Epic journey set to continue for Meath Hill faithful
LEINSTER CLUB IFC PREVIEW
After their historic Intermediate championship final win over Navan O'Mahonys, Meath Hill secured their place within the senior ranks of Meath GAA for the very first time, writes Tom Gannon.
Their loyal fan base have a lot to look forward to in 2025, but before that, the Meath Hill faithful will be in full force as the men in blue and white travel to Hawkfield on Saturday to kick off their Leinster Club IFC campaign against Kildare champions Caragh.
Over the years, Meath sides have had a considerable amount of success in the Leinster Club IFC which was only founded in 2003. Meath as a county have had four teams take home the Hugh Campion Cup in this competition, Wolfe Tones in 2004, Ratoath in 2015, St Colmcille's in 2016 and most recently Trim in 2021.
Dunshaughlin, Ballinlough, Donaghmore/Ashbourne, St Ultan's and Nobber all fell at the final hurdle, which means Meath have had nine previous finalists in the 20-year history of the Leinster IFC.
So the omens are positive for Shane McCoy's impressive side, who steamrolled their way to the Meath IFC final before coming out on top of a titanic battle against Navan O'Mahonys.
The talent that Meath Hill have in their front six has been key to their success this year with Cormac Sheehy, James Mooney and Shane McCabe all playing big roles in that regard.
The most impressive man for Meath Hill throughout the campaign so far has been without a doubt, Gary Breslin. Breslin has a bright future ahead of him and he is most likely on the radar of Robbie Brennan as he looks to build his Meath senior squad for 2025.
Meath Hill have steadily progressed through the ranks of Meath football over the last decade as they picked up their junior title in 2017 before reaching the summit of the IFC this year. In Caragh, they face a side who have worn a similar path to intermediate glory in Kildare.
The club that is based in Prosperous have three senior Kildare titles to their name, all of which came pre-1930. They won the Kildare junior championship in 2020. Last Sunday in the Kildare IFC decider, they got the better of Leixlip on a low score line of 1-5 to 0-6 with Josh Gannon securing the win with an incredible 50-metre plus free.
Caragh's manager Michael Browne is no stranger to a big occasion as he was part of a Sarsfields side that were one of the powerhouses of Kildare football throughout the noughties.
It's never easy to predict a Leinster club game and it is made all the more difficult when two sides that look very similar in terms of development and progression meet.
Meath Hill will certainly be looking to carry on the county's strong tradition in the competition and with a bit of luck, that could start with an away win over the competitive Caragh outfit on Saturday.