By Cian O’Connell

It has been a rewarding Tailteann Cup campaign for Meath. With momentum generated and an emerging crop of players acquiring valuable experience, former Royals goalkeeper Paddy O’Rourke is optimistic about the future.

Hope is in the air again with Meath beginning to believe that possibilities exist under Colm O’Rourke’s guidance. That so many young players are contributing handsomely augurs well ahead of Saturday’s Tailteann Cup decider against Down.

“Exactly, you have so many of them in their first year representing Meath,” O’Rourke says. “The confidence from winning games, from seeing progress, and seeing that their efforts are being rewarded, getting to a final, playing in Croke Park for the second time back to back.

“They are things that Meath teams when they were successful maybe just took for granted. We were going in to Croke Park to play in big games and to win big games.

“For lads to go in back to back at Croke Park, two games on the bounce, getting to play week in, week out, and to win games week in, week out, that has been a massive plus and a massive bonus.”

O’Rourke and his management team have tried to unearth new talent, to afford players an opportunity to shine for Meath. “There was a great feel good factor around the county with the guys in his backroom team, they were men that did it in the Meath jersey,” O’Rourke says.

“They walked the walk and with Seán (Boylan) in the background there is nothing, but positives with that backroom team involved. They went through the county to try to get as much talent that maybe hadn't been seen and to get new faces involved, which is great. There is a lot of positivity around the place.”

The feel good factor is critical according to O’Rourke. “You have clubs, who are supplying a player or two, maybe they have never done before or they weren't spotted or getting a chance,” he adds.

“You have players representing junior, intermediate, and senior clubs. There is no one or two big feeder clubs at the top end of the senior championship, there is a nice spread and mixture of players.

“Whenever there is a chance they get to go back to represent their clubs, whenever there is a bit of downtime in between games or if they aren't on the 26 extended panel.

“They have been released early in the week to play important league games for their clubs which is important to keep everybody happy and the clubs happy, to keep everyone in good harmony.”

Has O’Rourke, who retired in 2017, missed playing for Meath? “Once you are away from it you don't want to be standing on the toes of anybody else,” O’Rourke replies.

“You'd have friends, who are still involved, you'd stay in regular contact with them through little WhatsApp groups and that, guys you'd have shared a dressing room and good times with, you'd have a lot of memories.

“You'd have certain lads - they are few and far between now - Donal Keogan is the last of them involved. It is good to see lads put longevity into their careers and their stint with Meath.”

Keogan remains an influential figure for Meath, still delivering with trademark substance and style. “I think he came in to play in 2012 against Carlow, I think a game that went to a replay in the Leinster Championship,” O’Rourke recalls.

“From then on he has played in every Championship game. He has been captain in maybe his second or third season with Meath, he was just our go to leader in training, he was our go to man in games.

“He is phenomenal to still be at the same level, the level of performance and dedication when he puts on that Meath jersey, it is something every young kid should aspire to be, to be like Donal Keogan when they are playing.”

Occasionally O’Rourke will reflect on his own spell in the Meath jersey. A Leinster SFC title was gleaned in 2010, but Meath drifted. “Yeah, there is what ifs,” O’Rourke says.

“We had three Leinster finals on the bounce - '12, '13, and '14. Meath were back in a Leinster final under Andy McEntee in ’19 and ‘20, so we have been there or thereabouts, but just came up against a Dublin team in that decade '12, '13, and '14 that were on the cusp of greatness.

“There is a what if, that if they weren't around would we have stepped in to win a few Leinsters back to back. That is probably the beauty and despair of it all wrapped into one. You are so close, but yet so far away.

“Things just slide for a few years and you have to do a regroup and a rebuild. This is where they are now, this is going to be a platform to get back into Leinster year, to play maybe in the upper stages of Division Two next year. It is all about regrouping with a new blooded team now.

“You probably have 15 lads playing for Meath for the first time this season, that is great. There is optimism growing within the county.”