Players look ahead to next challenge

"It's impossible to bury a Meath man," said the journalist from a national newspaper. The words were spoken with a disbelieving shake of the head. "You hit them with a shovel and they just get up again." The journalist was talking in one of the new-fangled media rooms that are dotted at various locations around Croke Park these days. The words were spoken to a few colleagues as the analysis began in earnest on an astonishing day for Meath football when the boys in green and gold played with the grit and spirit of old. Like so many others, the journalist confessed to be somewhat bemused and confused by the depth and breath of Meath's performance, the swashbuckling quality of the display that left Mayo - the warm favourites - reeling on the ropes. Meath had found themselves on the canvas a few times during Sunday's gripping encounter. Twice they trailed by four points, once in each half, and looked like they were about to have their lights punched out. Twice they came back and finished with a flourish that had their vociferous following in raptures. After the dispiriting defeat against Dublin this was a sweet victory. The Dublin game seemed like it was played in another decade never mind a few weeks ago. About 15 minutes after all the drama on the field was over on Sunday two happy, smiling Meathmen entered the media centre between the Davin and the Cusack stands. Nigel Crawford and Brian Farrell were whisked in to speak to a waiting coterie of national and local reporters. Crawford spoke of how the team had become "battled hardened" in their passage through the qualifiers. He picked out the Limerick game especially as a contest that tested the character of the team especially after the dismissal of Stephen Bray. Ah yes Stephen Bray. Inevitably he was mentioned and both players had views on what his absence meant to them and the team. Crawford: "Stephen is one of the top forwards in the country and was a huge loss, but it was also a huge motivation for us to try and stay in the championship to try and give him a chance to get back in, thankfully we did that." Farrell: "Everyone knows what Stephen is capable of, he is one of the best forwards in Ireland, and if anyone deserved it, if you had to play well for anyone Stephen Bray would be the man to play well for and we all knew we had to up it." There was plenty of smiles and good-natured ribbing with Farrell teasing Crawford about being one of the most experienced players on the team. " Nigel you played in 1988 All-Ireland final, didn't you?" he said to general laughter and mirth. The joke fitted into the general jaunty mood of the event, although the group of Mayo reporters who congregated together in one corner weren't in the mood to party and who could blame them. They had just watched their team out-played and out-muscled. The grim statistic remains for them that Mayo have only defeated Meath once in the championship and that was back in 1951. They were expected to improve on that record 100 per cent this time around with watching pundits such as Tommy Carr dismissing Meath's challenge out of hand the previous week. Crawford reflected on Meath's ability to hit back when they need a score most. He pointed to how Mayo got their goal and straightaway Meath moved the ball downfield, earned a penalty and Cian Ward dispatched it with all the calmness and aplomb as if he was practising in his own backyard. That was the difference for Crawford, the ability, the belief Meath had to hit back and stay in touch. The Dunboyne had played his part with the Meath midfield recovering from a shaky start to clean out their opponents after the break. "The key thing was to strike back straightaway otherwise Mayo could have tagged on another score, that could have been the end of it. "I think that was the turning point just getting that first score straightaway I think it was within two minutes, that was the key," he said. Farrell spoke about the "freedom" he felt at going into the game as underdogs. That delicious sense that they had nothing to lose. Nobody gave them a chance anyway. They had everything to play for - Stephen Bray, their pride, the dubious chance of taking on Kerry in the semi-finals, the opportunity to stuff it down the throats of those know-it-all, so-called experts. The Nobber man was also anxious to point out that while Meath missed Stephen Bray's visionary presence there are others well capable of stepping up to the plate and doing their bit. He pointed to Jamie Queeney and Mickey Burke and the contributions they made to the afternoon. Farrell agreed that Meath's performance especially in the closing stages bristled with conviction. That conviction, he said, came from the "unbelievable" contribution of trainer Colm Brady who ensured that whatever else the players lacked it wouldn't be stamina in the closing stages. He felt that last year's defeat to Limerick was a "blip" and not a true reflection of where Meath football is at. Now it's upwards and onwards. A three-week respite before the Kerry men await at Croke Park. Meath will once again go into the game as underdogs. That will suit them just fine. "We'll go out, we've got nothing to lose, we'll turn up and give it a lash," added Farrell and you got the sense he could hardly wait for the big day to arrive.