Future looks promising as Brennan contemplates challenges ahead

The 19 years since Sean Boylan stepped down as the most successful Meath senior football manager of all time have been a rollercoaster, to say the very least.

Success has been rare, but there have been glimmers of hope. The Leinster title in 2010, All-Ireland SFC semi-final appearance in '07 and '09. Promotion to NFL Div 1 in 2019, reaching the Super 8s in 2018, winning the Tailteann Cup in 2023.

While there was little tangible, apart from the Leinster title and the Tailteann C up, in terms of silverware, there have been many moments where hope has sprung eternal and the feeling that the next big step forward was just around the corner.

However, that corner never came. Impatience with some managers led to them being discarded before their time, wrong appointments also slowed potential from flourishing, while others had to rebuild.

Now the baton has been handed to a new man for the eighth time since Boylan's departure and Robbie Brennan is the latest to be tasked with restoring Meath's fortunes to where many believe is their rightful place.

The acrimonious departure of Colm O'Rourke who did a lot of great things during his two-year tenure in terms of blooding young players and giving youth its fling has left the spotlight shining on Meath football again.

Everyone wants a successful Meath team.

The Leinster SFC is not the same without a strong Meath side capable of taking on Dublin.

The absence of Royal passion and flair on the big stages have diminished the game, but with Robbie Brennan and his management team in place, and a plethora of young players now in year two or three of their development, the future is once again looking green and gold.

Does Brennan see the task ahead as a tough one?

"It is and it isn’t, obviously Div 2 is extremely competitive. Div 1 is the goal no matter what. When or if it happens during our time I don’t know," said Brennan.

"All we are trying to do is session by session, session by session, game by game just trying to improve, so there is no big long term goal.

"I’m very much someone who looks at the short term view and see where that gets us, so that is all we will be doing when we get back. It will be exposing the lads to the new coaches and the new rules and see how we go.

"(Leinster) is it getting more open? I don’t know. Maybe if they (Dublin players) all retired we might be all right but I don’t see that happening soon," quipped the new manager who also believes that Leinster is as competitive now behind Dublin as it has ever been.

"Louth have taken it on to another level. You’d expect a big bounce from Kildare with Brian Flanagan in charge so from a Leinster point of view it is pretty competitive, it doesn’t get any easier that’s for sure.

"I think you probably set yourself up to fail if you do that (set targets).

"We really think of nothing else but playing Cork in the opening round of the league at this stage and seeing how we can kick-start the league.

"Obviously as a squad we have to have targets and goals that we are trying to get to.

"It’s not talking about winning All-Irelands or anything like that its tiny improvements and if we do that I think the guys will enjoy it."

Brennan's passion and enthusiasm about Meath football is infectious, but also calming and realistic.

The former St Peter's Dunboyne player and manager admitted that his love for Meath football has never diminished despite lengthy spells as a manager of St Sylvester's and latterly Kilmacud Crokes.

"The love for Meath has never ever gone away (Robbie's Dad Paddy played with St John's - now Wolfe Tones) it’s a weird thing, since I was a kid, but I don’t know if county was ever a burning ambition," admitted the new manager.

"I remember when I got the Dunboyne job I couldn’t believe I got it and then St Sylvester’s and never dreamed that I would get Kilmacud so it just followed step by step.

"It's an absolute honour to be in the position and some brilliant people have gone before me, some legends of Meath football, so to be in that same room is daunting but extremely exciting as well.

"Part of what I try and do is bring a high performance environment and number two that it's also enjoyable. Maybe fun is a work that can sometimes be stretched because its bloody hard work in that environment but the lads need to enjoy it at the same time.

"Ultimately whether it’s under 10 or under 11 or senior with Meath you want them coming back every Tuesday and Thursday night and if we can create that I think the lads should benefit from it."

Already Brennan and his management team of Joe McMahon, Martin Corey and Conor Gillespie have plans in place and the return of players like Padraic Harnan and Bryan Menton will bring invaluable experience to what is still regarded as a very young group.

"The full backroom is now in place which is brilliant. I’ve had a few one to one with a few of the lads. I’ve still got a few to go, I still haven’t got around everyone yet but all is good, slowly but surely," revealed Brennan.

"There are a couple of conversations with a few guys that might go travelling as opposed to retirement, you’re at that age group now where lads are doing that, we are not the only ones in that situation.

"Apart from that there are no retirements, Padraic Harnan is back and Bryan Menton is back so that is a big boost for us.

"Those lads will bring great experience, obviously the ability is something as well, age is nothing when you look at Michael Fitzsimons and player of the year Paul Conroy etc.

"Once lads have the hunger and want to come in I think we would be delighted to get them in, but they have so much knowledge under their belt from previous years played.

"There is going to be a young squad there thanks to Colm (O'Rourke) for getting that going over the last couple of years and bringing lads through. Having that nice mix is a great thing to have.

"If you are lucky and can find that balance (between youth and experience) and have the right age group profile across the squad, it is very difficult to do because obviously you are trying to win games as well.

"Ultimately that is what it is all about, I think we have a huge debt to Colm for doing that because those guys have a couple of years under their belt now because if we were coming in now and trying to blood lads that is another two years down the road so sometimes you just have to rip the plaster off and get cracking at it early. Once everyone is in and back it should be a healthy squad.

"A couple of other lads that we brought in from other clubs Gary Breslin is in from Meath Hill, Ciaran McCarrick from Dunshaughlin, so some fresh faces. I haven’t been around it but I’m sure the lads will get a boost when everyone is back in and training away."

Coming from a club set-up into inter-county football could be seen by most as a huge step up in terms of commitment and infrastructure, but Brennan's four years in charge of Kilmacud Croke, three-in-a-row Dublin SFC champions and All-Ireland Club SFC winners, has primed him for this Meath job.

However, one of the difficulties Brennan will have to deal with are the new rules and the lack of a preseason competition like the O'Byrne Cup in which to experiment.

"Kilmacud was so big in one way, a lot of stakeholders involved in that process with Kilmacud," said Brennan.

"It is similar I would say, there is probably more here from a county perspective and it is certainly busier from that point of view, but there are definitely similarities between the two with the type of player you are dealing with and expectations and things like that.

"Absolutely (preferred to have O'Byrne Cup), for some of the other top counties maybe its ok not having these competitions, for Armagh they probably feel they don’t need a McKenna cup but for us as a new management in it would have been ideal and particularly with the new rules if they come in, but it is coming on us quick and fast.

"Looking at the calendar you might get 20 training sessions from when you start to when you go down to play Cork in the opening round of the NFL.

"That is not a lot of time with a brand new game that you are trying to instill into players. It is not ideal but everyone is in the same boat and we just have to get on with it.

"Everyone is looking for challenge matches now instead, but the problem is you’re losing a training session to play a game.

"You are trying to find that balance of playing challenge matches and getting enough done on the training pitch and seeing if you can get something out of the challenge game, but until we do that we are not going to know.

"Sound like most of the rules are going to come in, I know there are some discerning voices in a couple of the provinces but I’d imagine that with all the work they have done, there are some brilliant guys on that committee, well respected people that I don’t see them not coming in, maybe not all of them but the majority of them.

"We will have to hit the ground running when they do," concluded the new man in charge.