldn't trade Meath's All-Ireland semi-final appearance for the Leinster title that Louth won by beating the Royals.

"Would I trade our season? No, probably not," said Rafferty. "No disrespect to Louth, they're a great team. On the day, they beat us fair and square. They'd probably been building to that, that was their third Leinster final in a row.

"That Louth team has been on a journey whereas I feel that's the first year of our journey with Meath. There's probably, or hopefully anyway, a lot more to come from us.

"Louth are midway through their journey and getting there. They definitely taught us lessons on the day that we had to learn, just like Donegal did.

"But no, I wouldn't trade seasons with them. I think the season we had brought a buzz back to Meath football and that's the main thing for us."

Meath played nine Championship games in the end, winning six and drawing with Roscommon. The next step for a young crew with an ambitious management is to cap the progress with silverware, and promotion from Division 2.

"I think all of the Kerry lads said that the Meath game, when they lost to us, turned the page for them, that it was a turning point," said Rafferty. "We're probably hoping now for next year that the Donegal game turned the page for us, that maybe there was a few lessons we had to learn there.

"We were probably, not coasting, but we were on such a high and Donegal, like Louth, had been through their journey with Jim McGuinness for two or three years, further down the path, and they taught us a lot of lessons."

Rafferty acknowledged it was a remarkable season for him personally, marking David Clifford in the Kerry game.

"Then you're facing up to Shane Walsh of Galway," he said. "It was a mad year for me, going from not playing to marking Con O'Callaghan, Clifford and Shane Walsh in the one year."

For more information on the Beko Club Champion, visit leinstergaa.ie/beko-club-champion.