Mathew Costello of Meath, pictured at the launch of the AIB sponsorship of the 2024 GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championships at the D-Light Studios in Dublin. AIB marking it’s ninth year sponsoring the GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championships, will once again will celebrate #TheToughest players in Gaelic Games - highlighting the grit, determination and passion that is required to win this year’s Championship. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
By Cian O’Connell
Mathew Costello is hopeful that Meath can build on a solid foundation established in 2023.
A successful Tailteann Cup campaign generated momentum, and now the Royals are busy preparing for Sunday’s Leinster SFC clash against Dublin at Croke Park.
The first round provincial triumph over Longford at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park was an encouraging start according to Costello.
“It is where you want to be at this time of the year, playing games,” Costello says. “The winter training has finished, the league is over, so we are just looking forward to the championship.
“It was a good one to start, to nearly get the nerves out of the way for Championship. It is always a little bit different to a league game, the games can be a bit more open, the ground a bit firmer. The weather is a bit nicer, even if it wasn't too great on Sunday with a crazy wind.”
Costello is adamant that Meath can develop further as emerging players in the panel delivered with substance and style in the Tailteann Cup. “I think we can take a good bit of confidence from it,” Costello says.
“We have a lot of bodies that were there last year, who are coming back fit now for the championship. We got to see what it was like on big days in Croke Park, getting used to the surroundings of Croke Park. We know that we can play well there and that it suits us.
“So, when you're coming into the Leinster Championship like this, when you know there will be big games at Croke Park, it is definitely a confidence booster.”
The fact that so many young Meath footballers are being afforded opportunities at senior inter-county level offers another source of optimism. “In the last few years Meath has probably, more so than most counties, it has put faith in a lot of the young lads,” Costello responds.
Mathew Costello of Meath, Aidan Forker of Armagh, Stephen O’Brien of Kerry and Pat Spillane of Sligo pictured at the launch of AIB's sponsorship of the 2024 GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championships at the D-Light Studios in Dublin. AIB marking it’s ninth year sponsoring the GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championships, will once again will celebrate #TheToughest players in Gaelic Games - highlighting the grit, determination and passion that is required to win this year’s Championship. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
“You've lads my age and even lads that are younger, they are only starting off their championship and county careers. Big things are expected from them, but the lads are taking it in their stride which can only be a good thing in the long term.”
Colm O’Rourke has assembled a decorated backroom team too with Costello acknowledging their contribution. “They've a good wealth of experience, they know how to win big games,” Costello says.
“You can see Trevor (Giles) and Barry (Callaghan), more towards the 90s winning All-Irelands, then Stephen Bray, Meath's last All-Star, winning a Leinster Championship in 2010, a big part of it. They've brought a gameplan that they've been able to communicate to us quite easily.
“It suits us, we are quite direct, but also what happened last year showed we were quite open at the back. So, this year with that experience, we were able to smarten and tighten up, to take control of our defensive structure.
“It seems to be working for the most part, it still is a work in progress, but we are getting better. That is what they've brought, along with their wealth of knowledge.”
Returning to GAA headquarters this weekend, Costello believes that there is real potential in Meath to progress in the coming weeks and months following the Tailteann triumph. “It was massively important for us,” Costello remarks about the positivity within Meath.
“Once we ended up in the Tailteann Cup, obviously it wasn't somewhere we planned on being at the start of the year, but once we came there, everybody in the group wanted to win it.
“They wanted to have a long summer and the games were very, very difficult. It wasn't an easy championship to win, so we got to learn a lot about ourselves.
“We learned how to win big games on high pressure days. That can only be a positive thing coming into this season. We know when push comes to shove in Croke Park, that we can get a performance. We can take a lot of confidence from that.”