Ratoath tipped for return to top
Between the years 2016 and 2020, Dublin met Mayo in three All-Ireland SFC finals and produced some of the most enthralling clashes that the game has ever seen. It’s well known that Dublin were without doubt the most dominant force of that period and won all three of those finals.
However, during those games, Mayo caused a lot of issues for the dominant Dubs because they thrived in chaos. They thrived in causing carnage, in breaking up play, in scrambles for possession. They were the ultimate dogged squad. That being said, Dublin used to stick to their plan and played enough fluid, excellent football to always get over the line. So why is that relevant in a preview for the 2025 Meath SFC final?
Well for starters, similar to that period of the fantastic Dublin and Mayo rivalry, 2025 will be the third time in recent years that Ratoath and Summerhill have met in a Meath SFC final. In some ways, you could compare the style that both Ratoath and Summerhill play to that of the brilliant Dubs of that period.
It’s about fluency, it’s about not getting turned over, it’s about advancing the ball forward in the most efficient manner possible. It’s about skillful, attractive football.
When Ratoath and Summerhill have bumped into teams this year that press high and look for turnovers, 99% of the time, they have been very comfortable navigating that pressure and all the while advancing the ball to two very talented sets of forwards who are thriving with the extra space that the new rules have allowed for.
Both sides haven't been without their faults this season and they have hit plenty of speed bumps along the way. Of course, comparing them to the greatest team that ever played the game is a bit of a stretch.
It wasn’t even meant to be a Ratoath and Summerhill final this year. Skryne were the eye catching team of the group stage. Wolfe Tones were on pretty much everyone’s lips for Keegan Cup glory until they fell to the champions Dunshaughlin at the quarter-final stage. Then, Dunshaughlin, who had been performing below par all year, were all of a sudden favourites until Summerhill came out on top of that enthralling semi-final clash in extra-time.
The fact remains, though, the ability that these two sides have shown to adapt in games, to overcome challenges, to stick to their philosophies and not panic under pressure has got them to all the way to the final.
Not only do these two sides play very similar brands of football but they also know each other very very well.
There are 10 or 11 players on both squads who started the 2023 final that will probably start the 2025 final. In boxing terms, this is the completion of the trilogy. This is the battle of the two best teams in the county for the last decade. Even the two managers know each other very well, having worked together with Kilmacud Crokes in 2024 under Meath manager Robbie Brennan. How's that for symmetry?
It's two very talented sides who play a very similar brand of football and who know each other inside out.
This will be as much of a game of chess as it will be a game of football. It is screaming extra-time and at that stage, Ratoath might just have a little bit more left in the tank to get over the line narrowly.
Prediction - Ratoath (after extra-time).