Last All-Ireland win recalled as McManus missed the bus

For a fearful moment or two Enda McManus was seriously concerned that he would miss out on one of the biggest Irish sporting occasions of 1999 – if not THE biggest.

The St Peter’s, Dunboyne player had emerged as a real star of the Meath senior football team in 1996. He was a central figure as the team worked their way to an All-Ireland title defeating Mayo after a replay.

He was still there three years later, a vital cog in Meath’s defensive machinery. Someone with the intelligence, strength and awareness to fill the make-or-break, crucial, difficult-to-fill centre-half-back position on a team.

He performed his defensive duties with characteristic care and application as Sean Boylan’s Meath side defeated Wicklow, Offaly, Dublin and Armagh to earn a place in another All-Ireland showdown, this time against old foes Cork.

On the morning of the big day Meath were based in a Dublin hotel; someplace for the players to gather before making their way to Croker and the clash with the Munster champions in the last final of the dying 20th century.

To while away the time before the players headed for the big game McManus started watching Formula One racing up in his room. It was a sport he liked to follow. As the race got underway one of the drivers, Heinz Harald Frentzen, approached the first corner and stopped. “I couldn’t go and miss what was happening so I stayed for a bit longer to see how things would turn out,” McManus recalled in The Boylan Years. The minutes ticked away.

When the time came for him to go downstairs and meet the rest of the players in the lobby there was no-one around. He quickly realised, to his horror, what had happened.

“The bus, the lads, even Sean had gone to the biggest day of the year without me,” he recalled.

Now panicking he ran outside and eventually grabbed a taxi with the driver stopping off at Pearse Street Garda station to get a garda escort to Croke Park.

With sirens blaring McManus arrived at the ground that was rapidly filling up with expectant fans. He paid the taxi man £20, made it to the dressing room. The rest of the players were already warming up. “I don’t need to warm up Sean,” he told the manager. The two men just smiled.

The story is one that has endured from what turned out to be memorable day for Meath football. As it turned out McManus had the job of marking one of Cork’s most dangerous forwards, Joe Kavanagh, in that final from, can it really be 26 years ago now!

The Dunboyne man did a good job too in containing the skilful, elusive Cork forward, although Kavanagh did escape his attentions to score a fabulous goal early in the second-half. That helped to cancel out an equally fabulous goal Ollie Murphy had netted in the opening act to help give the Royals a 1-5 to 0-5 interval advantage.

A perceptive, clever knockdown from captain Graham Geraghty created a half-chance for Murphy who was the best in the business back then in finishing half-chances, or full chances either for that matter.

The contest swayed this way and that. The sides were level 1-7 apiece after 53 minutes. As the final furlong approached Meath stepped on the gas. They outscored their opponents 0-3 to 0-1 during the remainder of the contest with two points from Trevor Giles, a free and a '45', and one from Geraghty from play.

Earlier Giles, who finished his team’s top scorer with four points, had a penalty saved by Cork ‘keeper Kevin O’Dwyer. Evan Kelly hit three points, while Donal Curtis was another to raise a white flag - he's still doing it now with Rathkenny's 2nds, 26 years later.

The reasons for Meath’s late flourish could be traced back to earlier that year when Meath and Cork had met in NFL semi-final. It was no classic. The Rebels won 0-6 to 0-3.

“He (Sean Boylan) didn’t hold back, he told us we needed to really up or game or the summer would be a washout,” recalled Paddy Reynolds in ‘A Family Memoir.’

Over the following few weeks Boylan brought his players to Fairyhouse race course for countless long runs and sprints on the famous Grand National track. The “relentless, stamina-sapping, soul-searching slog” was to be richly rewarded as the All-Ireland final hung in the balance. Meath had the stamina in the legs to finish the job - 1-11 to 1-8.

There were no complaints from anybody afterwards. No recriminations. No accusations of ‘dirty Meath’. The title had had been won without any rows and ructions that were an integral part of previous Cork, Meath finals. “We were beaten, that’s it, it’s over,” said Cork’s manager, the one and only Larry Tompkins.

When the time came to hand out Allstars for the 1999 season Meath garnered an unprecedented seven awards. Mark O’Reilly, Darren Fay, Paddy Reynolds, John McDermott, Trevor Giles, Graham Geraghty, Ollie Murphy were the magnificent seven. Cork had three – Kevin O’Dwyer, Ciaran O’Sullivan, Philip Clifford.

Enda McManus didn’t make the Allstar cut but at least he did get to Croke Park on the big day and played his part in ensuring a win for the Royals. For a while it seemed like he might miss out.

In the Irish Independent on the day after the All-Ireland final there was a headline referring to a “new Royal dynasty.” It looked like the county would win many more All-Irelands. As we know they haven’t won one since.

Meath - C O’Sullivan; M O’Reilly, D Fay, C Murphy; P Reynolds, E McManus, H Traynor; N Crawford, J McDermott; E Kelly (0-3), T Giles (0-4 three frees, one '45'), N Nestor; O Murphy (1-0), G Geraghty (0-3), D Curtis (0-1). Subs - R Kealy for Nestor 55m, B Callaghan for Traynor 62m, T. Dowd for Kelly 71m.

Cork - K O’Dwyer; R McCarthy, S Og O hAilpín, A Lynch; C O’Sullivan, O Sexton, Martin Cronin; N Murphy, Michéal O’Sullivan; Michéal Cronin, J Kavanagh (1-1), P O’Mahony (0-1); P Clifford (0-5 four frees), D Davis, Mark O’Sullivan (0-1). Subs - F Murray for Mark O’Sullivan 41m, F Collins for Michéal Cronin 49m, M O’Donovan for P O’Mahony 61m.

Referee - M Curley (Galway).