Fergal Lynch reflects on the sporting year

Player of the Year: When we look at the international scene we can be so proud of many of our Royal performers. Keane Barry still continues to throw arrows at a consistently high level. Evan Ferguson bangs in goals at International and Premier league level. Conor Nash is regularly amongst the best in the Australian Football League. Andrew Coscoran wins races and breaks records around the world. Colin Keane is one of the finest jockeys there is. We are blessed with so many talented individuals and we are fortunate to be able to witness Donal Keogan up front and personal week-in, week-out in Meath. As a leader he dragged Meath from the basement defeat by Offaly in the Leinster SFC to climb the steps of Croke Park to life the Tailteann Cup. He was a driving force for his club Rathkenny when they won the IFC. One of the few players from the past decade who would have found a place on the great teams of the 80s and 90s and he's still going strong.

Coach of the Year: What is a coach? The dictionary definition is someone who teaches players/teams to improve at sport. A coach can also be someone who brings all the elements necessary for success together and moulds them into a finely tuned machine. Look at Nick Fitzgerald at Kildalkey, see Seoirse Bulfin with the Meath hurlers, check out Robbie Horgan's achievements with Trim Celtic or Damien Sheridan's with Robinstown. Those men cajole the best out of anything between 20 to 50 players and have achieved the ultimate success. My suggestion is a little left of centre and might not be regarded as a coach in some circles, but the organisational ability and incredible training talent of Gordon Elliott deserves recognition. Elliott is surrounded by a superb team, but he is the one responsible for their performance and he is the one that is consistently behind big race winners over and over again for demanding owners who won't accept anything other than the very best.

Club of the Year: Again I'm going to keep this local. We can all look to the wealthy clubs of the Premier League like Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea and laud their achievements to the point of hyperbole. However the achievements of the amateurs of local GAA, athletics and soccer clubs must be appreciated. Clubs like Ratoath AC, who were recently named as one of the top clubs in Europe for juvenile athletics, Meath Bowls Club, who provide not just a sporting outlet but a valuable social experience for their valued older members, and all the various cycling clubs that maintain the fitness levels of the young the old and the brave that take to the roads every weekend. In the GAA the magnificent achievements of Na Fianna will never be forgotten this year, but it is the historic and surely never to be repeated treble won by Kildalkey that sees them stand on the shoulders of giants when it comes to a club of the year. Kildalkey entered hurling teams into eight adult competitions in 2023 and they reached the finals of all eight, winning three championships - the SHC, IHC and JHC in an unbelievable couple of weeks for the club.

Magic Moment: There are few occasions that bring more joy than seeing the smiling faces of children at the final whistle of the Cumann na mBunscol finals. Sure the sheer devastation and tears of those who have been vanquished would melt even the coldest of hearts, but the elation and unbridled joy and emotion that explodes when that final whistle goes in one of the 15 football finals held in Pairc Tailteann in November or at the end of one of the nine hurling finals in June is incomparable to the scenes in any other sport. To those children and for many of their parents those finals are the biggest days in their young lives and they are played as if their very existence depends on it. Brilliant occasions.

Moan of the Year: While we all embrace the benefits of social media and its relevance in delivering immediate news, unfortunately not all the news is delivers is accurate or positive. Twitter, or X as it is now known, can be a poisonous, vitriolic place where haters go to spew their vile abuse from behind their anonymous identity and cause untold hurt with their poison. Many, indeed most, use X for good. From a local paper point of view it is a pity that some sporting organisations see X or Facebook as their first point of media distribution and they don't engage with the local reporters any more. The need to be first is fast over taking the need to be right and that is fueled by social media. Like a McDonalds, a balanced diet should be recommended.

Hope for 2024: Of course health and happiness for all our readers is priority number one. Nothing would help improve our happiness more than success for Meath on the football fields. What would success look like for Colm O'Rourke's side? Ideally promotion to NFL Div 1 and getting our hands on Sam Maguire would be the dream. To be realistic I'd love to see Meath being competitive when they get to play in the All-Ireland series in the summer, emerge from the group and see where they can go when the knockout games come around. Aim for the stars, why not!