Latest news with #MeathFootball
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Meath forward Mathew Costello out to prove shock win over Dublin was no flash in the pan
After falling short of the summit in Leinster, the Meath footballers have now set themselves a new challenge to climb out of their All-Ireland round-robin group. The Royals lost all three games in the group stage of the Sam Maguire competition last summer, finishing bottom of the table and failing to progress to the knock-out stages after defeats to Louth, Kerry and Monaghan. However, this has been a season of progress so far for Meath. Forward Mathew Costello believes Robbie Brennan's side can put the disappointment of defeat to Louth in the Leinster final behind them and launch an assault on the All-Ireland series . 'First and foremost, [the aspiration now] is to get out of the group and try get ourselves to an All-Ireland quarter-final,' says Costello. READ MORE 'Obviously last year we had a pretty poor campaign in the All-Ireland, so basically it's to do better than we did last year and get ourselves out of the group.' Meath begin their round-robin campaign at home to Cork in Navan on Saturday. John Cleary's Rebels will arrive at Páirc Tailteann on the back of a hugely encouraging display against Kerry in Munster. 'I'm expecting a seriously tough contest, to be honest,' continues Costello. 'Everybody knew they were a fantastic team but Cork really showed against Kerry they have a serious skill-set. 'They're a team that are also probably on the road together now the last few years. They've experienced big days, maybe more than us, so we're expecting a big battle in Navan.' Meath's Mathew Costello battles for possession with Kieran McArdle of Louth during the Leinster SFC final. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Beyond Saturday's first-round clash, Meath will then face a trip to Roscommon before finishing off their group with a neutral venue fixture against Kerry. Meath, Cork and Roscommon were all in Division Two of the National Football League this season while Kerry finished second in Division One. Meath lost to Cork but beat Roscommon. 'It's funny, obviously a lot of the teams are in the same division in the league and we all feel we can beat each other on any given day. I think it leads to really competitive matches and that's what we're expecting over the next few weeks,' adds Costello. Meath's standout performance this season was their Leinster semi-final win over Dublin, a victory that was some 15 years in the making. There was a lot of hard training and tough nights to build us up for performances like that — Mathew Costello It ended Dublin's dominance in the province and opened up the Delaney Cup for the first time in well over a decade. 'Yeah, it was very significant but it was going to come at some stage,' says the versatile forward of that victory over the Dubs. 'And over the last four or five years that's kind of what you've been trying to tell yourself ahead of those games – that some day we're going to get a really good performance and we're going to put it up to them. 'I think it was probably one of the best games I've been a part of, I'm sure the fans loved it. I think it was brilliant that the game was brought down to Portlaoise and we were able to build a bit of an atmosphere. And from that, hopefully we can keep Leinster a very competitive provincial series now. Mathew Costello takes on Dublin's John Small during the Leinster SFC semi-final, a victory Costello insists was not a one-off. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho 'It does give confidence but really where the confidence comes from is the amount of work we did in the off-season, pre-season and throughout the National League. 'There was a lot of hard training and tough nights to build us up for performances like that. The Dublin game wasn't just an overnight success or a one-off. We know we've plenty of big performances to come and hopefully we can bring that to the Cork game.' [ Hurling Man shifts uneasily as football gets mysteriously entertaining Opens in new window ] [ Ciarán Murphy: Dublin's leaders prove an old lion is still a lion - and Limerick are roaring now too Opens in new window ] The defeat to Louth in the provincial final knocked some of the gloss off that win over Dublin, but Costello is taking a more global view on the Leinster decider setback. The Dunshaughlin clubman believes the experience will ultimately stand to the Meath players. 'I think it's only a positive,' he said. 'The lead-up to the game and then the actual occasion itself, like the parade and everything, was just something I'd never experienced before. 'We know full well, for the future, that's 100 per cent going to help us having gone through that. If we can ever get back to those heights, back to Croke Park, we know what it's like now. It just gives you the buzz and gives you a bit more motivation to go back and do it again. I think Louth's experience probably did shine through in the last five minutes; they held the ball really well. 'Obviously the result just didn't go our way. It just wasn't our day – it was Louth's day. They were full value for their win, so I just have to congratulate them and we move on.' Given the array of young talent in the county, there has been a mood of optimism around Meath in recent times. Costello says potential cannot be talked about endlessly – at some stage it has to be about delivering on that promise. 'The aim, basically, is to do better than you did last year,' he says. 'We are young, but you can't be young forever. We've got to be putting in performances and hopefully that will lead to results.'
Irish Times
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Sam Mulroy's storybook second half sees Louth win Leinster for the first time since 1957
Leinster Senior Football final: Louth 3-14 Meath 1-18 Liberation comes wreathed in red flare smoke, swirling down from the Hill and down through the decades. The Louth players skittered around Croke Park like bowling pins at the end, sent flying by 68 years of history. Leinster champions for the first time since De Valera was Taoiseach. They beat Meath here thanks to a storybook second-half from Sam Mulroy, who missed his first four shots after the break and then didn't miss again. They hung in there with three first-half goals, haymakers that just about kept them in a fight that they had been losing to a jabbing, accurate Meath. They are Leinster champions, the first non-Dublin ones since 2010 and all that. Mulroy shrugged afterwards when asked if the noise and controversy from that game 15 years ago had any affect here, shaking his head as if the very idea was ludicrous. He was a 12-year-old boy in tears in the Hogan Stand that day. Winning Leinster in 2025 has nothing to do with any of those old ghosts. 'I think it's just dedication and effort and buy-in from everyone bringing it to a new level and demanding more of themselves. People coming in, like Ger, and demanding more from us and seeing the bigger picture that we can do it. READ MORE 'As Ger always says, 'They have two legs and two arms, just like us.' No matter who we're playing. It was just a case of bringing everyone up to a level and up the ante and going after what we had to go after.' Meath's Mathew Costello and Louth's Peter Lynch. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho They dug a fair hole for themselves here with a first half that threatened to get away from them a few times. Meath started better, bucking out to a 0-5 to 0-2 lead after 20 minutes. Ruairí Kinsella was everywhere, goalkeeper Billy Hogan came up and kicked a two-point free. On a day when Croke Park was in full bottle rocket mode, Robbie Brennan's side settled into it with minimal fuss. Louth caught hold of a lifeline when Mulroy iced a penalty on 20 minutes, after Donal Keogan fouled Kieran McArdle as he went to shoot for goal. And when the excellent Craig Lennon burst through to put Ryan Burns in for Louth's second goal soon after, you would have forgiven Meath for shrinking into themselves. They were suddenly 2-3 to 0-6 behind, pretty much out of nowhere. Meath didn't wilt though. Brennan has a mostly youthful team on his hands but they don't lack for courage. They came back at Louth and reeled off the next six scores in a row, one of them a two-pointer from the outstanding Kinsella. The young Meath centre-forward laid on scores from James Conlon and Seán Coffey into the bargain, leaving Meath 0-13 to 2-3 ahead a minute short of the break. There's a reason Lennon was Louth's first All Star in 14 seasons last year. He scythed through the Meath cover with a roadrunner break on 35 minutes, burying his finish into Hogan's top corner to keep his side breathing. It meant they were just a point down at half-time and bounced into the dressingrooms much the happier bunch. Meath's Donal Keogan dejected after the game. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho You wouldn't say they changed very much after the break but they were definitely much more on the front foot. There wasn't much of a wind in Croke Park but what there was, they had at their back in the second half, meaning they could take more shots and attack more of Hogan's kick-outs. Mulroy wasn't going to die wondering anyway – he came out blazing for two-pointers and missed with his first four efforts. But by bit, he found his radar. After missing an early 45, he finally nailed one on 50 minutes to bring Louth back to within a point. Meath had just seen Jordan Morris announce his return from injury with a point off the bench with his first involvement in the game. Little did the Meath fans celebrating at the time know that his point in the 47th minute would be their last of the day. Louth kicked on. Mulroy landed a beauty on the loop and then another off his left. With 10 minutes to go, they were back in the lead – 3-11 to 0-18. But some over-elaborate messing on the halfway line gave Meath a chance of a break. Again, it was Kinsella who got them going, feeding Morris who put Matthew Costello away for their only goal. Eight minutes to go, Meath ahead by a point. Louth's Bevan Duffy celebrates with his daughter Lydia after the game. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho The place was in orbit now, every possession a heart attack. The killer decision came on 65 minutes, referee Martin McNally award Louth a soft enough free 47 metres out. Mulroy didn't need to be asked twice and he nosed Louth into the lead again. For there on, they used all the experience from being in last year's final to see themselves home. Meath chased and chased but couldn't get the ball back. History can take a number. It's Louth's turn now. MEATH: B Hogan (0-2-0, 2tpf); S Lavin, S Rafferty, B O'Halloran; D Keogan (0-0-1), S Coffey (0-0-1), C Caulfield; J Flynn, B Menton; C Duke, R Kinsella (0-1-2), K Curtis (0-0-1); M Costello (1-0-1), J Conlon (0-0-1), E Frayne (0-0-4, 2f). Subs: J Morris (0-0-1) for Curtis (45 mins); S Walsh for Duke (53); A Lynch for Kinsella (62); D McGowan for Conlon (68). LOUTH: N McDonnell; D Nally, D Campbell, D McKenny; C McKeever, P Lynch, C Lennon (1-0-1); T Durnin, A McDonnell; B Duffy (0-0-1), C Downey (0-0-1), C Grimes (0-0-1); K McArdle, S Mulroy (1-1-5, 1-0 pen, 1tpf, 2f, 1 45), R Burns (1-1-1). Subs: C Keenan for McArdle (45 mins); Pl Matthews for McDonnell (46); C Byrne for Burns (62); D McDonnell for Duffy (65); E Carolan for Nally (70). Referee: M McNally (Monaghan).
