Belief is the key to success for Brennan

It's been suggested in the national media that Robbie Brennan hold dual citizenship of both Meath and Dublin, but the man himself will tell you that he bleeds green and gold.

His love and passion for the Royal County stems from his father Paddy. A proud man of Kilberry, who won a football championship in Meath with St John's (now known as Wolfe Tones) as well as one in Dublin with St Anne's.

When Paddy Brennan got time off from his job in the bar trade in Dublin, he packed up himseld and his family and headed to the Royal County.

Robbie vividly remembers being lifted over the turnstiles to get into watch matches and one of his earliest memories is being carried around Croke Park on his father's shoulders after Meath beat Monaghan to win the Centenary Cup in 1984.

When Brennan Junior went back to school in Kilmacud he wore his Meath colours with pride. He had to endure a lot of slagging for his loyalty to the Royals, but he never wavered.

After losing the Dublin SFC final to Na Fianna in 2000, Brennan threw in his lot with St Peter's Dunboyne, the dream was to emulate his father and win a senior crown in both counties and in 2005 he managed that.

Brennan made his name as a coach when he returned to guide the fortunes of Crokes. He won 51 of his 57 championship games with the Stillorgan club and claimed the All-Ireland Club title for good measure.

So what attracted him to switch allegiances from Kilmacud Crokes to Meath when the opportunity was presented to him last September?

"We went from losing the county final to Cuala, which was the Sunday, to meeting with the Meath lads on the Tuesday. It all happened so quickly, that's why we've gone just session by session," explained Brennan when outlining his simple 'one game at a time' approach.

"We haven't really ever sat down as a group and said, we want to do this, we want to do that. We just said we want to win each competition.

"We haven't looked further than the next session and it's done us all right up to this, so we'll probably keep at that.

"If we're all there next year, maybe that will be different. Maybe you do start looking at different targets, but I think because of the whole rush of it and that we were all just straight in, it didn't give us much chance to plan. Maybe it's for the better.

"Going back to my dad's roots with the county, it's always been very close to the heart. I'm obviously living there a long time, and I've played and won a championship in Meath.

"I'd often be at so many of the matches just watching games, really, whether Dunboyne were in them or not. I certainly knew the talent was there, and that was probably the most exciting part of it.

"It was the case of could you get in and awaken the sleeping giant, and so far we have.

"One of the first memories I can remember was probably the Centenary Cup in '84. I remember being on Dad's shoulders on the pitch after that game, and that was probably the real start of it.

"There was a lot of dark days when you're living in Dublin and Kilmacud and Meath aren't winning, and Dublin are starting to win, and you're having to go back to the clubhouse and stuff like that. I remember all of those.

"Meath, Meath, I was a Meath fan. Dad brought me to every game. He even murmured to me the other day, he's not too well at the minute, 'do you remember being lifted over the stiles?', which I do.

"That was the start of it. At that age you don't know who you're supporting, but obviously him being Meath that was drilled into me, so it was never any other way.

"Unfortunately, as we all know, with GAA+ and that, he hasn't seen many of our matches, but it was on RTE the other day, so he was able to look at it.

"It's given him a massive lift at the minute, so hopefully we could go one more and keep it going for him.

"I go back to him after the games and it's more like he's giving me the blow-by-blow, telling us what we did wrong.

"He played in Dublin as well. Part of the reason why I left Dublin to come down to Dunboyne, was he had won a championship here in Meath.

"I won a championship in Dublin and he won a championship in Dublin too with St Anne's, so I wanted to come down here to try to match him too by winning one in Meath.

"I'm living in Dunboyne now for 20 odd years, so I'm more Meath now there was ever any doubt."

When talking to any of the players and asking what has Robbie Brennan brought to the table, the unanimous response if 'belief'.

The Dunboyne man is huge on filling his players with confidence. He likes to remind them of the pain too, but for the most part he instils an attitude that they are as good as the best in the country and why not them.

After his Kilmacud Crokes side lost to Kilcoo in the All-Ireland SFC Club final Brennan famously had a screenshot of Kilcoo lifting the cup as a screensaver on his phone. It served as a reminder of the pain. Has he done anything similar with Meath?

"I do, we've had a couple of (screenshots) with Louth on it during the year and sometimes it's something that might just hit you, whatever the reference point was and obviously the Kilcoo one was heartbreaking at the time so that was something that we used.

"I've had one of Keogie (Donal Keogan), there's a brilliant photo of Keogie on his knees in front of the hill at the final whistle in the Leinster final, it's just little things that keep you motivated and keep you pushing.

"We say (to the players), the more you control, the less you can create and that's our approach. They're not spoon fed, they go off and we let the leaders take over and let the group develop as they come.

"It's happened way quicker than even I thought it might have happened, but there's some exceptional leaders in the group, not just Eoghan (Frayne) and Ciarán (Caulfield) as captain and vice captain, they're grabbing it with both hands."

The next foe standing in Meath's way of a sensational return to the big stage is Donegal and Brennan is well aware of the outstanding threats they pose.

"We were up in Ballybofey watching them against Louth with the possibility that we were getting them in the next round, we were up there doing our homework," said Brennan.

"They're a phenomenal team. The athleticism, particularly in Croke Park, should really suit them. Probably looked a little tired in the first half against Monaghan, even though Monaghan were exceptional.

"We have plenty of work to do. They're one of those teams where you have a fair idea of what they're going to do, but whether you can stop them or not is another matter.

"Their running game is exceptional. The loops they run and the way their forwards attack will give us plenty to to work on.

"They're very different to Galway. If you look at that Galway forward line, it's frightening when you're looking at it in key match-ups with Donegal, it's that running game.

"If you lose the ball against them, you're chasing, that's for sure. They're going to be at the other end of the pitch before you blink. You've got to look at that and set up slightly differently to how you would in other matches."

What stems from the belief instilled by Brennan and his management is character and resolve and the manager was delighted to see that in spades against Galway. He also understands why Meath have been written off by so many.

"That was completely understandable. You're never going to see a pundit or an analyst and say 'I think Meath are going to beat Galway' or 'I think Meath are going to beat Kerry' if I was doing it I wouldn't be saying it either, that's the reality because of you know the strength of all those teams so I don't think we'd have any grudges with anybody for underestimating us or thinking that we're not at that level.

"As I keep saying within the group the lads know they can play and that we're fit and you know the game plan's decent enough and strong enough to keep us in matches.

"At the end of the day we're still a Div 2 team compared to Div 1 so that's a big factor.

"It's going to be different now though, we'll still come in as underdogs and that's good for us. Donegal have been one of, if not the favourites for the championship for a long time so I think that'll suit us fine coming in and again we don't have to change much.

"Some of it (the resolve shown against Galway) is the bit of experience. They've all been through some good times with Tailteann Cup and some tough days as well.

"I still think the Leinster final was a massive learning. Even when Galway got the second goal we were shouting in 'just get a point here and just control it and try and get the ball back' because once you're within two points it's obviously only one kick.

"If you can get opposition kicking the ball out you've a chance. We have worked on and talked about all that quite a lot.

"That was hugely pleasing when I watched the game back to see there was no panic at all. Eoghan's point was brilliant and suddenly we're back to two and at that stage I felt, we were still showing that bit of composure there's no panic on either end really.

"If that's there in the group, you have to see it every time you're tested, but certainly that would be a learning from the Louth game and being able to put it into practice."

Meath have faced plenty of adversity throughout the year. Injuries have struck at crucial times and even now Brennan confirmed that Jack Flynn, Ronan Jones, Jack Kinlough and James Conlon are all definitely out for the rest of the season.

There was also the disappointment of missing out on promotion to Div 1, losing the two high profile coaches and being 10-points down at half-time against Offaly.

"Maybe that was a great thing to have a game two weeks later (after the league loss to Louth and departure of Joe McMahon and Martin Corey) because there really was no time to dwell. It was just roll up the sleeves and get on with it and we've bounced on since.

"The brilliant thing from everybody was that it was just a line in the sand and we were strong and we just we moved on. That's what they've done and we haven't looked back since.

"There wasn't really a whole pile to it. It was more a case of just get on with it. Already Conor (Gillespie) and Shane (Supple) were there involved within that set up.

"A few more had to do a couple of extra little bits, but it was roll up the sleeves and go and I think that's testament to the lads more so than anybody else that they can just get going on it and keep going.

"Their fitness has gone through the roof, they're working so incredibly hard so they deserve to be where we are for all the work they've done and hopefully we can keep it going.

"I'm sure they'll (Corey and McMahon) be busy up in Kilcoo. They did a lot for us when they were here too which I wouldn't ever forget either."

Now Meath stand just one game away from a place in the All-Ireland final for the first time in 24 years and Brennan's boys can be rightly and deservedly called contenders.

"It's great (to be in contention), it was probably not at the top of the agenda when we started out," admitted Brennan.

"It's the boring line, we're just taking it bit by bit, game by game, but I suppose after the Kerry game you probably start realising there's not too many teams left at that stage and we were obviously one of them and you have to start thinking along those lines.

"We haven't really changed what we've done all year and we probably won't. That's the reality, we're just keeping on the same path.

"There's a huge amount of experience in Donegal and also sprinkled with some of the youth as well when you look at what they have at the back, but they're so structured.

"I'd say you could take out 10 of them and put in another 10 and the game plan doesn't change, the athleticism doesn't change.

"I know they might have been getting a bit of grief around statements, but I thought they were valid and they certainly did look a little tired even against Louth in the first half but once they hit their stride and they hit their straps they're extremely difficult to stop.

"When you have Messer Murphy up there ready to grab a hold of the game, he's such an inspirational leader.

"We've a lot of Donegal connections up in Ardargh and you're always watching them from the outside, but when you really start to focus in on them and see what Michael (Murphy) does, it is inspirational for them."

No matter what happens next Sunday, there's a buzz about the place again - Meath football is back.

"My young fella was up at a Noah Khan concert in Marley Park and he said there was Meath jerseys every where, it's a great sign.

"The jerseys are sold out everywhere, shops waiting to get them back in. The biggest thing for me is there's kids five, six, seven, eight, nine-years-old dying to put the Meath jersey on, we haven't had that for a long time in the county.

"That brings on the next generation which is so important, it's massive what it's doing for us.

"We have had a lot of support from outside which is strange. As someone said to me, it's good to see Meath back if only just to be hated again.

"Because it is such a young group there's no fear, there's no baggage, a bit of the old tradition mixed in with it too, I think people would recognise that.

"The GAA needs Dublin football to be at it, but I also think it needs Meath to be back, for nothing else just for someone to give out about it I might complain about the tackle here or there, but it's great for the county," concluded the manager.