"Our guys are as big and as strong as the next."

I couldn't disagree more Tones. The vast majority of our side with the possibly exception of Menton, Reilly, Gillespie and maybe one or two others would be, as Anthony Moyles put is this week, "eaten alive" by the likes of Mayo and Dublin. That's a combination of Meath having smaller men and also the fact that we don't have years of S&C behind us like the likes of Dublin seem to have.

But I don't think anyone could claim that we're near the top level in terms of physicality/conditioning/size...whatever you want to call it.

SmallHouse (Meath) - Posts: 291 - 03/09/2015 10:50:02    1781064

donnacha walsh, gooch, Paul Murphy Cillian O'Connor, lee Keegan, Keith Higgins, Jack McCaffrey, Jonny Cooper - Kerry/Mayo/Dub. Small Horse, these players aren't bigger or stronger than ours but want it more. Are willing to sacrifice themselves for the team. That's the difference between winning and losing, not how much weight is at the end of the bar.

Tones (Meath) - Posts: 17 - 03/09/2015 11:49:03    1781122

So do we have a full time strength and conditioning coach from this season??

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 03/09/2015 11:49:17    1781123

Perhaps it's just me but one of the differences between us and the rest is they're not talking about "this day 20 years ago" or "this day in 2001", living on past glories. They are out there doing it now. Football has moved on significantly from our glory days but we still have a people living in an 80s and 90s time warp.

No S&C coach appointed yet. Priority according to the Steering group but my guess is it won't be in place until just before Senior collective training is allowed resume.

MeathGAAHead (Meath) - Posts: 87 - 03/09/2015 12:31:10    1781177

Is it just me or does anyone else fine it baffling that we haven't had a strength and conditioning coach in these modern times? I nearly spat out my tea when I read it in the chronicle. I know these things cost money but surely it is absolutely essential.

Jimin10 (Meath) - Posts: 783 - 03/09/2015 13:35:48    1781265

Have said it before that the basics of physical strength etc. are not in the team/squad at the moment. However, there's no point in spending money on an S&C coach if the leadership and will to win isn't there. If you could transplant some of the passion shown by Fermanagh (not the biggest team in the world) into this current Meath squad, they'd give the Dubs a run for their money. Of course they also seemed to have a plan on how to play which doesn't appear all that obvious for Meath over the last 3yrs. With proper S&C in place, you'd get the players in the proper shape to last 70mins at least, but without a game plan, the tactical astuteness and a good dose of passion to go with it, you're going nowhere. The big teams of Kerry/Dublin/Donegal/Mayo/Tyrone have had all 3 at various stages over the last few years, which is why they're always in the hunt at the business end of things.

moylagh (Meath) - Posts: 484 - 03/09/2015 14:24:38    1781320

MeathGAAHead - I thought the same when I saw that piece, and the same last week with the Tyrone thing. It's this mentality that is holding us back (among other things). After the great Kerry team of the 70s/80s broke up they went into a tailspin and only won 1 Munster title (1991) in ten years or so. And all they heard was how they weren't fit to lace the boots of the great Kerry team.

We've fared even worse than that, and this constant harking back to the good old days is doing nobody any good. Time to look forward.

SmallHouse (Meath) - Posts: 291 - 03/09/2015 17:46:23    1781555

SmallHouse
County: Meath
Posts: 194


We've fared even worse than that, and this constant harking back to the good old days is doing nobody any good. Time to look forward.

_____________________________

I do agree with you Smallhouse..but what else has a Meath fan to shout about? My Grandfather had a saying "if you have very little well very little does you" so for the last 15 years Meath have done very little,i guess the ideology would be for the fans to forget the past and the players try and bloody remember it because maybe then the fans will move on! But the problem is more than just old sayings in Meath football,Meath football has lost its confidence and soul..Liverpool one of the greatest clubs in English football lost more than anything..walk down the street of liverpool and ask any liverpool fan what happen to liverpool football...Alex Ferguson? Not a chance Graeme Souness is the man every liverpool fan points the finger at 20 years on,He went to liverpool and sold most of the players who knew what it took to win trophies and replaced them with player who were inferior! But he felt he had to build a new Team because that lot up the road (Man UTD) were getting there act together! But we are not a liverpool in this situation..We are that lot that has to get our act together at club,underage and county level..if we do that then i guarantee the Meath fans will have something else to shout about

P.S Smallhouse ...the liverpool fan is the chap walking down the street with your Flat screen TV :)

WhyTheLongFace (Meath) - Posts: 876 - 03/09/2015 19:19:14    1781605

Have to agree with anyone who says it was a tough and a real mans match last Sunday. Meath with a lot more passion and urgency coming from the team with a few additions can hopefully match up next season. Plenty of competitive matches coming up over the weekend for sourcing new players possibly. The only ones that I would say put it in from start of year and last year are Keoghan, Biggy Reilly, Tormey, Kevin Reilly when fit. Unfortunately we have too many of our big men who go hiding and don't get involved. Look what happened Dean rock who never showed up on Sunday and was taken off at half time. If you check back on stats you will see how many of our players got yellow or black cards which by the way are interpreted in different ways by referees and I think some of our lads who do put it in were unfortunate this year with cards.

castleroyal (Meath) - Posts: 57 - 03/09/2015 19:35:30    1781609

Have to agree with anyone who says it was a tough and a real mans match last Sunday. Meath with a lot more passion and urgency coming from the team with a few additions can hopefully match up next season. Plenty of competitive matches coming up over the weekend for sourcing new players possibly. The only ones that I would say put it in from start of year and last year are Keoghan, Biggy Reilly, Tormey, Kevin Reilly when fit. Unfortunately we have too many of our big men who go hiding and don't get involved. Look what happened Dean rock who never showed up on Sunday and was taken off at half time. If you check back on stats you will see how many of our players got yellow or black cards which by the way are interpreted in different ways by referees and I think some of our lads who do put it in were unfortunate this year with cards.
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CastleRoyal i couldn't disagree more on the bolded part of this. Those players are supposed to be the leaders of this team and when the pressure was on the collectively folded. We were lucky if one of them played well in a given game never mind all at the same time.

The players who stood up this year for me were Rooney, McEntee and Menton. There was no one else in credit tbh.

brian (Meath) - Posts: 1954 - 04/09/2015 08:53:14    1781743

The lack of leadership on the field this year was shocking. Making Keogan captain was like getting a boy to do a mans job. I was looking at the Meath youtube page recently and there is an interview where he was wondering if Wicklow would go 'traditional 15 or 15 or will they try and kinda mix it up a bit and frighten us I'm not too sure' and how 'whatever way they play they will bring toughness'. It sounded like something a soccer player would say and was a bit naeive which is the last trait you would want in a captain.

Jimin10 (Meath) - Posts: 783 - 04/09/2015 11:12:51    1781884

I actually agree with Brian...

McEntee did well even though he was out of position too.

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 04/09/2015 11:25:01    1781900

Harry Rooney was excellent and actually showed some good leadership at times and he is only 19.

Jimin10 (Meath) - Posts: 783 - 04/09/2015 11:33:12    1781914

Rooney is 21,but your point still stands..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 04/09/2015 12:57:18    1782031

Thanks ziggy!

Jimin10 (Meath) - Posts: 783 - 04/09/2015 13:38:09    1782096

Jimin10
You were right the first time Harry Rooney is only 19. Not 21 as most keep saying. (It is possible he turned 20 between the Tyrone game and now)

Krankyfred (Meath) - Posts: 19 - 04/09/2015 15:45:55    1782228

Brian
K Reilly, Tormey and Rooney missed most of league with injury so how can they lead if they are not playing, wouldn't expect young Rooney at this stage to be a leader but certainly Biggy was very good this year and I thought was very unlucky to be black carded twice both unwarranted. Tormey in Galway put in a decent shoulder and was black carded. That's just the luck of the draw and depending on which referee you get. Menton makes a few great runs during a match and credit to him when he came on up in Down he was excellent but how often does he go missing in matches.
Rooney I think will develop in to a great player. Keoghan was out of position all year but he would never pull away from a tackle. That was the theme of this post from the start. The names I mention initially would never pull away from a tackle but I'm not so sure the same could be said for the rest with the exception of McEntee.

castleroyal (Meath) - Posts: 57 - 04/09/2015 16:45:00    1782269

Krankyfred

He is 21..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 04/09/2015 17:11:19    1782295

castleroyal

When Westmeath were coming at us,Menton was one of the few players really trying to drive us on.He won a free late on and tried to take the sting out of it.He also was the man who played in Harnan very intelligently in which he messes up.You say he goes missing? But he can't drive forwarda all the time,he is one of our most intelligent players,shows leadership qualities and he is only 24..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 04/09/2015 17:18:52    1782302

Prior to 2015 I had my doubts about mento but what an improvement this year. Only for him its likely we'd be sitting in div 3.

Big lad that he is would love to see him bare teeth more often and intimidate opposition

bert09 (Meath) - Posts: 1792 - 04/09/2015 17:47:06    1782321