Cian McBride living the dream in Royal green
Cian McBride of Meath in action against Colm O'Callaghan of Cork. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
It’s the Leinster SFC launch, two days after Meath’s Division 2 final win over Cork and Cian McBride is wearing his jersey from the game. Unwashed.
He had struggled to find a clean kit that morning. He was in a similar fluster trying to catch the team bus from Croke Park after the game. Video footage emerged online of players running after it.
“I thought the bus was outside and they were like ‘It's just around the corner’,” he smiles. “Then they were like ‘it's out on the road,’ and I was like ‘no problem.’ There was myself, Donal Keogan and there was about five or six of us.
“We got out to the road and then it was halfway down the road and we were like ‘we're nearly there.’ Then they took off again and they stopped and went through three sets of lights just before we got there.
“So, we eventually got back on the bus. It was about a kilometre run before we got on the bus. It was a good laugh in fairness. Everyone else got a good kick out of it anyway.”
Silverware had been important to Meath. They weren’t short of “great scalps” last year – Dublin, Galway, Kerry – but a cup was missing.
“That's what people measure; what you're winning, I suppose,” says McBride.
“For ourselves, that's probably not the case, but it was great. I know for myself it means a lot for me. But I know that the boys want to be in Division 1. You want to be up there playing the best teams, you want to be the best team.”
To the tune of 20 points, Donegal gave Meath a reality check in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final and for McBride it was a personal affair, his father John hailing from Downings with who his son now plays club football.
“I used to spend a lot of my summers up there. It was the one thing I was always very jealous of, watching all my cousins play football. I was the only one that wasn't playing.
“I said to myself, from about 10 or 12, I'd get at least a year up there. I said, whenever I can, I will and it just kind of worked out well last year.”
McBride’s primary ball-winning ability is a major asset for Meath when it appeared for a period at least it would be Essendon’s.
The pandemic and the lack of “hands-on” coaching as well as injury put paid to his AFL aspirations however as the latter did his return to Gaelic football.
“I broke the bone in my right foot first and had some surgery on that to fix it. Then nearly two years to the day afterwards I did the same thing on the other side. I had to get surgery on that as well. That kind of kept me out for, all in all, probably over a year and a bit.
“The first time, I was home to play with Meath was during the Covid championship. I was in training with them and broke my foot the week before the Dublin game, the first round of the league.
“That kind of put paid to my Meath chapter at that stage, and two years afterwards it was the same. I was just at home training with the club a week or two before I went back, and just ‘bang.’”
McBride can see himself returning to Australia to live but for now it’s all about The Royals.
“I always wanted to play for Meath as a kid, I always wanted to play for Meath. As soon as I finished up in Australia, I wanted to come back and essentially live the dream, and I'm living the dream now. That's what you wanted to do as a kid. You wanted to win trophies in Croke Park, so it's great to be able to do it.”
On Sunday, McBride will hope to mark his 25th birthday with a win over Westmeath in Tullamore. Seeing how their run to the last four in 2025 gripped the county, he only has a taste for more.
“I don't know about the rest of the boys, but for me as a kid there probably wouldn't have been all that big a hype. We weren't probably at where we should have been.
“Then last year, driving through towns and villages at home, it was unbelievable. There was colour everywhere. It was absolutely phenomenal. You get such a buzz off it.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
