Meath spring surprise with victory over Dublin to book place in Leinster final

Leinster SFC semi-final: Meath 0-23 Dublin 1-16

Winners all in Portlaoise, unless you’re a Dubliner of course.

A remarkable afternoon that ended in a first Meath win over the old enemy since 2010, the last time Dublin lost a game in the Leinster Senior Football Championship, was celebrated by a wide variety of interested parties.

Meath, clearly, took most from the landmark semi-final victory that, even in light of Dublin’s skittish form this season, seemed unlikely at best.

Their captain, Eoghan Frayne, was terrific, firing 11 points and leading his team through to a May 11th Leinster final against Louth. Another old enemy.

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Then there was Bryan Menton, the 30-something midfielder pulled out of retirement by new manager Robbie Brennan after two seasons away. And so many more individual tales of triumph after years of despair.

But how about the satisfaction too that the Leinster Council must feel? They took this game out of Croke Park to generate a better atmosphere and while only 10,126 turned up to witness the historic result, it was a proper barnburner and they now have their Leinster championship back.

Captain Marvel: Meath’s Eoghan Frayne celebrates yet another score against a bewildered Dublin. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

Meath or Louth next month. Take your pick. It could be either of them that win it, the same as in 2010 when they last met in the final. Next season, both counties, along with Dublin and perhaps Kildare, will feel they have a genuine chance of winning the title. It’s been a couple of decades since a Leinster championship has started on those terms.

Or how about the pride that the Football Review Committee will be feeling after devising a set of rules that contributed to this remarkable Meath win?

For starters, Meath scored four two-pointers to Dublin’s two, but what was remarkable was the sheer panic in Dublin’s midfield every time Stephen Cluxton kicked a ball out in the first half. Booting into the teeth of a gale, his ballooning kicks seemed to come back to him with interest each time, allowing Meath to run up a 0-17 to 0-5 half-time lead.

Mathew Costello was immense, as was Frayne. James Conlon was too, the east Meath man rewarded with a starting spot after hitting Offaly for 1-2 and repaying the faith with five points from play.

Frayne, Keith Curtis and Menton rifled the two-pointers in that extreme first half. How Dublin must have wished they still had Fenton, McCarthy, Mannion, McCaffrey and Fitzsimons, their championship warhorses who retired after 2024.

Dessie Farrell noted afterwards that they were missing Cian Murphy, Seán MacMahon, Eoin Murchan, Luke Breathnach and Lee Gannon because of injuries too.

“That’s what we were using the league for, to try to build that little bit more depth within the squad and today is a big day for a lot of players within the squad,” said Dublin manager Farrell. “Hopefully, we’re able to take the lessons from this and move forward.”

Meath manager Robbie Brennan celebrates with Shane Supple near the end of the game.
Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho — Meath manager Robbie Brennan celebrates with Shane Supple near the end of the game. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

Farrell must have been pleased with his team’s grit to turn the 12-point half-time deficit into a two-point gap late on. Dublin reeled off 1-5 without response between the 53rd and 64th minutes, the goal coming from substitute Cormac Costello after a turnover at the other end of the field and lightning breakaway.

It was that sort of game, full of turnovers, misses, thrills and spills. Dublin, ultimately, lacked the same composure with the wind in the second-half that Meath had earlier shown.

“Just maybe some wrong decisions some poor execution towards the end,” said Farrell, who acknowledged Meath’s win may even have been written in the stars.

Meath manager Brennan and his players will argue that there was much more to it than that. Frayne, for instance, hardly wasted a ball. Conlon gave his best display yet in a Meath jersey, torturing Dublin’s defence at times. Keith Curtis, Ciaran Caulfield, Brian O’Halloran too, all Trojan performers.

Meath needed five goals the last time they beat Dublin, in 2010. They didn’t get a single one this time and will argue their case to anyone who suggests a smash-and-grab.

Brennan, ironically, made his name in management in Dublin club football, guiding Kilmacud Crokes to county, provincial and All-Ireland successes before joining up with Meath for 2025. And he achieved this career-high result without recently departed coaches Joe McMahon and Martin Corey.

“We felt we could do it, we absolutely felt we could,” said Brennan of his team’s confidence. “The reality is that it’s not the same Dublin team, but it’s not the same Meath team either. The fact that it’s out of Croke Park, all of those things certainly played into our favour.”

MEATH: B Hogan; B O’Halloran, S Raffety, S Lavin; D Keogan, S Coffey, C Caulfield; M Costello (0-0-1), B Menton (0-1-0); C Duke, R Kinsella, A O’Neill; J Conlon (0-0-5), K Curtis (0-0-3), E Frayne (0-2-7; 1tpf, 5f).

Subs: A Lynch (0-0-1) for Curtis (50 mins); S Walsh for Kinsella (54); R Jones for Duke (55); C Hickey for O’Neill (58); Ronan Ryan for Rafferty (61).

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; T Clancy, D Byrne, C Tyrrell; B Howard, J Small, T Lahiff; P O Cofaigh Byrne, C Kilkenny; N Scully, C O’Callaghan (0-1-4, 1tp, 2f), K Lahiff; P Small (0-0-5), L O’Dell (0-0-1), C Basquel (0-1-1).

Subs: A Gavin for Tyrrell (29 mins); C Costello (1-0-1, 1f) for K Lahiff (h/t); K McGinnis for Scully (52); R McGarry for O’Dell (58); G McEneaney for J Small (59).

Referee: K Eannetta (Tyrone).