BOYLAN TALKS SPORT: Sobering reality check underlines it's tough at the top

Derek Thompson, arguably the most recognisable horse racing anchor/presenter over the past few decades, once drew the ire of Ruby Walsh after he had just finished second in the Cheltenham Gold Cup aboard the legendary Kauto Star - to his Paul Nicholls teammate Denman.

Now, I will admit that, to me, it was naïve bordering on stupidity on the experienced broadcaster's behalf, to begin his interview with the vanquished rider with "How does it feel to have picked the wrong horse"? To which the unsurprisingly crass response came "How do you think it f****** feels, did you have to ask that stupid question"?

But here's the thing Ruby, he did have to ask it, because that's the way the world, and the media in particular, is gone now. Everybody wants instant reaction. Immediate response.

Furthermore, though it pains me to say this, horse racing is the worst culprit for it by a distance. Again, I realise that the likes of Matt Chapman, Alice Stevenson or, ironically, Katie O'Sullivan (Walsh) are only doing their job, but surely, post race, a jockey's first debrief should be to the owner and/or trainer.

Mind you, the same moronic stuff is now seeping into GAA. Whether that be by coralling a team mentor before they even get to the dressing rooms for half time or, even more grotesquely, snaring a mentor or fatigued player in the immediate aftermath of the full time whistle where swarming fans (everywhere bar Croker) - unintentionally - make the acquisition of meaningful interviews completely futile.

Of course, it's all grand if you're going looking for quotes in the aftermath of a victory, but if you have to run the gauntlet of a defeated entourage is more vinegar than gravy.

Which is why I do not remotely envy colleagues who had to visit five different Meath dressing rooms on Saturday and Sunday where desolate dejection had to have been the overarching emotion.

Granted, one of them didn't have a final berth at stake, but, after the heroic efforts of our Minor hurlers against Offaly when a mid air volley ended up in Patrick Casey's net and gifted the home team a win they scarcely deserved with literally the last puc of the game, I can only imagine the crestfallen dejection my clubmate Ray O'Connor and his fellow mentors will have to lift their charges from.

Taking things in chronological order, after that Pairc Tailteann was the venue as the Royal County and Derry added another chapter to their expanding catalogue in Camogie.

Anton O'Neill made sweeping changes from the side which lost to Offaly three weeks ago but unfortunately it was a case of the Oak Leaf ladies holding sway, as has been the case throughout recent meetings.

Having played with wind advantage into the Navan O'Mahonys end, those from the Free place had a 1-7 to 0-5 interval buffer constructed.

Meath did improve after the restart via scores from Aoife Carey, Isabel O'Connor and Grace Coleman but sometimes a team just has the Indian sign on another, and that is absolutely the case here.

As it is regarding the final two steps on this journey through a sobering Saturday during which it became all too clear how tough the odyssey in top level sport can be.

Now, it's probable that there's been many a story spun about the graveyard behind one of the goals in Dr Hyde Park in Roscommon holding the ambitions of many vanquished teams. However, from a Meath perspective, it may now be required to look for similar DNA in the environs of Austin Stack Park in Tralee.

By my calculations - and I sit to be corrected on same - the Royal ladies have now left the shadow of the green mountain on their last three visits empty handed.

The sickening feeling this time around stemming from the realisation that this was one that definitely got away. Having trailed by 0-2 to 0-6 at the break after playing against the considerable breeze, Shane McCormack's side dominated the third quarter.

Thanks to points from Emma Duggan (four) - who did, in fact, start in place of Kerrie Cole - Ciara Smyth and Meadhbh Byrne before the latter finished low to the net to edge them into a 1-7 to 0-8 lead.

However, the visitors were then on the wrong end of two horrendous refereeing decisions as firstly Byrne was sin-binned for doing nothing more than "getting the hand in", as every kid is taught to from the time they can kick a ball and then Vikki Wall is hit high, late and from behind and the gent with the whistle doesn't even blink.

All the while giving the locals a phalanx of frees that were so soft and scorable Siofra O'Shea would've converted them with her eyes shut.

And from there it was onto Trim where the senior stickmen faced into a straight shootout with Kildare for promotion to what - for either side - would represent the bright lights of Div 1B, but, unfortunately from a Meath perspective, another of those Indian signs appeared in the road.

In other words, regular foes Kildare once again had the upper hand on the Royal stickmen. Despite another heroic personal effort from Jack Regan - which yielded a personal tally of 1-10 - thanks to the unerring accuracy of David Qualter and a Jack Sheridan goal, Brian Dowling’s team were able to ease down a long way from the finish line.

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The vast majority of the preceding was keyboarded on Saturday night after a

sobering run of dejecting results. At least partly in the hope of making a fresh start on a new day. The prospects of such being the case took a hammering almost immediately as Kieran McArdle took advantage of a Meath kickout malfunction and planted the ball back past Billy Hogan in the Meath goal.

While Eoghan Frayne and Jordan Morris did eventually get Robbie Brennan’s team up and running somewhat belatedly, Louth’s Conor Brannigan took the notion of the impact sub to a whole new plateau when his double double left the ‘home’ side 1-13 to 0-5 to the good at the turnaround.

However, in mitigation on Meath’s behalf, they had played into the teeth of the biting wind which appeared to permeate every ground in the country on the day. Thus, when those doing the chasing had said elements at their back, scores from Jack Flynn, Morris, Frayne and Aaron Lynch for a brief period gave rise to hopes that the most unlikely of retrieval missions might be afoot.

And it would have been had the hex which afflicted the green and gold in the first round against Cork came back to haunt them - not taking full advantage of two point opportunities created.

So, even though Cork took Cavan out of the promotion equation and Westmeath did our lads the most unlikely of favours when the evergreen Kieran Martin conjured an astonishing equaliser against Roscommon, the fact that Meath were unable to take care of their end of the bargain meant Div 2 stability stands as the height of Meath’s achievements in the National League of 2025.

No mean feat in any way, especially when factors like winning four matches - including two away - but there’s still a sense that something got away from them.

Still, the developmental journey continues. Indeed, later this week our U-20 and Minor footballers enter the fray for the season. Endeavouring to keep the production conveyor belt ticking over. Hope still abides.