Replying To TheUsername:  "Not running down the lad Furlong, but I think there might be an exaggeration around these lads and their potential at the moment.

Meath have had some good results at Minor. Dublin are shocking bad at that grade. But I can tell you Dublin treat the grade like you would an U10's, everyone gets a game and even after a win they will make numerous changes the next game. The age group is more about experience for all, but more importantly developing through the set up regardless of the result. It's a big jump from Dublin minor to U 20, massive, in fact if you compare the personal from a minor to the following U 20 team, very few from minor make the cut. Essentially in my experience Dublin pick the biggest lads at minor and best players for U 20. I wouldn't read much into our minor results at all. As you say Meath have dominated at minor for 6 seasons, different sceal at U20, we have dominated nationally never mind Leinster. We do minor & U20 very differently.

I remember the U20 league game to, we were missing many of our strongest players. We do take the U20 championship seriously though. If you have serious aspirations of playing for Dublin you have to perform there. As I say I'm not running down the Meath young lads, just a bit of perspective, they struggled to perform against the U20 defence and that's our weakest line at U20 this year. They are now going to face a senior defence who gobbled up and spit out the likes on Andy Moran, Donaghey, Gooch, McShane, Harte, JOD, Clifford, Murphy, Geaney, Comer, Walsh, Brearty essentially any non Dub forward the country has. I'm just offering perspective in the hype around these lads.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2020/0222/1116953-dublin-too-strong-for-meath-in-u-20-semi-final/

I go back to the hype surrounding these lads, Morris etc. They were on the same pitch as Lavin, Archer, O Dell and Swan, they would be the Dublin lads looking to make the break through and shone in the big game that mattered and racked up big personal scores next to their Meath counter parts, who the hype is about starting for the seniors this weekend of course the Dublin lads are hopefully preparing for a national final at U 20.

In all honesty I expect us to continue to tank at minor, we clearly have a strategy, it's a strategy that's working, I'm surprised other counties haven't looked at it"

Replying To Crinigan:  "I agree. Minor schminor. Means little. It's at u20 where it counts in terms of who might make a senior player or not (although Meath have brought on two lads recently almost straight from minor which is great).

Would love to know background and methodology surrounding Dubs decision to focus on u20s, seems unique and innovative."

Replying To Crinigan:  "I agree. Minor schminor. Means little. It's at u20 where it counts in terms of who might make a senior player or not (although Meath have brought on two lads recently almost straight from minor which is great).

Would love to know background and methodology surrounding Dubs decision to focus on u20s, seems unique and innovative."

Replying To royaldunne:  "Excellent posts furlong. Jasus that is some young team we have. Youngest in country??"

Replying To Furlong1949:  "You dont get it. Firstly regards minor its feels like your saying we dont try minor we domnt care about minor. We fill the lads full of Fanta and Mars bars before the match we r just having the crack at minor. Your not giving Meath enough credit for those victories. I have seen these minor games it meant something to Dublin

I know you will disagree and I get development part but to almoat say Dublin dont care about minor and , we were not kind of trying. That what it sounds like. I know you will disagree. I have seen Dublin play Meath so many times at every level and those games matter. Meath young players coming through are better in last 2 years then previous 20 years. Their impact at senior proves rhat. I respect what you say Username I dont want get into arguement and I know you will disagree. And respond. I am going leave there I have written to much about match I need to just leave it there. We will agree to disagree. I always enjoy your posts and they are always excellent. I am Meath your Dublin. Digs fly now again. Thats what Meath and Dublin do. But we always sake hands at end of battle and move on.

Yes Dublin finances organisation kicks in at under 20. Its working. Meath is not working. But doesnt mean it will continue not to work forever. We had problem at minor we sorted out. There is quite determinationto get Meath back. Allot of work being done on the ground you can see at senior players like Morris Walsh Costello are different to 19 or 20 year olds making debut for Meath in 2014 and 2015. For me Meath at under 20 is mental. Kildare won under 20 All Ireland and the only team to beat them in the championship was Meath. We beat lsinster and All Ireland champions we fully deserved winners should have won by 6 or 7. Then we got out lose Dublin badly. Then kildare beat Dubllin in the final easily. And we defeated kildare. Its shows theres a problem.at under 20 mentallh. Meath have never took under 20 or under 21 football seriously. We have only won 1 All Ireland title at under 21 and we havent won leinster title at the grade for 19 years. There is issue there. But that has to change these talented minors who now making impact so well at senior there future succesors have to better at under 20. Shane Walsh and Morris do well at minor and then senior. But not under 20 clearly there is issue at under 20.

I think it will come at under 20 because what Dublin did we are doing on smaller scale of course. Dublin put in plan in mid 00s and got Irish governments and GAA to give millions ti fund full time coachs. Dublin have had up to 60 or 70 full time gaa coachs in the county for over the decade. First county to ever win 7 senior in a decade showed the millions invested was huge sucess. East leinster project is miuch nore smallscale but it has huge potential. Meath and kildare had 3 full time coachs for years. In last year Meath and kildare both now have 17 full time coachs. Louth have 7 full time coachs so do Wicklow. There has to be a good chance that this will help all four counties at underage. I can see already current minor Meath looks a different level to even Morris Walsh minor team. Its hard to know with young lads hopefully they will get right management at under 20 and we will win. leinster. I think in next ten years with east leister project you will see louth and Wicklow win leinster minor title and really imptove at underage. Wicklow are already showing signs of improvemenrt. I think Meath and kildare are going give Dublin a real competitive time at both grade. I coule see both winning underage All.Ireland in 2020s and winniny leinster titles. Huge work has done been at underage in Meath and kildare. Boths populatuons has exploded. Like there is a whole new area in Meath that has become a football.stronghold which was once weak football.area south east eg Rataoth Bettystown Ashbourne and you cud include Dunshaughlin and Dunboyne into that. If Meath could tap or even kildare tap into the whole new population in the county that could be gamechanger. Thats what happenee Dublin.

Southside suburbs were gaa wasteland and over last 25 years clubs like kilmacud Crokes Ballyboden even Bonos club Cuala Dalkey have become hugelu sucessful clubs. Many of current Dublin team are from these areas which were once weak gaa areas. Many of their parents are from.western seaboard eg Kerry Donegal Clarr came up to Dublin got jobs as guard teachers civil servive moved to suburbs joined local gaa club and their sons became Dublin greats. Meath also have that dynamic and so do kildare going on down on the ground. Movement of peope to North kildare and south east Meah has meant botj counties population has doubled. It doesnt gurantee sucess look at Wicklow or Antrim or limerick football with big populations. But whoever taps in succesfully into this new population new football area will have sucess maybe even unprecedebtee sucess like Dublin. You could see in next 20 years All Ireland winning kildare team.and maybe first ever three in a row All Ireland winning Meath team who knows.

Regards these Meath forwards being gobbled up by Dublin maybe they will Bookies say Dubs going to win by 10. Maybe another 15 point loss. You dont get understand when Meath footballer beats Dublin its like injecting steriods confidence into their veins. These young lads have beaten Dublin regularly this is a positive development and is important. Look at the league game v Dubs the closest any team in leinster in league or championship has got to since 2012 2013. Look at how Walsh scored those 4 points. And Conlon and Morris scored 2 each. I am.100% certain beating Dublin at underage contributes to their performance it give young Walsh the belief to score 4 points v Dubs. Do not underestimate how any victory at level v Dublib is important for another county. I think people dont realise how Dublin have always dominated leinster football. And 5 victories in 6 years at any level is significant for Meath to beat Dublin.at any grade it gived huge confidence. Lets say Meath do perform well on sat and get close to Dublin which is unlikely. The minor victoriee would be one of the reaaons for that . Why did Cork beat kerry? Beating them at underage helped.

Jist regard Morris he comed from. the part of Meath which produces inside forwards who just have a swagger and are clever brillant finisher like Ollie Mutphy ftom Carnaros Brian Stafford from kilmainhamwood Ray Magee from kilmainwood Micheal Newman from kilimainwood Brian Farrell from Nobber and Morris is also from Nobber he is heir to these players. Will we have a career like Newmam or Magee or Farrell or wil he reach heights of Stafford and Murphy. I dont know no one knows. But he has made huge impact. And he has that Ollie Mutphy north Meath swagger confidence trickery thing going on. North Meath forwards have tormented Dublin backs for generations. Dublin might have gobbled up this player and that player. An inside forward from.small north Meath village there is something up that part of the county, those forwards from North Meath villages love playing Dublim. He could have a poor game. But i think it is fair to say over the coming years he is a real prospect."

Replying To Furlong1949:  "Yes they did they had forwards just as good as Dublin in 70s. Thats why Dublin 70s struggled so hard to beat in 3 massive tough championship in mid 70s and national league div 1 final in 75.

Mattie kerrigan Ken Rennicks Colm O Rourke Ollie O Brien were quality top class forwards. Mattie kerrigan is one greatest Meath footballers ever and was at his peak the best centre forward in Ireland. Colm.O Rourke is Meath greatest footballer of last 50 years and at his peak was best forward and best footballer in Ireland. He won footballer of the year.
Ken Rennicks is the greatest Meath footballer never to win Sam. One of the most talented Meath forwards of all time and in 1975 league final gave greatest performance by Meath forward Croke Park in a final only maybe bettered by Bernard Flynn performance v Dubs in 88 league final. That Meath team from 1974 to 1977 was in the top 4 or 5 teams in the country. That team also had Joe Cassells( future Meath All Ireland winning captain) Mick lyons ( future Meath All Ireland winning captain) , Gerry McEntee ( Meath great), Jack Quinn ( best full back in Ireland one of the best footballers at his peak) Pat Reynold snr ( All star wing back one of best wings backs in Ireland)

Meath played Dublin in 74 could have won, Meath defeated Dublin in 75, Meath should have won in 76 and how they didnt win in 77 is still mystery as Meath dominated the second half and lost by 2. Remeber in 1977 Dublin hammered kerry in the semi final and hammered Armagh in the final and won two in a row and yet in leinster final in 77 Dublin were very very lucky to scrape past Meath. Its no coincidence every All Ireland Dublin won the 70s ans 80s they had a massive battle with Meath in leinster. Dublin won Sam in 74 75 77 83 everyone of the years Meaths pushed Dublin all the way.

Meath of course beat Dublin in 1975 league final. Meath are only team to beat great kerry team or great Dublin team of the 70s in a national final. They actually defeated kerry in national league semi final in 75 a team that would win Sam later on in 75 and beat Dubs in the final where Meath forwards particularly Mattie kerrigan and Ken Rennicks gave exhibition of forward play.

Meath always produced better forwards then Dublin for generations the same way kerry always produce better forwards then Cork. The same traditionally Galway always seem to produce better forwards then Mayo. Yes Dublin have better forwards in the last tens years. But that is very unual. In the 40s and 50s Peter McDermont, Frankie Byrne, Paddy Meegan and Brian Symth were better then Dublin forwards at the time that why Meath won 5 times in 6 years v Dubs and won Sam twice. In the 60s Mattie kerrigan Noel Curran Ollie Shanley were better forwards the Dubs had. Thats why after 1964 to 1970 Meath were best team in leinater and reached 3 All Ireland finals winning one in 67. In 70s Mattie kerrigan, Colm O Rourke, ken Rennicks, Ollie O Brien were just as good as Dublins forwards. Meath had better forwards in 80z with greatest full forward line ever only bettered by Egan Loston Sheedy. Two footballers of year Colm O Rourke Brian Stafford and Bernatd Flynn. In 90s Meath also had better forwards then Dublin with Tommy Dowd, Graham Geraghty, Brendan Reilly, Evan kelly, Ollie Murphy and the only ever two time footballer of the year Trevor Giles. And Meath had better forwards then Dublim in 00s with Graham Geraghty, Joe Sheridan, Brian Farrell, Cian Ward, Stephen Bray, David Bray, Shane O Rourke, Peadar Bynre. Thats why Meath reached 2 All Ireland semi finak in 3 years eg 07 and 09 and beat great Tyrone team off 00s in q final and defeated Galway and Mayo in the championship and drew with Dublin in 07 and hammered Dublin by record 5 goals in 2010 and won leinster. So many Meath games were won by 1 point or 2 in 70s 80s 90s and 00s. One of the reasons Meath defeated Dublin more then any other county, Meath always produced better forwards then Dublin. The last ten years of course Dubs have the best forwards in Ireland. But hopefully these new generation of Meaths forwards can reach the heights of Meath greeats of the past."

Replying To superdub:  "I respect you're knowledge but please take off the Meath tinted glasses, it's getting embarrassing."

Replying To superdub:  "I respect you're knowledge but please take off the Meath tinted glasses, it's getting embarrassing."

Replying To Whyalwaysmeath:  "Show me someone from any county that doesnt have glasses tinted by the colours of their county. A Kerry man would tell you that the free that Cluxton knocked over to beat them in the AI was soft or never a free whereas a Dub will tell you that it was a free all day long. A Kerry man might say that McMenimen took 12 or 13 steps before scoring that goal and it should never have stood, a Dub will argue that he didnt and that it was a perfectly good goal all day long.

The man has hope and belief and there is zero wrong with that. So he gets a bit passionate and possibly over exagerates some parts of the basis for his belief, it's natural when you support a team. He has also admitted in several posts that we could face a hammering this weekend, that it could be 10 or 15 points, so it's not as if he doesnt see the flip side of the coin. Just because he has hope that it wont be an absolute hammering doesnt mean he is embarrassing himself!

He has vast knowledge of the game and the history in Meath GAA and if he cant put that out on an open GAA forum without being told he is embarrassing himself then there is something wrong!"

Replying To superdub:  "I respect you're knowledge but please take off the Meath tinted glasses, it's getting embarrassing."

Replying To royaldunne:  "Hang on here a second, NOTHING furlong posts is embarrassing. I can tell you he has forgotten more about football than you or I will ever know. So a bit of respect."

Replying To Fionn:  "Too much copy and pasting going on with them posts.

Also, I looked at some of his great Meath players and to be honest, he went down in my estimation with that post..."

Replying To royaldunne:  "Furlong = legend."

Replying To daytona11:  "I'm not sure if someone who posts piles of stats and historic opinion pieces on an internet forum with google at their fingertips should be considered knowledgeable. Respected by all means though.

At the end of the day Leinster football is coming up on the 10th anniversary of it's death. Apart from perhaps Ulster, a bit like Munster in the hurling, the majority of counties want to see significant changes to the structure of the championship. That's the only way in reality to perhaps help the other 31 counties really bridge the gap on a consistent basis. 10 Leinster's in a row, probably 6 All Irelands. You can't blame the Dubs for that but the GAA certainly do have a case to answer for. I can guarantee you if any other province had of been dominated like Leinster they would be calling for changes also.

There is nothing between Laois, Meath , Westmeath and Kildare on any given day and a best 15 from those counties wouldn't beat the dubs. Depressing."

Replying To daytona11:  "I'm not sure if someone who posts piles of stats and historic opinion pieces on an internet forum with google at their fingertips should be considered knowledgeable. Respected by all means though.

At the end of the day Leinster football is coming up on the 10th anniversary of it's death. Apart from perhaps Ulster, a bit like Munster in the hurling, the majority of counties want to see significant changes to the structure of the championship. That's the only way in reality to perhaps help the other 31 counties really bridge the gap on a consistent basis. 10 Leinster's in a row, probably 6 All Irelands. You can't blame the Dubs for that but the GAA certainly do have a case to answer for. I can guarantee you if any other province had of been dominated like Leinster they would be calling for changes also.

There is nothing between Laois, Meath , Westmeath and Kildare on any given day and a best 15 from those counties wouldn't beat the dubs. Depressing."

Replying To Fionn:  "Too much copy and pasting going on with them posts.

Also, I looked at some of his great Meath players and to be honest, he went down in my estimation with that post..."