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Boylan enjoying his role with the Down U-20 footballers

Sean Boylan pictured at home with some stand-out medals and awards from his career. Sean was helping to launch the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Legends Tour Series for 2021. The tours starts online on Wednesday, 7 July continuing weekly for eight weeks, and can be viewed on Bord Gáis Energy Rewards page - bordgaisenergy.ie/my-rewards. 

Sean Boylan pictured at home with some stand-out medals and awards from his career. Sean was helping to launch the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Legends Tour Series for 2021. The tours starts online on Wednesday, 7 July continuing weekly for eight weeks, and can be viewed on Bord Gáis Energy Rewards page - bordgaisenergy.ie/my-rewards. 

By John Harrington

Meath legend, Sean Boylan, is getting a great kick out of being involved with the Down U-20 football team management this year.

The 71-year-old is a friend of Down manager, Conor Laverty, and was delighted to accept the offer to help out in any way he could.

“I'm enjoying the craic no end,” said Boylan yesterday at the launch of the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Legends Tour series.

“You could well imagine, 30 years ago they beat us in an All-Ireland final so I'm not going up to tell Down men how to play football. Conor Laverty and Martin Clarke would be very dear friends of mine.

“Because it's their first time as a management team they asked me would I just be in the background or whatever it is, a bit similar to the role I had with Niall Moyna in DCU.

“I have to tell you that I really enjoyed it because a few little trips up there to Drumaness, that's north Down, the roads I was going reminded me of years ago when I was playing hurling for Meath, never mind going up with the footballers afterwards so it was nice to do that.”

Meath Manager Sean Boylan pictured during a training session before the 1999 Cork v Meath All-Ireland Football Final.

Meath Manager Sean Boylan pictured during a training session before the 1999 Cork v Meath All-Ireland Football Final.

Boylan led Meath to four All-Irelands in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as three National Football League titles and eight Leinsters and hopes that considerable experience will be of some use to a young manager like Laverty.

“It's a fair compliment (to be asked) because the lads don't need me, do you understand? It's more I suppose a voice with experience of, say, a situation that you might come across or may have come across before or whatever and sometimes it's a voice from outside and that's no harm either.

“Like, I wouldn't be going up there saying to them about Cavan or Meath or what they're doing, they wouldn't even ask me those questions. There are simple things, simple management things and so on and that's exactly where my role is.”

The game at the highest level has evolved quite a bit since Boylan stepped down as Meath manager in 2005, but he believe some fundamentals will never change.

“It's changed enormously with the advent of videos and DVDs and analysis and so on,” he admits. “With all the different angles that can be shown so there's very little not known about opposition nowadays but the fundamentals in how you play the game, how you catch the ball, how you kick a ball, your awareness of the kick-out, the strategies and so on (hasn’t changed).

“You still play what is the best game to suit you to get you over the line.”