How Robbie Brennan's slick man-management awakened the Meath sleeping giant

Irish Examiner

18 hours ago

Tomas Ó Sé was thinking about Meath, and how they've gone from one end of the zeroes/heroes spectrum to the other in a matter of months, and found himself flummoxed.
"I tried to figure it out during the week, I don't know what's gone on in Meath," said Ó Sé. "How can they suddenly be properly and really deserving of being in an All-Ireland semi-final?
"Everyone has been judging Meath on the last number of years, and what's been there for the last number of years, and there has been nothing in terms of what we're seeing right now."
The Kerry man probably doesn't need to look a whole pile further than Robbie Brennan for his answer.
It was new manager Brennan that convinced Bryan Menton to come out of retirement, having not played since 2022. Seamus Lavin was even longer away, since 2021, yet both have started all 15 of Meath's League and Championship games this year. Jack Flynn, Menton's midfield partner all year until a recent injury, is in a similar boat, coaxed back after missing much of 2024.
Then there's Sean Rafferty, arguably the Meath player most likely to end the county's 17-year wait for an All-Star. He hadn't played a League or Championship game before Brennan came in but has started 14 of the 15 games. Conor Duke's stats are exactly the same as Rafferty's.
Ruairí Kinsella didn't start a Championship game for Meath last year either but has lined out in all eight this year. The list goes on. It all comes back to Brennan and his slick man management.
"I've been living in Meath a long time and I've played and was lucky enough to win a championship in Meath," said the Dunboyne resident. "So with all of that going on, and I'd be at so many of the matches watching the games, whether Dunboyne were in them or not, I certainly knew the talent was there and I think that was probably the most exciting part of it.
"It was a case of, could you get in and awaken the sleeping giant, and so far we have."
Brennan rose to national prominence for his work with Kilmacud Crokes, in Dublin, guiding them to county, provincial and national successes. But as the son of a Meath man from Kilberry, just north of Navan, he was on his father Paddy's shoulders for the Centenary Cup success of 1984, the first trophy won in the Sean Boylan era.
The family's decision to relocate to south Dublin for work purposes was what brought him to the capital, and Crokes, before Brennan U-turned when older, marrying Liz Gallagher, the sister of former Meath goalkeeper David Gallagher, and settling in Dunboyne.
Asked if he sees himself as a Meath man or a Dub, Brennan shot back instantly: "Meath."
Supporting Dublin wasn't really an option.
"It was drilled into me, so it was never any other way," he said of his Meath-ness. "There were a lot of dark days then when you're living in Dublin, you're involved in Kilmacud, and Meath aren't winning and Dublin are starting to win and you're having to go back to the clubhouse and stuff like that.
"I'm living in Dunboyne for 20-odd years so I'm more Meath now if there was ever any doubt. The 7/2 for the Dublin job isn't a good price I'd say looking at it!"
Brennan has a long way to go to enjoy the same legendary status within Meath as Dunboyne neighbour Boylan but he may just be getting there. In any other year, beating Dublin, Kerry, Cork and Galway in the Championship would probably have already snagged the Sam Maguire Cup.
But they've still got Donegal to go on Sunday. Perhaps they'll get a crack at Kerry or Tyrone then after that.
Brennan's approach has been a simple one - let the players express themselves. Sure, Meath have got praise for their tactical acumen this year but it was probably more insightful that he described Jordan Morris losing the ball in attack against Galway last time as a 'creative turnover'. Those are always allowed, even encouraged.
"What do we say? The more you control, the less you can create. It's that kind of approach," said Brennan. "They're not spoon-fed. It's exactly what we did in Kilmacud, we just allowed the leaders to take over and we let the group kind of develop.
"It's happened way quicker (in Meath) than even I thought it might but there's some exceptional leaders in it, not just obviously Eoghan (Frayne) and Ciaran (Caulfield) as captain and vice-captain. They're all grabbing it with both hands."
Despite it all, they'll be written off by pretty much everybody when the ball is thrown in tomorrow.
"We'll still come in as underdogs and that's good for us," said Brennan. "Donegal are probably one of, if not the favourites for the Championship, and have been for a long time. I think that'll suit us fine coming in again. We don't have to change much."