Royals return to the scene of their last great triumph

ALL-IRELAND JUBILEE Men of '99 to be honoured

They will in time-honoured fashion, gather in the tunnel under the Hogan Stand. There is sure to be plenty of banter among them as they gather and wait; those Meath players who climbed to the summit in 1999 and brought home to the Banks of the Boyne, the biggest prize of all - the Sam Maguire.

They will, when asked, file out onto the field, stand in a line before a rapidly filling stand and the TV cameras. Their names will be then be called out over Croke Park's booming sound system, one by one, and the players (or their deputies) will step forward and wave, some sheepishly, to the crowd who will politely applaud. Many of those in attendance will recall their glory days. Many won't.

First the starting 15 will be called - Cormac O'Sullivan, Mark O'Reilly, Darren Fay, Cormac Murphy, Paddy Reynolds, Enda McManus, Hank Traynor, Nigel Crawford, John McDermott, Nigel Nestor, Trevor Giles, Donal Curtis, Evan Kelly, Graham Geraghty, Ollie Murphy.

Then the substitutes - Conor Martin, Ray Magee, Tommy Dowd, Barry Callaghan, Jimmy McGuinness, Richie Kealy, Paul Shankey, Jody Devine, David Gallagher. The manager Sean Boylan is sure to be there and perhaps also his selectors from way back then, Frank Foley and Eamon O'Brien.

It has become a tradition before All-Ireland SFC finals for the Sam Maguire-winning sides from 25 years previously to get another day in the sun; to be once more honoured for what they achieved. It will be no different this year.

Surely nobody who witnessed Meath's 1-11 to 1-8 victory over Cork in that All-Ireland showdown could have imagined that the Royal County would not, even once, win the Sam Maguire again in the intervening years. Yet that's the way it has turned out - and there's little indication the drought will end any year soon.

There was, in the spring of '99, few indications Meath could go all the way that year - or near it. They had lost to Cork in the league semi-final in the spring, the poverty of their performance underlined in the final scoreline: 0-3 to 0-6. It was a dispiriting result for Meath, in all sorts of ways, and gave little indication of what was to come.

Before Meath's Leinster SFC campaign got underway there were those, among their own supporters, who feared the worst; that they wouldn't make it past Wicklow, their opening round opponents. The pessimists were wrong. Meath won, comfortably, 2-10 to 1-6. Captain Graham Geraghty scored 1-4.

Like a steam train soon after leaving the station Meath gained speed as the summer unfolded. Offaly were overcome in their second outing, 1-13 to 0-9. This time Meath's leading marksman was Ollie Murphy who hit 1-3. It wasn't the first time he was to top the scoring charts in individual games during the campaign.

One downside of that victory from a Meath perspective was that Tommy Dowd, who had been flying fit up to then, picked up a nasty back injury. Although it wasn't clear at the time the injury was to spell the beginning of the end to the great Dunderry man's inter-county career.

For Meath hope began to turn into real ambition when Dublin were defeated in the Leinster final, 1-14 to 0-12. Once again that man Murphy played a leading role. He ransacked the Dublin backline and ended up scoring 1-5.

The All-Ireland semi-final with Armagh turned out to be a dour enough affair. Meath won 0-15 to 2-5 but the contest won't ever be included in a 'GAA Games of All Time' collection. The important thing, from a Meath perspective, is that they won. It was onto an All-Ireland showdown with old friends Cork who had overcome Mayo in their last four assignment.

The fact that Meath were back in a final for the first time since 1996, that they were playing Cork, that it was the last All-Ireland SFC final of the millennium were factors in ensuring the quest for tickets was frenetic, sometimes desperate.

"If Boylan's troops do win don't expect Croke Park to turn into a sea of green and gold because once again the Royal County have been dealt a poor hand with regards to tickets," wrote Carlo Divito in the Meath Chronicle.

"The Co Board was given an initial sum of 7,411 but after a little pleading with the powers-that-be, the figure increased to 9,022 - still no where near enough to satisfy supporters demands."

Like they are now Aer Lingus were also in the news back then. The Irish Independent reported how "our national airline was giving away (All-Ireland) tickets, apparently 1,300 in all, to everyone who flew home with them for the weekend." LMFM were inundated with calls about the rumour. "It's a load of baloney," an Aer Lingus spokesperson was quoted as saying in an effort to quell the outrage.

As part of their preparations Boylan did something that was unconventional. He brought the players for a trip to Holyhead.

The players didn't know they were going there until the morning they set off. It helped to ease pre-match nerves before the All-Ireland.

Game day arrived and a long line of cars snaked up the old N3. It was destination Croke Park and before an attendance of 63,276 the action got underway.

The afternoon didn't always go Meath's way but when it mattered most they were in front, 1-11 to 1-8. They could even afford to miss a penalty when Trevor Giles had his shot saved. Meath did find the net. Not surprisingly the goal was scored by one O. Murphy. It was typical piece of opportunism. Giles helped himself to 0-4 (three frees, one 45), Evan Kelly and Geraghty hit 0-3 apiece while Donal Curtis also pointed.

Towards the end of the final Dowd, who had missed every game since the Offaly match, got a brief run out. It was a neat way to end a fantastic inter-county career - and an unforgettable day for Meath.