Latest news with #TrevorGiles
BreakingNews.ie
13-07-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Meath footballers bringing excitement to the county, says Giles
The excitement around Meath heading into the All-Ireland semi-finals has not been seen since the days of Trevor Giles leading the county. After memorable wins against Dublin, Kerry, and Galway, Meath fans have been given memories they will remember for the rest of their lives. Advertisement Having not reached this stage since 2009, and forced to watch rivals Dublin lift the Leinster championship cup every season, there was not a lot to shout about for the Royals. However, with Donegal standing in their way of an All-Ireland final, former captain Giles described the atmosphere around the county. "We grew up going to Croke Park watching Meath in the '80s and, with nostalgia and hindsight, they were great. When you are coaching and you see your senior team going well, it is massive. It is a great thing as a teenager going to be proud of your country and all your friends being there. "All the teenagers want Hill 16 tickets. They don't want to go to the stand. Stand tickets are a tenner, Hill 16 tickets are €40, but they want to go on Hill 16 because that is where their friends are, and that's where the craic will be. Advertisement "Kids in Meath growing up in the last 20 years haven't had those days out." A two-time All-Ireland winner as a player, Giles was part of Colm O'Rourke's coaching team at Meath, who had admitted they were not near Dublin after a 16-point defeat last year. However, that gap has been more than closed after defeating Dublin in the Leinster semi-final. For Giles, he admitted he is surprised with how well this season has gone, but believes the future of Meath football is bright. Advertisement "Pleasantly surprised how well we're doing. I thought we would be better this year, that all the younger guys would be a year older, a little bit stronger physically. "The team that is going to play on Sunday, a couple of them it's their first year, a couple their second, a couple their third. They're very young still. "But it's fantastic to be that young and winning the games they have been winning. They're going to be different players for the next five or six years on the back of that. A lot of the game is confidence. Beating the likes of Dublin completely changes you as a player. "We feel, with the age profile of the team, Meath will be there for the next few years and really competitive at the business end of things. I am just delighted that Meath are going well. That's the main thing." Advertisement Under Robbie Brennan, Meath have played free-flowing football, with their accuracy one of the best in the country. With the new rules, the team have taken full advantage of scoring two-pointers, and Giles has praised Brennan for allowing Meath to express themselves. "Until this year, there wasn't a huge reward for trying a risky shot from far out because you only get a one pointer, but there is a massive reward for getting the two-pointer, we know all about that. Once you get a couple of those, you get a bit more license to keep trying them. Jordan Morris was brilliant the last day. "You could argue he is as skilful with the ball as any other player in the country. There is going to be space there. There is going to be opportunities. He is going to need some of the other lads to carry a little bit more of the load on Sunday."
RTÉ News
09-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
New rules and good vibes fuelling Royal revival - former Meath captain Trevor Giles
The green and gold flags are back all around Meath. A first Leinster championship win over Dublin in 10 attempts was already huge but the Royal county have surpassed that by beating recent All-Ireland finalists Kerry and Galway to reach the last four of the All-Ireland SFC for the first time since 2009. Trevor Giles, the last Meath captain to lift to Sam Maguire, 24 years ago, says interest in football has reignited in the county. "It's the main topic of conversation when you meet someone," he told RTÉ Sport. "Everyone is happy, everyone is in good form. "A man down the road had a car he was using to teach his kids how to drive in a field beside the house. So he got it sprayed green and gold. "We grew up going to Croke Park watching Meath in the '80s and, with nostalgia and hindsight, they were great. When you are coaching and you see your senior team going well it is massive. It is a great thing as a teenager going to be proud of your county and all your friends being there." "A lot of the game is confidence. Beating the likes of Dublin completely changes you as a player" Fourteen months ago, then Meath manager Colm O'Rourke admitted there was a "vast gulf" between his side and the Dubs after a ninth championship defeat in a row - by 16 points - at the hands of their once arch-rivals. But now, after ending the Dubs' stranglehold on Leinster – and despite losing the provincial final to Louth – the Royals are on the brink of a first All-Ireland final appearance since 2001. Giles was a coach last year, the final, and more testing, of Colm O'Rourke's two in charge. "It's a tough station when things are going bad and you are not getting results. But I have to say I really enjoyed the year last year," says Giles. "Pleasantly surprised how well we're doing. I thought we would be better this year, that all the younger guys would be a year older, a little bit stronger physically. The team that is going to play on Sunday, a couple of them it's their first year, a couple their second, a couple their third. They're very young still. "But it's fantastic to be that young and winning the games they have been winning. They're going to be different players for the next five or six years on the back of that. A lot of the game is confidence. Beating the likes of Dublin completely changes you as a player. "We feel, with the age profile of the team, Meath will be there for the next few years and really competitive at the business end of things. I am just delighted that Meath are going well. That's the main thing." What has changed to take them from group proppers to table-toppers? "Great credit [is due] to Robbie [Brennan] as manager and Conor Gillespie, a great player for Meath and had to finish earlier than he would have liked. And to Shane Supple the goalkeeper coach. "Last year may have helped the lads. What they went through last year and the year before. "The new rules as well, we always struggled against the northern teams with their defensive set-ups. We weren't good on opposition kick-outs, they would get a kick-out away and suddenly you are chasing for three minutes. "Jordan Morris was injured all of last year and is playing great this year. Matthew Costello is playing great this year. "A little bit of good fortune to get Dublin in Portlaoise on a windy day and enjoy the breeze in the first half and we capitalised. And they are a completely different team once they got over Dublin." Giles feels that improved underage structures and county board unity has been key to Meath's revival. The county were Leinster U20 champions last year and runners-up this year after a 10-year absence from the decider. That followed on from minor successes in 2020 and '21 that bridged an eight-year gap. "I think when Meath were doing well for about 20 years that the underage was somewhat neglected," he suggests. "The underage in Meath at the moment is excellent and has been very good the last few years. That has been a big help. If you want to be a county footballer in Meath, you will get every opportunity, the way the underage academy and structures after that are aligned at the moment. "A lot of the leadership in a county comes from the top and your county board being on top of their game. Michael Duignan [former Offaly chair] is a great example of how a county board can come in and lead. The success Offaly have had in football and hurling has come off the back of that. "There have been different county board chairmen there. It's like every other county, football and hurling need to be looked after, there's ladies, there's underage. I'd say there are not too many county boards fully united. But at the moment everyone is happy, there's no-one giving out about anything. "Everyone is very proud of the lads and players feel that, whether people are behind them or on their backs. And that affects your performance." Never afraid to defy convention – remember the self-tailored sleeveless shirts in his playing days – Giles goes against the grain of pundits blindly tipping their own counties and admits he expects Donegal (and Tyrone) to contest the All-Ireland final. But he warns that his county men are dangerous underdogs, as the Kingdom and Galway have already discovered this summer. "The reason I say Donegal is that Jim McGuinness is such a brilliant manager," says Giles. "He has one All-Ireland to his name and I have no doubt wants or deserves two. So I think he is going to be very driven. They could have won that semi-final last year against Galway. I think they're on a mission so it's more likely they will win the game. "We're outsiders but we're dangerous opponents on Sunday. Confidence is good but we're under no pressure whatsoever and we're playing well. For Irish people, I think that's the position they like being in, slightly written off and no pressure on them. "Someone said it's bonus territory but at the same time it's an opportunity to get to an All-Ireland final. The likes of Donal Keogan probably thought he would never get this close to playing in one. You can't underestimate the hunger that the likes of him, Seamus Lavin, and Bryan Menton will bring to Sunday. "I'm sure Donegal will come out and try to blow Meath away, as quickly as they can. And that may happen but if it doesn't happen, suddenly you get a little bit jittery then and Meath will have a good crowd behind them." Watch the All-Ireland Football Championship semi-finals with RTÉ Sport. Kerry v Tyrone on Saturday from 4.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player and Meath v Donegal on Sunday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The GAA Social Rory's Stories- Being Meath & big discussion on mental health
Rory O'Connor has made a new career out of comedy. A fun project making sketches in a GAA world is now a job. The first half of this podcast deals with mental health. It's an area where Rory has experience. ADHD, a gambling addiction, losing family to suicide and trying to keep the mind right. At times it's a challenge. The second half of this podcast is Meath. The love of the place and the pride in seeing his team in an All-Ireland semi-final. Trevor Giles, Tommy Dowd, Ollie Murphy and the class of this year. A genuine love of place. There's the odd Dub in there like Philly McMahon- but it's all green & gold. There's three big themes to Rory. Family, Meath and hoping to live a normal simple life- with some fun in-between
The Irish Sun
01-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘People are surprised by that' – GAA legend debunks myth around iconic fashion look that got county FINED three times
TREVOR GILES revealed Meath very nearly had a Leinster SFC game CALLED OFF in response to how he wore their jersey. However, the All-Ireland winner insisted that, contrary to popular belief, he only donned the unconventional strip three times. Advertisement 2 Trevor Giles wore a sleeveless jersey three times in his Meath career Credit: Ray McManus/Sportsfile 2 The two-time All-Ireland winner revealed the story behind the controversial shirt Credit: Ray McManus/Sportsfile The Royals last won the All-Ireland title in 1999 when they beat Three-time All-Star Trevor Giles drew attention by wearing the Meath jersey with the sleeves cut off. The two-time Sam Maguire winner revealed the back story behind the odd fashion choice on The three-time Leinster champion said: "I went to Advertisement Read More on GAA "I bought a few Aussie Rules jerseys and when I came back I was wearing them at training. "Ollie Murphy did said, 'jeez, wouldn't it be great to wear sleeveless jerseys tomorrow against "It was the Leinster final in 1999. I went home and cut the couple of sleeves off and said, 'this looks pretty cool'. "It was very unlike me because I normally would like to keep the head down and not stand out. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football "We beat Dublin that day and I wore it the next day for the [All-Ireland] semi-final against Armagh and I wore it against Cork in the final. "I wore it three times in my career and somebody was surprised - they thought I wore it for years." Tipperary GAA legend reveals surprising difference between 'pressure' of playing for club vs county While it has been a quirky chapter in Meath history , the county was on the receiving end of fall-out from Giles added: "The county board got fined for the first time, the fine got doubled the second time, it got doubled the third time. Advertisement "It got to the stage before the first round of the championship in 2000 that we got a letter from the CCC to say if every player is not dressed uniformly, the game will not start. "That was the end of it. "We all turned out the same the following year against Offaly in the first round of the championship." The Skryne clubman admitted that then-Meath manager Sean Boylan tried to stop him from wearing the shirt in the wake of the fines. Advertisement And while he followed his boss' orders initially, he revealed that he defied those orders when the big day came. Giles explained: "By the time we got to the All-Ireland final, the fine was going to be something like €1,000 and the county board chairman was in his ear and saying I can't keep paying these fines. "He did ask me not to wear it for the All-Ireland final in 1999 and I told him, 'no problem, Sean, I won't wear it.' "I slipped it on as we were going out the tunnel and I defied him which I wasn't very proud of. Advertisement "He wouldn't have been overly happy with me. "The fact that we won the game, all was forgiven, but it could have been interesting had we lost."
