Masters prove that class is permanent

Tadhg Boyle cut a disappointing figure after his Meath side came up short against Roscommon in the All-Ireland Masters Shield final on Saturday in Drumlish.

It has been a successful year on the whole for the newly formed Meath masters and despite the result and the disappointment, the Meath Hill native recognised that the year as a whole was a success.

“Roscommon were stronger and more organised than us. They were a better outfit today than we were. We probably have a little bit of an imbalance in our team but for our first year it’s not so bad. Nobody enters a final to lose it but the year as a whole has been very good,” said Boyle.

“That bunch (Meath) have a bit more to give and there are plenty of good footballers within them. We probably underperformed today a bit; some of our more notable footballers didn't give the performance we would usually expect from them.

"To be fair to Roscommon, when they were on top they made it count on the scoreboard and in our purple patches, we probably didn’t score enough. That was the key difference.”

While Masters football is generally played in great spirit, there was a competitive edge to Saturday’s decider and both sides were guilty of heavy challenges at times.

“They put in a few hard challenges but we gave them a few tough belts as well. It’s a contact sport and you wake up on a Monday morning after playing a match a bit sore, that’s the way it goes. That's why we love the game and that's the game we love.”

Saturday saw the curtains pulled on the inaugural campaign for the team itself. Boyle was keen to give huge credit to the committee that got the project underway and put huge work in throughout the year.

“Full credit to the likes of Gordon Manning, Gordon Weldon, David Gormley, Barry Balfe and Joe Sheridan for pulling this together. They formed the committee and drove the project on," said Boyle.

"Joe and Barry had played with Cavan previously along with Gary Arkins so there was a few lads that knew what they were at but that committee pulled everything together. They got Kepak to sponsor us, they got the Cross Guns to feed us after matches, and they got everyone together who helped us along the way.

“This master's project in Meath has been attempted a good few times and it took loads of goodwill from plenty of people to get it over the line. Graham Geraghty attended our last training session to try and rally the troops a bit before today. I think this team will only get stronger. There are lads playing club football this weekend who could play next year.”

Former Meath star Peadar Byrne had good reason to be late to Saturday’s final. He was managing Moylagh in their JFC quarter-final clash with Slane. Boyle was complimentary of Byrne for his commitment. and also commended other lads who showed huge dedication during the year.

“Peadar (Byrne) did well to get down here today. He probably didn’t have the impact that he wanted but I’ll be slagging him about that later on,"joked Boyle.

"There are lads that have shown great commitment to this team. Gordon Manning comes from Clontarf to play. Paddy Nugent comes from Dublin as well. Joe (Sheridan), Peadar (Byrne) and Gordon (Weldon) have all been managing senior teams this year. There’s a huge commitment there. Roscommon were probably that bit better set-up than us but we can learn from that and try to improve next year.”

Boyle concluded by commending some of the more experienced lads who have played GAA at the highest level for what they brought to the camp. He concluded by once again reflecting on the year positively.

“Joe (Sheridan) and Peadar (Byrne) are humble lads and they just want to play football. We are still young at heart when it comes to wanting to play football.

"The two lads bring huge experience and they are very easy to manage, they know what they are doing obviously. Lots of lads out there have played some level of representative football,” said Boyle.

“It is a bitter taste to lose the final but when we look back on the year we will reflect on the positives. We had plenty of interest at the very start, and about six months ago we cut the WhatsApp group significantly.

"That group of lads that are there today have been there from start to finish. Without lifting the cup you have a bit of a bitter taste but it’s been a good year all round.”

No doubt the Meath Masters team will be back in 2027 stronger and better.