BOYLAN TALKS SPORT Major backup required to go deep into the trenches

Do you remember prior to the year 2000, there was all manner of talk about Millennium viruses that was going to attack every electronic device that existed and numerous other conspiracy theories doing the rounds which brought to mind those lines from the Star Trek spoof anthem by The Firm - “There’s life on board Jim, but not as we know it”.

I never heard of any of the world shutting down at the time, but, one thing that did emerge from the whole hoopla was the concept which has nearly become routine at this stage, that is the practice of backing up all your work on your technological devices as a security measure.

In layman’s terms, that means copying everything you do to a ‘hopefully’ impenetrable folders so as that, for example, if you upgrade from one machine to the next, the concept being that your work goes with you.

In terms of sporting matters, certainly the higher up the levels you go, the more backup an entity requires. Especially if you have any ambitions of going deep into the trenches of top level competition. Whether that be a horse trainer with strength in numbers or, say, if you go back to the Dublin football team were at their zenith when they had the likes of Kevin McManamon, Cormac Costello, Paddy Small and, for example, Colm Basquel, ready to deploy at the first sign of potholes on the horizon.

Now, as much as some of us would at least some of the time pigeon hole it as a Dublin thing, that’s a misnomer. Use any example you wish, whether that be the likes of Tommy Walsh, Richie Power and TJ Reid being obliged to serve their time on the Kilkenny bench by Brian Cody before going on to gargantuan careers in their own right.

Switch sporting codes and the same principle applies. Regardless of what the dynamics between the two were on a personal level, Irish Rugby were blessed to have somebody of the class of Johnny Sexton to step up to the plate when Ronan O’Gara stepped away from centre stage and, even further to that, Paddy Wallace was also available as cover at that time.

Step into the present regarding the custody of the fly half jersey on the Irish team and there’s none of the above certainty. Until quite recently, it would’ve been felt that the No. 10 shirt would’ve been Jack Crowley’s to lose, but, a nightmare moment in Munster’s Champions Cup capitulation against Castres and the increasing confidence in Sam Prendergast has created a debate in a short space of time.

The type of debate you would hope Robbie Brennan and his fellow mentors will hopefully be having with regard to the strength and depth in their Meath panel in the weeks and months ahead.

As far as can be deciphered, all of the outgoing panel have made themselves available for active service. Indeed, it’s believed that decorated warriors including but not limited to Bryan Menton, Padraic Harnan, Jack Flynn and James McEntee have re-enlisted to the platoon while the remarkable Cillian O’Sullivan is also understood to be keen to play his part.

Most if not all of the above, of course, are players who featured with Colm O’Rourke, Andy McEntee and some went back even further. That said, there were others such as Sean Brennan, Adam O’Neill, Harry O’Higgins, Sean Coffey, Adam McDonnell and Diarmuid Moriarity to whom Colm afforded a first opportunity at the highest level.

As good as seeing new talent coming through the ranks is obviously encouraging and necessary, the fact is that the personnel who have been present up to press need to be backed up further to kick on from their current standing in the game.

Now, in one way, temptation is to think doing so should have got at least slightly easier as of last April on foot of Cathal O Bric’s charges capturing the Leinster u-20 FC. No doubt it has been and will be a huge boost to football in the county.

A few of the heroes of that glorious night in Parnell Park had already been brought into the senior panel before the previous manager was abruptly and distastefully consigned to being exactly that, previous.

However, there is, I think, an understandable aura of curious, excited optimism pondering who else from the u-20s - or elsewhere - might be drafted into the senior setup before or during the forthcoming season.

Well, if you take it that Brian O’Halloran, John O’Regan and Jack Kinlough (at least) have already been on the fringes of the senior setup, it would be no surprise to this writer if some or all of Liam Kelly, Charlie O’Connor, Conor Duke, Rian Stafford, Rian McConnell and Jamie Murphy were in receipt of phone calls from An Bainisteoir nua.

Outside of the U-20s, it would of course be expected that a number of those who caught the eye in the club and/or Regional Football Championships would also be brought in to put their hands up.

To that end, the hideous abolition of the January competitions means we’ll have to wait another month to see what a Robbie Brennan Meath team looks like.

Now in the meantime, where’s the Racing Post?