Replying To Furlong1949:  "Semi finals are for winning. Winning a semi final by 11 points with work to do is a great way to go into a final. Of course we made mistakes, we are not the finished article. We are not one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the the country. We are not the finished article. Only the top 2 or 3 teams play to a top class level all the time. We are an upcoming team building for the future. The manager is in his third year and now is making an impact. Players like Keoghan Newman and Menton are at their peak. While McGill The McEntees Sullivan McMahon Harnan are starting to peak as footballers. While young Conlon T Reilly are new young exciting novices just making the breakthrough. As a team we are 12 to 24 months away from being a consistent top 8 team. But we are making serious progress and huge improvements. The improvements since Longford game last year have being seismic. We are the most improved team in the country in last 12 months going from 15th or 16th best team in the country to 8th or 9th best team in the country. There has been real impress progress.
( Also Remeber playing in a half empty Croke Park is a strange experience for all teams. I think it leads to flat games in flat atmosphere. )

Anyway progress report since Longford debacle last year

1 Victories over teams like kildare , Armagh , Fermanagh, Laois, Tipperary, Clare and Cork. Basically victories over every div 2 county in Ireland. Last year we couldnt beat div 2 teams now none of them can beat us. ( Donegal r not div 2 team they are top 6 team. So progress here.

2 Very impressive performances v two best teams in the country. Once v Tyrone and twice v Donegal Real progress made here.

3 First promotion to div 1 in 13 years.
4 First promotion to 8 team div 1 in 20 years
5 First leinster final appearance in 5 years
6 Fiirst victory in Croke Park in 5 years in league or championship.
7 First time we have won 3 championship matchs in a row in 9 years.
8 First time we have won 3 championship matchs in a row in leinster in 18 years. Since 2001 this is the first time we have won 3 matchs in a row in leinster championship. In 2010 we beat Offaly but drew with laois in next game.
9 First time to break into top ten teams in the country since 2010
10 For the first time in 5 years we are now definatly second best team in leinster.
11 Players like Byran McMahon James McEntee Shane McEntee Cillian Sullivan Michael Newman Conor McGill Donal keoghan are starting to come of age in the Meath jersey , really peak as footballers.
12 First young talent to make impact with senior panel since Forde Carroll Gillespie did in 2012. Conlon Ryan Kane Devine and Campion have all been exciting new additions to the panel and to the team.
13 We won leinster quater final by 15 points and leinster semi final by 11 points. We won leinster semi final and quater by aggregate of 26 points and average of 12 or 13 points. The last time we won leinster quater finals and leinster semi final by such massive margins was in 1996 and 1995 , 23 years ago. We defeated Carlow and laois by big margins in 1996. We defeated Carlow and laois by 18 points and 6 points respectively in 1996 , a total of 24 points. We have won both ganes by total of 26 points this year. We won our leinster quater final v Longford by 19 points and Wickloe by 13 points in 95 . Which is an aggregate of 29 points. So this year is best victories, highest scoring Meath has achieved together in leinster q final and sem final in nearly quater of a century, best in 24 years.
14 11 point win v laois in the leinster semi final today is our best victory in 24 years in leinster semi final . Its our biggest winning margin in a leinster semi final in 24 years , since 1995 leinster semi final v Longford.

So these leinster quater final and semi final performances where we didnt play brillianty ( imagine if we did how much we won ) , these are best leinster quater final.and semi finals together in 24 years for Meath. They are the biggest margin of victories Meath have achieved in leinster quater final and semi final in 24 years.

So in every way this year so far has been a huge sucess. We are talking our best year in 9 years and one of our best years since Sean Boylan left and one of our best years since 2001. Its in the top 4 best years since 2001 All Ireland final appearance, so far and the year has a good bit to go so far..

So we won a Leinster semi final by 11 points our best leinster semi final victory in 24 years against one of form teams in the country outside div 1. Its a perfect way to go to a final. Confidence win and with work to do. Ideal way to go to final. But I dont think people how good year it has been for Meath football. Its more like a year we had in the 90s , promotion to div 1 , comprehensive victories in leinster quarter final and semi final. We haven't done that since the 90s. The improvement since the Longford loss last year has been huge. If u said after longford loss that in 12 months Meath would be in divsion 1 and in a leinster final , that Meath would have beaten kildare Armagh Laois Fermanagh Carlow Clare Tippearey and not only beat them but beat them all comprehensivly and came very close to beating Donegal twice and Tyrone once. I think most people would have laughed you at u.

Imagine what we can do in the next 2 to 3 years with players peaking on mass eg The McEntees Sullivan McMahon Harnan etc , new talent progressing eg Conlon Ryan Kane Devine and Campion. And some exciting young forward talent on the horizon eg Shane Walsh Matthew Costello Aaron Lynch.

Things have improved and things are only going to get better."

Replying To WhyTheLongFace:  "true...i do enjoy the shnack box myself"

Replying To Royalio11:  "Joe McQuillan was on a different level today. By far Laois' best player from the start to the finish.

He was everywhere today doing his best to disrupt Meath and was almost the difference between the teams.

Thankfully, playing against 16 man did not harm us. He was ridiculous"

Replying To Royalio11:  "Joe McQuillan was on a different level today. By far Laois' best player from the start to the finish.

He was everywhere today doing his best to disrupt Meath and was almost the difference between the teams.

Thankfully, playing against 16 man did not harm us. He was ridiculous"

Replying To Jack_Goff:  "I was going to say laois should of had two goals and it would have been much closer but I forgot how bad the reffing was. So on the balance of that yeah we were deserving winners.

The big question is will Dublin improve the next day because they were poor by their standards."

Replying To Jack_Goff:  "I was going to say laois should of had two goals and it would have been much closer but I forgot how bad Joe was reffing it. So on the balance of that yeah we were deserving winners.

The big question is will Dublin improve the next day because they were poor by their standards."

Replying To Foley91:  "Things could have been a lot different has laois got a goal when they hit the crossbar. The end score is a bit flattering to us. Didn't see much from Flanagan so don't really know where the other poster is coming from. We need a reliable free taker as we missed too many. We also dropped about 4 shots into the keepers hands which we cant afford against Dublin. Its great to be back in a leinster final but I haven't seen anything from this team to make me think anything less than 10+ point defeat is coming."

Replying To royaldunne:  "As usual furlong a excellent post"

Replying To Jack_Goff:  "I was going to say laois should of had two goals and it would have been much closer but I forgot how bad Joe was reffing it. So on the balance of that yeah we were deserving winners.

The big question is will Dublin improve the next day because they were poor by their standards."

Replying To royaler99:  "Is Padraig Harnan injured or what's the story does anyone know?"

Replying To royaldunne:  "Injured in training during the week. Unsure if he will make Leinster Final at this stage. Hopefully he will"

Replying To Furlong1949:  "Thanks Royaldunne.

Ur clubman young Conlon has been a revelation. 10 points from play in 3 games , 2 games as a substitute. 5 points from play in first 3 championship games , 5 points from play in first championship game in Croker. He is player of potential and could be matchwinner even this year. He is small and light but he has ability to create space in tight spots and is a handful for any defender. It was a pleasure to see him perform in Croker in his debut. It wouldn't be his last game in Croker. He seems to be a player who grows in the Meath jersey . St Colmcilles players from past and present eg B Flynn , R O Malley and G Reilly have always been big match players for Meath. He carrys on that great tradition . Its a pity maybe he scored so much today as Dubs have been warned of his talent. So they will be aware of him , while going into leinster final under the radar , might have been better. But the form he is in , he will be a handful for Dublin.

And its great for him to be performing so well as we enter the real endgame of the championship. I felt all year we were to reliant on Newman in the inside line. Donal lenihan has been a lose. T Reilly and Dardis have had good moments and good games but they are players developing. We need a duo upfront always have eg Curran Shanley in 60s , O Rourke Flynn in 80s and Murphy Geraghty in the 90s. The last time Meath had a real good leinster final and good championship, Newman and Wallace were a good partnership dup up front which caused Dubs bother. With S Bray also a threat a bit deeper. Newman and Conlon could be a duo like Meath had with Newman and Wallace had 2013. And Sullivan could play the Bray role.

I always felt if we played Dubs we needed more threat upfront from play. So Conlon could be a real important player in the leinster final . Hes young and he is still learning his trade. But McEntee has used him well this year. Instead of thrown in the spring in bad conditions. He used him sparingly in the league. And used him more in 2 championship games before today. Bringing him on in the last 15 mins when the opposition where tired. Young Conlon full of energy. Young Conlon made an impact and scored 5 points from play and his confidence has skyrocket. And he started today and he is clearly flying. A definate player for the future. But he is a player that could have a big role for us this summer.

Just regards the performances lately we won the leinster quater final by 15 points and leinster semi final by 11 points. They are impressive winning margins and yet we didnt play brillant in both games. A good way to reach a final. Its all about building towards a final and then delivering s big performance in the final. U need a team to peak in a final. We peaked in the league. And there was always going to be comedown after a sucessful league. The Offaly game was example of that. The team is trying to build up again. Carlow was an improvement on the Offaly game and Laois was an improvement on the Carlow game. So the run in leinster has got confidence up again.

And three wins on a trot builds confidence also. So the key is to keep improving and deliver their best performance of the year v Dubs. Everyone playing well v Carlow is not essential. Everyone playing well v Dubs thats what we need. So for me the performances v Carlow and laois is just the right build up before Dublin. We improved on Offaly game in each game after. We now need to deliver a performance similar to what we saw v Tyrone last year , Armagh in Navan this year , second half v kildare and first half v Donegal in Croker. But the 65mins we performed v Donegal in Ballybofey if we perform to that level play that quality of football, intelligent quality football. Then we have a great chance of being very competitive game and even a tight game and u just never know, maybe another famous Meath victory over Dublin.

Just a side note A wet bad day might be a good thing. I know we are a small pacey team that suits dry conditions. But in 1986 in dreadful conditions we won leinster final v Dublin by 9 points to 7. In 1996 we defeated Dublin in dreadful rain conditions 10 points to 8. I will be hoping for more rain on the 23rd June. It suited us a underdogs in 86 and 96. A real dirty dog of day could lead to a dogfight. And Meath always beat Dublin in a dogfight.

Another way would be to go for the juggler in first 15 mins. Like we did v Donegal and throw the kitchen sink at Dublin in first 15 mins. Go for goals unsettle them and try and get in early lead. The way we played v Donegal in Croker in the first half is the way to go. Try and blow Dublin away in first 20 mins. Try go into an early big lead. That would be my plan for leinster final. Im sure McEntee has a plan also.

McEntee is steeped in Meath football. This is his first game v Dublin. He knows he will judged as a manager of Meath in how we plays v Dublin. How many times he beats Dublin. I expected Meath will put it up to Dublin all year long , and if u look at every single Meath manager ever in their first championship game they always put it up to Dublin.

1983 Boylan first game v Dublin. Meath drew with Dublin and narrowly lost the replay. Meath threw the kitchen sink at Dublin.
2007 Next Meath manager first game v Dublin was Colm Coyle. Meath again drew with Dublin. Meath lost the replay narrowly after putting it really up to Dublin.
2010 The next Meath manager Eamon O Brien first game v Dublin 09 we lost by a couple of points. A game if we played a little bit better we cud have won.
2012 Next Meath manager was Banty, and this was the last manager and team to nearly get result v Dublin. Meath lost by 3 points and had chances to draw the game at the end.
2013 The next Meath manager first game v Meath was Mick O Dowd. Meath were 2 up at half time and were much better team after missing many goal chances. It was the last time any team in leinster got close to Dublin. The game was still in the balance with 10 mins to go.

So every Meath manager in their first game v Dublin they all put it up to Dublin. Sean Boylan, Colm Coyle, Eamon O Brien, Seamus McAilneney and Mick O Dowd. Andy McEntee doesnt want to be first Meath manager ever to not put it up to Dublin in his first game. I expect Andys first game for Meath , for Meath to throw the kitchen sink at Dublin like we did in 1983 and 2007.

I know my head says Meath who have 1 game ever won as a team in Croker v a Dublin team who has won 4 All-Irelands and 9 leinsters in Croker. The head says it it of course Dublin the gap and experience Dublin have is to much for Meath to close in one summer. But I am a Meath man. And thinking with the head when it comes to Dublin is just not the case. When that ball is thrown in I will expecting those Meath lads to throw the kitchen sink at Dublin and in my heart and soul and with all the passion I can muster I will expect and believe Meath can win. Why ? because no team has beaten Dublin more then Meath. No team has been a stone in the shoe of Dublin football more then Meath. Dublins worst nightmare is if Meath came back as strong sucessful county because the one thing Dublin could never deal with is a strong Meath team. So it doesnt matter how many titles Dublin have in their pockets when they Meath play Dublin I always expect Meath have a chance. Why shouldnt I ? Why shouldnt I believe the county that has beaten Dublin more then any other county a county that has hammared humilated and drove Dublin football to the wilderness for years after Meath victories. We are Meath, they are Dublin. Its not a question of Meath will beat Dublin. Its a question when. This year or in 2020 or 2021 or 2022. It going to happen. Just believe.

At the start of this decade a Dublin team played Meath in leinster championship . On that Dublin team who were hammered and humilated by Meath were the Dublin players Stephen Cluxton , James Mcarthy , Phily McMahon, Michael Fitzsimmons, Michael Dara Macauley , Bernard Brogan, Alan Brogan, Diarmaid Connolly , Kevin McMemanin, Paul Flynn., Rory O Carroll , Ger Brennan , Bryan Cullen , Eoghan O Gara. Basically the great Dublin team that won 5 All Irelands in 6 years were hammered by 5 goals on that day by. Meath. Only 4 teams have beaten Dublin in this decade. Kerry Galway Tyrone none of these teams have beaten Dublin in this decade. The four teams that have beaten Dublin in this decade are Mayo Donegal Cork and of course Meath.

We started this decade shocking this great Dublin, hammering this Dublin team. Wouldnt it be Dublin's worst nightmare in the year of the five of a row, that their greatest nemesis where to end the decade just like we stated the decade. Humbling and beating the Dubs. Its in our dna it who we are as a people. Beating Dublin is everything to Meath people.Its defines it make us unique. We have done it 36 times in league and championship beaten Dublin more then any other county in the country. We did it in the sun in 1964 when they were All Ireland champions, we did it in the rain when they were as invincible as they were now in 1986. We did it in 1987 and 1988 to prove our greatness. We did it 90 again and in 91 in 4 games they threw kitchen sink at us and still we never were beaten.
We did it in 88 in a league final v Dubs with 14 men for a a whole game and won by 8 points. We did it in the rain in 1996 when they were champions and we did it in 1997 1999 and 2001 just because we were better then them. We drew in 07 and hammered the living daylights out of them in 2010 with 5 goals. We can do it. Never give in .

They have always had more resources more money more population. But we have heart and a never say die spirit. And that will always suceed for if u have heart and a never say die spirit u are never beaten and you can win a game. Its 15 Meath men v 15 Dublin men. We started this decade with a bang v Dublin lets not end on a whimper v Dublin this decade. Lets throw the kitchen sink at them. And let's see how they like it up So when that ball is thrown I wouldn't be thinking with my head I will be believing in my heart that we can beat Dublin. Its the only county when Meath play in the championship I know we can beat and will always beat. Because it the Meath way , we can and will beat them. Why not in 2 weeks.

Believe in the greatest footballer county Ireland after kerry , Meath . Thats who we are now we must deliver because we dont know any other way. Who is going to be our Seamus Darby , is it Newman or McMahon or Sullivan or Menton or keoghan running from deep. No, young James Conlon will score the winner for Meatg ijn injury time.

June 23rd 2019 A day Meath will rock the capital and the GAA to its very foundations, not for the first time not for last time.
Meath 2 - 14 Dublin 0 - 19.
Meath Leinster champions 2019."