Something to 'Mull' over
November 30, 2004
"A great honour" was how Declan Mullen described Sean Boylan's approach asking him if he would become a Meath senior football selector for the 2004 campaign.
It was a big question and one the Oldcastle man needed time to think about before he gave the long-serving Royal County manager the answer he wanted to hear and said yes. Naturally, Mullen was thrilled with the opportunity to become part of the Meath set-up and, while his first campaign as a selector didn't bring any championship success, it's clear from his voice that he is enjoying the role and is passionate about it.
Mullen, who has lived in Dublin for the past 20 years, gave tremendous service to his beloved Oldcastle club during a very lengthy playing career and captained them in 1998 when they surprised so many people by reaching the Senior Championship final where they were beaten by a talented Dunboyne side.
Among the other highlights of his club career were Oldcastle's Intermediate Championship triumph in 1987 and a Feis Cup success 1999 while, on the inter-county front, he was part of the Oldcastle contingent that helped Meath to All-Ireland Junior Championship honours in 1988 when they got the better of London in the final.
Mullen had various spells on the Meath senior panel and was a substitute for the 1989 Leinster final when Dublin foiled Meath of a fourth successive provincial title, but injuries certainly did him no favours. His playing days are now behind him, though he admits that if he was living at home in Oldcastle he would love to be involved.
However, his football thoughts these days are about the Meath senior team and their efforts to start winning major trophies again. Regrettably, 2004 proved a disappointment and relegation to Div. 2 of the National Football League didn't exactly provide the ideal platform on the approach to the championship.
Meath slipped out of Div. 1B when they lost their last divisional match away to Sligo in Markievicz Park, yet it was a league campaign that started brightly when they battled their way to a fine victory over Galway at Pairc Tailteann.
"We were hopeful going into the championship despite having been relegated in the National League," Mullen said as he looked back on the 2004 campaign as a whole. "We felt that we had been a bit unlucky with some of our results in the league, particularly down in Limerick.
"I suppose we didn't travel too well in the league. For example, we didn't take our chances in Wexford and we just didn't play well in Sligo. But the matches at home against Galway and Armagh gave us hope. We were under pressure in those matches, but really rose to the challenge. Unfortunately, later on in the championship game against Laois, we didn't."
Meath opened their Leinster Championship campaign with a comfortable 2-13 to 1-8 victory over Wicklow at Croke Park in late May on a day when St. Michael's clubman Daithi Regan turned in a superb performance, top-scoring with 1-5.
After suffering relegation in the league it must have come as a big relief to all involved with the panel, players and management, to get over that hurdle and win a match at headquarters again.
"There was a certain nervousness in the camp going into the Wicklow game," Mullen acknowledged. "There was an assumption there that we would win it, expectancy. But as Sean (Boylan) said to the players beforehand, we hadn't won in Croke Park since the 2001 All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry.
"I suppose that brought a certain fear. We were relieved to win that game and it set us up for the semi-final."
Unfortunately, that was as far as Meath's challenge to regain the Leinster title went as they were well-beaten by Laois at the penultimate hurdle, despite being on level terms (0-6 each) at the interval. However, Mick O'Dwyer's then reigning provincial champions took complete command of proceedings in the second-half and had seven points to spare at the final whistle, winning by 1-13 to 0-9.
"In the Laois match we were very surprised by the way we dominated midfield in the first half, but we just didn't score enough," Mullen added as he reflected on a very disappointing exit from the Leinster Championship race.
"Laois have come on a lot and the reality is that if you don't put them away when you have the chance they'll punish you. We were disappointed with the way heads went down after they scored the goal. That's certainly not typical of Meath teams."
With the provincial title dream over for another year, Meath had to look to the All-Ireland qualifiers and the draw pitted them against Fermanagh, the side that had eliminated them the previous year.
The hope was that the desire for revenge and an even greater desire to make up for the very disappointing showing against Laois would provide the Royal County players with the spur they needed to commence a successful charge through the championship back door.
It has to be said that Meath had very little luck as Fermanagh won by 0-19 to 2-12 after extra-time in Enniskillen, but overall it was another rather poor display.
"Both teams had changes from the match in 2003, but I think Fermanagh had no fear of us going into the game because they had beaten us the previous year," Mullen said. "The 15 minutes after half-time when we missed 1-4 or 1-5 was a disaster. Looking back on it, that's where the match slipped away from us.
"Watching a video of the game later we knew we had left it behind us and it has to be appreciated how well Fermanagh did afterwards. They deserve plenty of credit for that. To take a positive out of it from a Meath point of view, the spirit was there. The lads wanted it, but we didn't get any luck. Compared to the year before, it was a more heartening performance."
Now it's a case of looking ahead for the Meath players and management, but how does Mullen view the prospect of playing in Div. 2 of the National League, rather than the vastly more competitive higher level of the competition?
"From the point of view of blooding new players, it should be a help, though I know how valuable games against the top counties in Div. 1 can be in the league," he said. "But this is the hand we have been dealt and it has to be remembered that Meath have done well in these situations in the past.
"We just have to get on with it, simple as that. In any case, a hard game in Div. 2 could be as good for you as a hard game in Div. 1. The reality is that we need to travel better and keep Navan as 'Fortress Navan'. It's also about getting the right blend of players. We have a good bunch of lads coming through. You need lads who want to win, want to die for the cause.
"The trials we have been organising are an unusual experiment, but they give the clubs an opportunity to be more involved in the process. They also give lads of 18, 19 or 20 the chance to be with players of a higher level. Some of the games we have played have been very good and we have appreciated the help of the clubs.
"Every guy has been given a chance and this is the best time of the year to do something like this because the players still have fitness in their legs from playing in the championships."
Of course, the big hope has to be that these trials will unearth some new talent which will strengthen the Meath panel ahead of the National League and that they will produce players who are good enough to be put to the test in the white heat of championship action next summer.
It may be winter and the long dark nights that it brings, but it's clear talking to Declan Mullen that he is looking forward the challenges that 2005 will bring and has one eye focused firmly on the summer and the championship.
"Looking ahead to next year's Leinster Championship, we know it will be a meeting against either Dublin or Longford," he said with considerable enthusiasm. "I know it's a long way off, but it's what we're working towards - playing in front of a huge crowd in the championship at Croke Park; what more would you want."
The Meath supporters became accustomed to winning championship trophies on a regular basis with Sean Boylan at the helm. The Dunboyne man is still there, along with Mullen, Colm Coyle and David Beggy, and the hope for 2005 has to be that at least a Leinster Championship will return to the Royal County.
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