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Meath V Donegal

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Replying To summerof09: "As pathetic as Donegal fans gloating on here." Honestly, its great to know we are still hated! bert09 (Meath) - Posts: 1836 - 14/07/2025 11:19:57 2625542 Link
Replying To summerof09: "As pathetic as Donegal fans gloating on here." Who was gloating? I think one or two pointed out the fact that some posters such as 32_4_1 were getting a bit ahead of themselves. Leinster will be very competitive next year. You'll have yourselves, Dublin, Louth and maybe Kildare will push on. It would be fantastic to see. Some of my earliest GAA memories are the epic Dublin-Meath battles from the early 90s. I can remember a couple of cracking Meath Offaly games in the mid 90s too. This might sound a bit cac bó, but the key thing for ye now will be to harness the "good vibes" created in 2025 and really kick on a few notches. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9895 - 14/07/2025 11:41:57 2625550 Link
Have to say the Donegal fans around me lacked any bit of graciousness in victory, making sarcastic and condescending comments any time we kicked a wide or lost the ball in the second half, a fan base with a very short memory it seems considering they got battered by Tyrone & Armagh at similar stages of the championship in recent years, left a bitter taste that added to an already disappointing day, will definitely be shouting for Kerry in 2 weeks time LowerHogan (Meath) - Posts: 81 - 14/07/2025 11:51:13 2625554 Link
Disappointing end to a great year. Only players to come out of that game with a bit of credit were probably Rafferty and Frayne, thought everyone else struggled. A lot to be excited about going into 2026. Division 1 football has to be number 1 goal. Its no secret that Jack O'connor and Darragh Campion are looking to get back involved in 2026, hopefully Jones can recover well from hamstring surgery and be available next year. Jack Kinlough, James Conlon and Jack Flynn returning will also help with strength and depth. Then the 3 most obvious u20s from this year that have to at least be looked at are Jamie Murphy, Rian Stafford and the captain Tadgh Martin. A couple of players on the development panel that I'd like to see involved next year are Liam Kelly and Rian McConnell but it's up those to kick on Sheridan2010louth (Meath) - Posts: 254 - 14/07/2025 12:01:47 2625559 Link
Replying To summerof09: "As pathetic as Donegal fans gloating on here." To be fair I haven't seen any Donegal fans gloating. They were also very gracious in Croke Park yesterday. Donegal are a fantastic team and I hope they will win the final. Most of the gloating has come from posters from other counties Meath10 (Meath) - Posts: 205 - 14/07/2025 12:16:10 2625565 Link
Think all questions were answered this year in terms of is this current crop of players good enough. Leinster Final, and beating Dublin, Kerry, Galway on the way to AI Semi final cannot be sniffed at especially where we have been for years. Fitter than we ever were (Donegal are just on a different level) and you can see the work done by the coaching staff. In different games we mixed things up which was great to see. Even against Galway it wasn't all about 2 pointers and more about defensive work. Yesterday was a disappointment in terms of the final score line but doesn't diminish my hope for next year. My only other concern is that we might still be struggling against the Northern teams. I do wonder if things would have been different yesterday if the two northern lads were still with us? Lot saying Div 1 is a must for next year. Funnily enough I would have said the same too last year but with the new rules and the extra fitness needed I think it is more important to peak at the right time! Next year will be the test now that all teams have a year under their belts. Hopefully RB will add another big time coach to the setup as to be fair to the 2 lads that walked - they probably had a good foundation of work already done - i think he will as he seems to be shrewd operator! But great year IMO considering where we came from and it has put to bed any Qs about the quality of player in Meath! Well done to all involved! JonnieG (Meath) - Posts: 254 - 14/07/2025 12:20:00 2625569 Link
Replying To Donegalexile: " Replying To summerof09: "As pathetic as Donegal fans gloating on here." [/quote I haven't seen anyone gloating to be fair." Scroll back to HEREBENJI's post, not very gracious. Aren't you lucky to be out of the wilderness and living here with us. summerof09 (Meath) - Posts: 335 - 14/07/2025 12:20:07 2625570 Link
Hard luck lads and lassies. Just never got going at all. Menton was a massive loss. Priority next year has to be Promotion. After that - a Leinster title. As for this year - really hope Keoghan gets an All Star. I think Rafferty might get one. I read somewhere that Donal made his Championship debut in 2012, and has played in every Meath championship game since then. Hell of a player. Even towards the end of the game yesterday, and 20pts down, it was he who was up near the Donegal goal, attacking and trying to get a goal for the team. Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 4461 - 14/07/2025 12:46:02 2625586 Link
Absolutely gutted with the result, but I have nothing but pride in this Meath team and in Robbie Brennan's honest, passionate reflection. He's spot on - we didn't do ourselves justice yesterday, and the lads will know that more than anyone. The wides in the first half really hurt us, especially with the wind at our backs. In games like that, you need to build a platform early, and unfortunately we left too much behind us when we had the chance. But let's not forget the bigger picture - this Meath team has lit a fire again in the county. Dublin, Kerry, Galway - we didn't just compete, we beat them. We've gone toe-to-toe with the best and showed we belong back at the top table of Gaelic football. Yes, Donegal controlled it well once they got ahead, and the rules make it tough to regain momentum. But these are the learning moments for a young team and a management group only months into the job. It's all part of the journey. Bryan Menton's loss was massive - not just physically, but as a leader and organiser. But even with that, Robbie's right: we can't lean on excuses. This is elite football, and depth and adaptability are key. These are challenges that will shape the next stage of our evolution. For the first time in a long while, Meath are back in the conversation - and not because of nostalgia, but because of real belief, quality football, and serious character. This isn't the end - it's the beginning of something worth getting behind. Well done to the players, to Robbie and the backroom team. You've done the county proud - and we'll be right behind you for what comes next. WhyTheLongFace (Meath) - Posts: 948 - 14/07/2025 12:52:58 2625590 Link
Replying To summerof09: "As pathetic as Donegal fans gloating on here." Gloating is one thing but what you originally posted was bad form. Doubt you would have said the same to any Donegal people at the match yesterday. Meath done class to get to the last 4. Great to see the buzz about the county the past few weeks. GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8167 - 14/07/2025 12:55:53 2625593 Link
Replying To summerof09: " Replying To Donegalexile: "[quote=summerof09: "As pathetic as Donegal fans gloating on here." [/quote I haven't seen anyone gloating to be fair." Scroll back to HEREBENJI's post, not very gracious. Aren't you lucky to be out of the wilderness and living here with us."]I didn't see that, but would agree there is no need for that. I did see the remainder of your initial comment which has since been deleted which was classless. Anyway, no gloating from me, just came here to see the meath fans perspective. Best wishes for the meath team going forward and would love to see them back at croker lifting trophies very soon, just not at Donegals expense. Donegalexile (Donegal) - Posts: 4 - 14/07/2025 12:59:36 2625595 Link
Replying To LowerHogan: "Have to say the Donegal fans around me lacked any bit of graciousness in victory, making sarcastic and condescending comments any time we kicked a wide or lost the ball in the second half, a fan base with a very short memory it seems considering they got battered by Tyrone & Armagh at similar stages of the championship in recent years, left a bitter taste that added to an already disappointing day, will definitely be shouting for Kerry in 2 weeks time" plenty of cheers when Donegal kicked a few wides too especially when we were still in touch! All in a days football and in every county including our own! Whats worse is people looking like sore losers so just move on and take the positives on a decent year! JonnieG (Meath) - Posts: 254 - 14/07/2025 13:03:57 2625598 Link
Well, it's been a mixed bag of a year which has ultimately ended in silverware-less failure. RB came in and tried to put his spin on things with the addition of the new rules, but ultimately came up short. The regional championship gave the Meath lads a head start on the new rules, and it certainly helped to an extent, but RB was unable to capitalise on this. I think it's time for someone else to come in and bring this team forward for the 2026 campaign. A lot of the talk has been about how young the team is, which I actually think cost us in the end. A lack of experience and the absence of big, traditional Meath men lost us that game yesterday. Theres a few lads from the tones that would be better placed on that field yesterday. I think we would have been better off sticking with Colm O'Rourke this year, as he simply wouldn't have allowed the team to crumble like a cookie yesterday. Ardbraccan man Sean Rafferty can hold his head high and is a prime example of the importance of the regional championship. As the year draws to a close for the county men, focus will now shift to the regionals, which offer a much better chance for players to show what they can do to whoever is managing the county team next year. My guess is that Colm and Boylan will be involved. RegionalsGuru (Meath) - Posts: 31 - 14/07/2025 13:05:19 2625600 Link
Replying To LowerHogan: "Have to say the Donegal fans around me lacked any bit of graciousness in victory, making sarcastic and condescending comments any time we kicked a wide or lost the ball in the second half, a fan base with a very short memory it seems considering they got battered by Tyrone & Armagh at similar stages of the championship in recent years, left a bitter taste that added to an already disappointing day, will definitely be shouting for Kerry in 2 weeks time" Got the same from a lot of Donegal supporters around us as well. Very tasteless. I would have expected more from a supporter base who usually have come across very sporting. Now that being said, a lot of our fans we're tasteless when we hammered Kerry out the gate in Croker in 01 and the abuse some of our fans gave to Louth after the 2010 final was shocking. UsernameInvalid (Meath) - Posts: 423 - 14/07/2025 13:17:19 2625608 Link
Replying To UsernameInvalid: "Got the same from a lot of Donegal supporters around us as well. Very tasteless. I would have expected more from a supporter base who usually have come across very sporting. Now that being said, a lot of our fans we're tasteless when we hammered Kerry out the gate in Croker in 01 and the abuse some of our fans gave to Louth after the 2010 final was shocking." I was in a juvenile seated area and the Donegal supporters were good and not too over the top. There wasn't much talk between us as the game was only going one way so what can either teams supporters say to each other. bdbuddah (Meath) - Posts: 1415 - 14/07/2025 14:27:28 2625627 Link
Replying To RegionalsGuru: "Well, it's been a mixed bag of a year which has ultimately ended in silverware-less failure. RB came in and tried to put his spin on things with the addition of the new rules, but ultimately came up short. The regional championship gave the Meath lads a head start on the new rules, and it certainly helped to an extent, but RB was unable to capitalise on this. I think it's time for someone else to come in and bring this team forward for the 2026 campaign. A lot of the talk has been about how young the team is, which I actually think cost us in the end. A lack of experience and the absence of big, traditional Meath men lost us that game yesterday. Theres a few lads from the tones that would be better placed on that field yesterday. I think we would have been better off sticking with Colm O'Rourke this year, as he simply wouldn't have allowed the team to crumble like a cookie yesterday. Ardbraccan man Sean Rafferty can hold his head high and is a prime example of the importance of the regional championship. As the year draws to a close for the county men, focus will now shift to the regionals, which offer a much better chance for players to show what they can do to whoever is managing the county team next year. My guess is that Colm and Boylan will be involved." I think it's safe to say your thoughts here are not a reflection of the vast majority of Meath supporters and clubs throughout the county and possibly in Wolfe Tones aswell. Overall an extremely progressive year from an very low base starting out. Also regional championship poorly organised with mid-week games on cold dark nights with many good club players opting out. Robbie Brennan and Conor Gillespie will be looking at club championships particularly senior to find players rather than regionals I suspect. There's a real body of work that must start now as in reality last year they had limited time to identify more players. Expect a few changes to squad for next year but the basis of a strong squad that can compete for league promotion and provincial silverware next year. winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 751 - 14/07/2025 14:40:59 2625632 Link
Replying To Belclare7: "Brutal" Just shows you how bad Galway are doesn't it? Maestro (Meath) - Posts: 590 - 14/07/2025 14:41:24 2625633 Link
The Donegal fans around me were fine, entitled to enjoy their win. Hard watch from 5 mins into the second half. We just had no answers. Some difference in fitness levels so a major pointer to our Mgnt team if they intend to build on this. Donegal were flying at the end, incredible for amateurs. Great to see 4 of our club lads in an All Ireland semi, hope it spins us some benefit in the weeks ahead. aghref (Meath) - Posts: 151 - 14/07/2025 14:44:02 2625634 Link
Replying To HEREBENJI: "Possibly most deluded poster on forum. Meath are mediocre div 2 team and probably always will be. If u played in Ulster u wud be luck to make a semi every 3rd year" Coming from a Donegal fan with 2 all Irelands wins in over 100 years. Donegal will crumble as soon as McGuniness leaves as we have already seen. Maestro (Meath) - Posts: 590 - 14/07/2025 14:44:32 2625635 Link
Replying To TigerKing: "Typical Moronic nonsense from bitter simpleton from Louth" Sound a bit bitter there yourself. Lúla571210 (Louth) - Posts: 144 - 14/07/2025 14:53:27 2625640 Link