After a busy weekend, we are swiftly gearing up for the anticipated ‘Derby That Died’. Do you have any reminiscences of the Meath-Dublin rivalry? Anyone?
Last Sunday, Dessie Farrell journeyed to Pearse Park to observe the scramble between Longford and Meath over who would be privileged enough to face his Dublin side in the Leinster quarter-finals. Meath emerged victoriously, despite the ferocious winds. However, their concession of 3-12 against a Division Four opponent meant they left Longford facing a significant amount of necessary corrective process. As Farrell was heading towards the exit, one Meath fan joked with the Dublin manager, proclaiming, “You must be trembling after that display, Dessie!”
Before Farrell could even react, another passing Meath fan chimed in: “Right, all he’s trembling from is the chilly wind.”
The fact is, the Dublin and Meath rivalry hasn’t been a significant narrative for years now. To be more accurate, it just hasn’t been significant for Dublin, being little more than procedural. For Meath, though, it’s evolved into a source of humiliation, a rivalry belonging to a bygone era, much like an aged floral curtain valance.
The last time Meath triumphed over Dublin was during the 2010 Leinster SFC semi-final. Since then, in the eight subsequent championship meetings, Dublin won by an average of 11.5 points per match.
In total, Dublin has claimed victory in all 13 meetings against Meath since 2010, including National League and O’Byrne Cup/Shield encounters. The closest Meath got was a defeat in the penalty shootout at an O’Byrne Cup semi-final five years prior.
Not one player from the current Meath line-up has experienced the sensation of beating Dublin at the senior level. The rivalry now exists purely in recollection. However, most of Colm O’Rourke’s young squad holds onto hope that the wounds from the past do not linger in the locker room.
From the Meath team that endured a 13-point defeat to Dublin at the Leinster SFC semi-final two years prior (the fourth largest since 2010 – there were also two 16-point losses and one record-breaking 21-point defeat), only five were part of the initial line-up against Longford last Sunday.
Only six players from the Meath squad that were defeated by Dublin in March’s league match were present in their recent victory against Longford. When appointed the managing position of Meath in July 2022, O’Rourke was unashamed to voice an opinion that has remained largely unnoticed within the county: They must triumph over Dublin. In the past, when he was part of the playing team, victories against Dublin were considered a standard yardstick for Meath, and according to O’Rourke, that’s still relevant.
Indeed, his aspiration combined with a favourable amount of optimism were evident in his comments, yet it merely echoed the sentiments of his constituency stricken with challenges. To trace back a championship win of the Meath team over the Dubs, one would have to rifle through records back till the 2001 championship, before the Dublin team established their authority over the sport. There are many attributes of Dublin’s success in the sport – financial capability and population playing key roles, however, these aspects can’t dismiss the blame on Meath for their dismissal from the sport for a significant portion of the last couple of decades.
Embracing his first championship face-off with Dublin as Meath’s manager, O’Rourke reminisced over the 11-point defeat handed to them by Farrell’s team in the past league. Observations were stirred when post their victory over Longford, O’Rourke maintained his assertiveness over the upcoming chapter. Meath’s essence lies in its ability to confront and claim triumph against Dublin at Croke Park he affirmed.
In his conversation with RTÉ’s Seán Perry, he continued his frequency of recalling Latin phrases in post-match discourse. O’Rourke expressed that in the past two decades, they have been ruthlessly defeated by Dublin, comparing the situation to a barking dog that fails to land any blows onto a wolf. O’Rourke invoked the Latin phrase – ‘lupus non timet canem latrantem’, emphasizing his outlook towards Dublin.
Regarding Dublin, we have, for quite some time now, been all talk and no action on our end. I am hopeful though, that this time the outcome will be different.”
Not far from that spot, while walking down the same hallway, the Longford manager Paddy Christie was questioned about his views on Meath’s prospects of success at Croke Park the following Sunday.
Presenting his candid opinion, he said, “The assumption is that they are going to be aggressive in the offensive but I can foresee some complications in their defence with the Dublin forwards receiving a high amount of possession. I anticipate the ball kick out will be heavily pressed as well,”.
“As I see it, there’s a catch-22. If you opt for a short kick, it will be tightly pressured and if it’s a long one, you are directing it straight to Brian Fenton, thereby putting them in a challenging position.” he added.
Christie went on to praise the influence of O’Rourke from the sideline and the Meath’s legacy. However, Meath’s historical performance hasn’t been significant against Dublin in recent years. Only a handful are expecting the Royals to cause any impact against Dublin the following Sunday.
It’s become a stagnant rivalry. While the supremacy of one county has led to its downfall, the burden of reviving it lies heavily on the other county’s shoulders.