Wolfe Tones fancied to make amends

After an unbelievable season for the Meath seniors, it is time to turn our attention back to the club scene. This year, the Meath SFC will have more eyeballs on it around the country than it has had for quite some time, writes Tom Gannon.

After the heroics of Robbie Brennan's Meath side, could this year be the year that the Meath senior club champions finally have a significant impact on the national stage? We will have to wait and see. The champions elect, whoever they may be, will first have to get through a seriously competitive SFC and several clubs around the county will feel they have a great chance of lifting the Keegan Cup in 2025.

Starting with the 2024 champions, Dunshaughlin will take serious confidence with them into the SFC after their victory over St Peter's in the FL Div 1 final last weekend. The talent within the side now managed by Kevin Kealy is frightening. In the likes of Mathew Costello, Conor Duke and Ruairi Kinsella, Dunshaughlin have the spine of the attack that brought Meath all the way to an All-Ireland SFC semi-final.

The manner in which Dunshaughlin won the 2024 SFC was workmanlike but impressive at the same time.

Many times during last year's renewal, the men in black and amber had their backs pinned up against the wall but they always found a way to win and eventually they deservedly claimed their first SFC title in 22 years.

The old saying goes, once you win one, the second one is easy, right? Simonstown did the two in a row in 2016 and 2017, having never won an SFC before and Ratoath matched Simonstown's achievement in 2019 and 2020 before they won another title in 2022. Even Dunshaughlin themselves won their first title in 2000 before they went on to complete a historic three in a row.

One does not simply walk into Mordor though and the biggest threat to Dunshaughlin's title, on paper, appears to be the side that they defeated in last year's epic finale.

Write off Wolfe Tones at your peril, because they are looking strong. Even though they only had one regular player on the Meath team, as a group, there is not one club in the county that, style-wise, resembles Robbie Brennan's side more than Wolfe Tones.

The Tones have forwards who can kick incredible scores, mostly from the one family, so expect to see plenty of two-pointers beside the name Ward. Saran O Fionnagain is a creative genius at times. Until Sean Rafferty lit up the inter-county scene, Shane Glynn was the best full-back in the county by a mile. Adam O'Neill has come on leaps and bounds for his experience with the Royals this year and no midfielder in the county will fancy themselves in a match-up with O'Neill.

The Tones had one hand on the Keegan Cup last year and the hurt that they will have felt from losing that final will be hugely motivational. Add into the mix the likes of Sean Penny, Oisin Martin and Kyle Moran.

Wolfe Tones have the mixture, they have the motivation and crucially, they have an unbelievable ability to peak at the right time. Wolfe Tones are huge contenders in this year's championship.

St Peter's are intriguing. This current crop of players have been knocking on the door but they never seem to be able to get over the line. They are another team that gave Dunshaughlin a right good scare in 2024 but just fell short. They have been boosted by the addition of Waterford native, Jack Gleeson, into their already impressive attack but they suffered some injury blows as well with the biggest one being the very promising Jack Kinlough.

Kinlough suffered an ACL injury earlier this year when representing Meath and is not expected to play any part for St Peter's in this year's SFC. St Peter's basically built their attack around Kinlough last year, so a new strategy is required for this year but their league form is a positive indicator. They may also, at some stage, have the services of the injured Ronan Jones which would be a massive bonus. St Peter's are among the top contenders in the SFC and certainly have the talent, including the on-fire Donal Lenihan, to go all the way.

What about the 2023 champions Summerhill? They're probably the most difficult side to assess in this year's SFC. They were disappointing in their title defence in 2024 and relied heavily on the Frayne brothers, Eoghan and Conor, in attack. The weight of the champions tag has now been lifted, they have the best forward in the county, and they had a reasonably good league campaign but they still have a bit to prove if they are going to reach the heights of 2023.

They're capable of greatness and they will certainly be feared but the verdict is still out on whether or not David Clare's side are at the level they need to be at to regain their title.

The one very interesting aspect of Ratoath's bid to reach the peak of Meath football once more in 2025 is obviously the appointment earlier this year of Kerry legend, Paul Galvin, as manager. The 2009 Footballer of the Year served as an apprentice under Robbie Brennan during his time with Kilmacud Crokes.

The Ratoath team are certainly still a very talented outfit but in recent years, they just haven't found the right formula to reach the heights that they once did.

One thing is for sure, they have got a very favourable draw and will almost certainly make it to the quarter-final. Who knows what can happen after that.

One team that certainly did not get a favourable draw last year was Donaghmore /Ashbourne. The side now managed by Timmy O'Regan was without a doubt the unluckiest team in last year's championship.

They are a very talented side who are capable of competing at the business end of the championship. The future is extremely bright for Donaghmore/Ashbourne, with young players like Michael O'Sullivan, Evan Kelly and Zach Thornton among their ranks. They might not be ready yet to win a championship this year but be under no illusion, this sleeping giant will almost certainly pick up an SFC title in the coming years.

Last years semi-finalists Skryne, are in a similar boat to where Donaghmore/Ashbourne were 12 months ago. A very talented side who have been unfortunate to be drawn into a very tough group.

St Peter's will be expected to top the group but it will be tight between Summerhill and Skryne to see who gets the second-spot in Group A. Summerhill would be slight favourites on paper but Mick O'Dowd will likely have something up his sleeve and with talented players such as Darragh Campion and John O'Regan amongst their ranks, Skryne could very well rattle a few cages again this year.

Trim are a team on the rise and will be full of confidence after a dominant display in Div 2 saw them cruise to the title. They did it all without their inter-county stars, Ciaran Caulfield and Aaron Lynch as well.

Any team that can reach an All-Ireland IFC final, like Trim did in 2022, will have expectations of giving their own county's SFC a right good rattle at some stage and it's only a matter of time before Trim eventually come knocking.

In the middle third of the pitch, they are as strong as any team in the county and with Aaron Lynch and Tom Carmody leading the line, all the top teams will be fearful of the men in red.

There are several teams in the Meath SFC who all have good young talent but will more than likely not cause too much trouble for the big contenders.

St Colmcille's, Seneschalstown, Simonstown, Gaeil Colmcille, Na Fianna and Simonstown all fit into that bracket.

Ballinabrackey, Rathkenny and Meath Hill will more than likely be battling it out to maintain senior status.

In truth, three teams seem to be a little bit clear of the pack, Dunshaughlin, St Peter's and Wolfe Tones. There is not much to split those three sides but last year's beaten finalists have what it takes to go one better in 2025.