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Probably a little bit early, but I'm already gunning for next season and it's time to look ahead. Which positions are up for grabs? Are there any decent players to come through? Anyone making a mark on the club championship? Just a place to discuss the coming year. RoyalStalwart24 (Meath) - Posts: 43 - 07/07/2026 10:52:43 2684653 Link 0 |
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Fair play, happy to turn the page and look ahead. I think very few positions are nailed down - maybe Kinsella at 11 if he returns to full fitness. Otherwise I think everything is up for grabs - could see changes in every line on the pitch depending on how lads perform in the run up to the league and during the league. Won't name them all here but there's 12 players I would expect to make the first 15 so I think there are 3 starting spots up for grabs for whoever steps forward. That could be lads like O'Halloran, Jones, Charlie O'Connor, Lynch who were in and out, it could be lads like Curtis, Duke or Murphy who got very little game time or it could be lads coming through from previous u20 teams. There is enough talent there to make a strong 15 and a strong 26 but there has to be a real focus on game management and ruthlessness.
gwanyagudthing (Meath) - Posts: 211 - 07/07/2026 17:13:15 2684731 Link 1 |
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Do we have any idea how we can improve defensively with mostly the same personnel? It does just seem to be the style of football we play, but it's cost us dearly at times - though to be fair, we've gained from it too. RoyalStalwart24 (Meath) - Posts: 43 - 07/07/2026 20:19:14 2684758 Link 0 |
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I agree with the points here. Kinsella will more than likely miss most of the League (but knowing the lad, his mentality is top notch) but will probably be back for the Leinster Championship (you'd say it'll probably take him some time to regain match sharpness once fit). Looking at the team, I'd say our must vulnerable position is the centre half back. Menton did well there for the final stages of the season, but he isn't a natural centre back and much more of a midfielder. He also has a tendency to drift out, which can leave us exposed. Coffey played there most of the year but is a natural wing back and probably not defensively minded enough - he was caught badly in the Westmeath game in particular, and has put in a number of respectable performances since then as a wing back. Goalkeeper is an interesting one too, but Brennan improved greatly as the year went by and learned to pull the trigger on kickouts much quicker and we looked far more organized. Billy Hogan did well in 2025 too, so maybe he deserves a run, but I just think Seán Brennan is the better keeper overall, with Hogan a decent alternative. We absolutely need to improve game management and need to get a bit more bite - we can look incredibly soft and naive at times. The frustrating thing is that we do so much right, but so much wrong at the same time. It nearly felt inevitable at halftime against Mayo that we would lose, as these issues have surfaced again and again over the season and haven't been resolved. I would have more faith in this Meath team if they went in at halftime 3 down rather than 8 up. If we can learn to slow things down when we get a lead, to learn that we don't always have to dash to get the next score when we get the ball - instead we can build it up slowly. Defensively we struggle but upon reflection, the defense has clearly improved each game since Westmeath. Still too open, but particularly in the first half against Mayo we had them locked out most of the time. With how the game is played these days, you are never going to control the game 100% and teams will wrestle the momentum back from you and have purple patches. That's just how the game is now - look at Kerry against Tyrone, and Dublin against Galway. These issues aren't unique to us, but are really just parts of the modern game. That being said, most of those teams are able to survive and weather the storm of momentum, particularly when they already have a strong lead. If we can learn to do that, we'll be a strong side and have a serious chance of going far next Championship. RoyalStalwart24 (Meath) - Posts: 43 - 08/07/2026 15:50:15 2684848 Link 0 |
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Centre back is the conundrum alright as Menton obviously isn't a long term fix and Coffey is better on the wing. Agree that the defence actually improved as the championship went on - they looked decent in the first half against Mayo and I don't think it was the fault of the defence that we lost that game. It was a collective fade-out. Assuming everyone is fit, I'd like to see the following team: Brennan Lavin, Rafferty & Keogan Coffey, Smyth & Caulfield McBride & Flynn Jones, Kinsella & Costello Morris, Frayne & Conlon. I think Smyth has the ability to play at 6 once he gets some experience in the role. Plenty of options on the bench to close out games - Menton, JOC, O'Neill, Murphy, Duke etc. gwanyagudthing (Meath) - Posts: 211 - 09/07/2026 09:25:56 2684901 Link 0 |
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I'm fearful that Robbie will stick with the same rigid selection for the entire League again. It didn't work too well last time, but his mindset is to go all out for every single game. He really needs to experiment - I would take relegation if we could establish a strong side for the Championship. We don't have great depth, but we can create it by getting lads experienced and sharpening skills. If you look at all the teams we beat in the League, bar Cork and Cavan, they were all rotating their team. Still some of the big names playing, but plenty missing too. As much as I like Robbie and think he's the man for the job, it's clear he's a bit too nice and isn't ruthless enough in selection. If you look at Jack O'Connor, Jim McGuinness and Kieran McGeaney - all whiny feckers who are thick. Despite this, they all have one thing in common - All-Ireland success. Management needs to develop an edge, not just players. I like the team you named, but I'm not sure about Smyth as a centre back. I know Keogan played centre back for Meath for a long time, I'm sure he could be put back there, but similar to Menton not a long term solution. As for the bench - Duke has gone off the boil shockingly quickly, which is sad to see, but we know that his top form is there. He's still very young, and I still think he'll be a big player for Meath going forward. It's a strange one with Adam O'Neill - he must be furious, actually. Named to start every week, and not even brought off the bench. He's an extremely versatile player, able to play any position from a corner back to a wing forward. Definitely not perfect, but I can't understand why Brennan hardly gives him game time - not too long ago he was one of our most crucial players. What I would say about Jack O'Connor is that I think his main attribute is pace, but as a consistent scoring threat he struggles - he can shoot the lights out for 10 minutes and then goes missing. In Derry and Mayo, he created loads of chances but his finishing was way below the required level. I could see him possibly playing in the half back line, I know he played there under O'Rourke and McEntee. RoyalStalwart24 (Meath) - Posts: 43 - 09/07/2026 12:19:31 2684920 Link 1 |
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Strong team on paper and yes if everyone fit here, it could be close to first team. However, as pointed out by someone earlier, Killian Smyth is probably not a natural centre back in that he moves with the play covering ground quickly. I can see him playing a major role at wing back next year. Caulfield worked ok in forwards too and if he could improve shooting would be a serious attacking option. Kinsella is likely to miss alot of league which could open door for the likes or a Cian Commons to stake a claim. Up front, I think places are up for grabs and that includes Morris and Frayne. Jamie Murphy with a full pre season needs to push himself but selectors have to give him minutes to develop him. Others need to be thrown in too to make options better later in year. Flynn and McBride if fit shall remain midfield first choices with strong competition elsewhere. The main thing is to hold what we have with further integration of a few high quality young players. Perhaps the coaching ticket or different areas of gameplan, game management etc need further review rather than major player personnel changes. winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 1033 - 09/07/2026 16:27:28 2684978 Link 0 |
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Totally agree on Morris and Frayne, both need to raise the levels. It's a strange one for both of them - Frayne never reached the heights of 2025, and had a bad end to the season. He doesn't have good pace, but is accurate enough and a good leader on the pitch, and usually chips in with a score. As an inside forward though, he needs to be doing more. He started the season poorly, but improved from the first Cork game - which coincided with Robbie moving him to full forward instead of on the corner. I thought he did well there, and he did seem to be improving - I recall the Tyrone game being a good one for him. He remained accurate and a good leader, and rediscovered his two-pointer threat. He remained decent throughout, helping to keep things going against Westmeath and putting up a respectable showing against Cork. When moved back to the corner to make room for Conlon, though, he clearly struggled and Derry and Mayo were some of his worst games for Meath in a long time. Desperate sides, the elimination of any scoring threat and getting caught in possession. I really appreciate Frayne's leadership, but he should be under pressure going into next season and needs to score more - simple as that. Morris is another weird situation. He was the main man for most of the League, consistently scoring about 1-4 to 1-6. He was our primary scoring threat, and got most of the plaudits from most of the media. It looked as though he was continuing last year's form into this year. However, after Kildare he went off the boil significantly. He began to play much deeper, and it seemed management wanted him as a playmaker instead of a marquee forward (which was strange, considering we have Kinsella and later Costello to do that). He's good at picking out dangerous passes and has continued to do that ever since he introduced it to his game, but his scoring threat seems to be mostly gone. The management also stubbornly kept him on for all the games - despite playing poorly in the latter stages of Westmeath, Cork and Mayo, he wasn't taken off. I suppose they were waiting for him to spring to life, but he never showed any sign of it. I would prefer Morris as a consistent, high scoring forward - this playmaking business is decent but Conlon can't do it all on his own. If we could have Morris, Frayne and Conlon firing we'd have one of the most lethal full forward lines in the nation. I also think Morris runs out of ideas when he's marked properly. RoyalStalwart24 (Meath) - Posts: 43 - 09/07/2026 20:43:32 2685010 Link 1 |
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I'm not convinced about playing Caulfield in the forwards - has the athletic ability to punch holes in a defence but is just not a natural shooter and that's unlikely to change. As we've seen all year, it's rare to have 3 or 4 of your best forwards all on form on the same day so I wouldn't be diluting it even further by only playing 5 natural forwards. Jones to me fits the mould perfectly in that he can play as the 3rd midfielder and he can take a score. gwanyagudthing (Meath) - Posts: 211 - 10/07/2026 09:59:14 2685052 Link 1 |
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I agree with some of the comments regarding Frayne. Does anyone know if he's played much at 11? He's steady on the ball and can pick a pass (in particular I think I recall him playing a lovely ball over the top for Conlon at the at end of the Derry game). Could be an option at centre forward while Kinsella is out? We could get someone with the extra step of pace into the full forward line then dunbainneman (Meath) - Posts: 37 - 10/07/2026 10:32:13 2685058 Link 0 |
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One thing I will say is that next year is the last time where we can call it a young team. As another poster pointed out, lads will be coming into their primes now. The next 3-4 years are crucial, as we don't know how the next batch of players will integrate to senior. RoyalStalwart24 (Meath) - Posts: 43 - 10/07/2026 11:12:49 2685071 Link 0 |
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He certainly has good playmaking ability and has played there for Meath before under Colm O'Rourke. I wouldn't mind seeing Frayne there, and Costello at full forward. He can disappear in games though, which is NOT acceptable for a playmaker.
RoyalStalwart24 (Meath) - Posts: 43 - 10/07/2026 11:21:33 2685072 Link 0 |
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Like the idea of Frayne at 11, but he did well as a corner forward in 2025 and there's no reason he can't rediscover his form there. Probably a long year too as mentioned.
RoyalStalwart24 (Meath) - Posts: 43 - 10/07/2026 12:02:03 2685083 Link 0 |
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We could have a great chance at Leinster , a lot of talk of how provincial might not be hugely advantageous to teams might just blunt dublin and Louth in April early may. And if we're firing well we could get over the line at last. I'd take survival in div 1 and a Leinster title over an all Ireland semi final next year dickie10 (UK) - Posts: 966 - 10/07/2026 14:54:47 2685109 Link 0 |
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Did pepole not notice Frayne played most of his football at 11 this year with Meath? I reckon he dropped out and played 11 more than he played inside forward this year. Himself and Kinsella were playing as almost two 11s. It worked well as they are meaths best ball users and dont turn it over cheaply. A lot of teams around the country are doing this under the new rules. In the league they did this to free up the space for Morris and Lynch and in championship it was the same logic for Morris and Conlon. With Kinsella out for most of next year I'd love to see Rian McConnell get a chance, he's such a classy footballer and a genuine workhorse. Sheridan2010louth (Meath) - Posts: 351 - 10/07/2026 16:16:16 2685119 Link 0 |
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Positions in football are fairly vague these days. You could argue Frayne played as a second 11 to free up Morris and Lynch/Conlon, but Morris played extremely deep himself, and was often a recipient of short kickouts against Derry in particular. I reiterate that positions don't mean nearly as much in football anymore (though some core tenants remain, such as the spine of a team). Frayne did play deep at times, and things constantly shift. Positions matter for kickouts and the overall flow the game, particularly marking and defending, but in attack it is far more fluid. Doesn't devalue positions but it's true all the same. Would disagree that Frayne is one of our best ball carriers, he was turned over cheaply again and again against Derry and a few times against Mayo too. I would say Caulfield and Kinsella are our best ball carriers.
RoyalStalwart24 (Meath) - Posts: 43 - 10/07/2026 21:10:26 2685151 Link 0 |
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The 2027: Royalio11 (Meath) - Posts: 854 - 10/07/2026 21:49:49 2685158 Link 0 |
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True that Frayne did drift out quite a bit but usually his starting position was inside. I think he was tired this year. He rushed back after an injury late last year and played every game since including Sigerson matches. Last year he drifted out too but seemed to be a bit sharper and got more shots away. He had some decent games but the top teams have exceptional forwards. Morris last actually only played exceptionally well versus Galway so maybe too much was expected of him but he was definately under par. Costello did reach his high gears but that was expected given how long out he was. winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 1033 - 11/07/2026 08:44:58 2685174 Link 1 |
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Totally agree, even the u20s from last year were hardly brought in. I think Jamie Murphy ultimately got 4 minutes of game time against Kildare when the game was already one. We've had plenty of promising players coming through, but we mostly stuck to the same personnel we had in 2025. That's why the League, and to an extent the O'Byrne Cup, is important to establish these players. Colm O'Rourke, for all his many flaws, did give young lads plenty of game time and established them in the long run - they just needed a manager who connected well with them. If we can adequately combine our underage players coming through and the current squad we have, it's another small step in the right direction.
RoyalStalwart24 (Meath) - Posts: 43 - 11/07/2026 10:51:11 2685181 Link 0 |
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God even we would blush at that Down collapse RoyalStalwart24 (Meath) - Posts: 43 - 11/07/2026 18:42:04 2685234 Link 0 |