06-05-2025
Eoghan Frayne: Louth 'had our number,' as Meath out to 'right wrongs' in final
Eoghan Frayne says Louth have "had our number" - and it's up to the Royals to "right the wrongs" in the most significant 'Battle of the Boyne' since the infamous 2010 Leinster decider.
Frayne was speaking ahead of Sunday's Leinster Senior Football Championship Final meeting at Croke Park, the biggest of three massive encounters over the last 12 months.
It started with last May's All-Ireland round robin tie at Inniskeen - Louth's new home - where the Wee County hit Meath for three goals, with All Star wing back in waiting, Craig Lennon, firing two of them.
That victory was Louth's first over Meath in Championship football since 1975.
A few weeks ago the sides met in the final round of their Division 2 campaign, with Louth having to win to avoid relegation and Meath chasing a victory that could have meant promotion to Division 1.
Louth, despite being without 10 of the side that started their final championship game last year - the All-Ireland quarter-final defeat by Donegal - emerged in a thriller at Inniskeen.
Since then Ger Brennan's side have faced must win games against Laois and Kildare, where defeat would have spelled Tailteann Cup football this summer.
For Meath, already in the All-Ireland, the stakes haven't been quite as high but coming from 10 points behind to beat Offaly and turning over Dublin were both massive results.
This Sunday is even bigger, as a decade and a half later these fierce rivals go head to head in a rematch of the infamous 2010 provincial decider where Joe Sheridan's last ditch goal denied the Wee County a first Leinster title since 1957.
That wait is now in its 68th year and the wounds of 2010 remain raw for Louth fans.
Meath captain Frayne was only seven at the time. He was at the game, but 'can't remember a thing about it.'.
The Summerhill man is more concerned with not wasting any training sessions since the Dublin win as Meath look to turn the tables back on their neighbours and fierce rivals.
"They (Louth) obviously had our number the last two times in Inniskeen,' says Frayne (22).
"Louth have some serious footballers and it's going to take an even better performance than we gave against Dublin to beat them.
'I don't think they have a weakness all over the field. They're strong all around and they have obviously a few key lads like Sam (Mulroy) and a few others that will take minding.
'They've had our number and they've just been up for it. They've deserved to win the last two times.
'We can't have any complaints. Hopefully now we can right the wrongs of the last two times."
Croke Park will be very different to Inniskeen, the Monaghan venue Louth have made their home while they wait for a new stadium in Dundalk, which recently got the go-ahead.
'It's a small ground but they pack it out and it probably gives them that one-percenter maybe and it gives them a bit of momentum,' continued Frayne.
'The last two times playing there, the atmosphere has been mad. The roar for Louth in big moments was definitely there. It definitely helped them and maybe played into our psyche a bit."
It's not that long ago that Meath were perceived to be in crisis, having missed out on promotion after the Louth defeat and parting ways with two of their coaches six days later - Martin Corey and Joe McMahon.
The regroup, with Conor Gillespie and Shane Supple taking on additional training responsibilities, has been impressive.
'It could have went either way,' said Frayne. 'It could have been detrimental. Luckily it went the other way. We all knuckled down a bit and said, 'Look lads, there's no point dwelling on this.'
'At the end of the day, it's us that's going to get the slack or the praise. We just had to move on from it, get back to the things you can control and back training. To be fair to all the lads, they didn't dwell on it too long and just got on with things.
'Shane and Conor would take most of the coaching now. Two really good fellas. We had full faith in them.
'There was obviously talk of would someone else come in or not. We had full confidence in the lads that they were able to do the job.'
Frayne is a fine two point kicker, and although the last Louth game didn't go his way, he was bang in form against Dublin, hitting 11 points in total (including two, two-pointers) with four coming from play.
'I think it (Dublin) was our best performance of the year so far,' he says. "Everyone was up for it. It probably fed into the build-up for us. The fact it was in Portlaoise probably gave us something to go after. I think that definitely helped us.
'If that game was in Croke Park, Dublin probably would have come back. Or maybe we wouldn't have got as big a lead because there might not have been as strong a wind.
'I think definitely that played into our hands a bit. They would be so familiar with it (Croke Park). They play there so much. I think that would definitely help them.
'Cluxton would be real familiar with Croke Park. He'd have his sweet spots of where he can get the ball off. I think he probably wasn't as familiar with Portlaoise.
'I think that probably helped. There was a whirly wind kicking in. It was tough.'
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