In his first interview as Meath manager in the summer of 2022, Colm O’Rourke plainly set out some bold terms of reference.
“Ultimately, we have to beat Dublin. That was the measurement of Meath when I was playing and that hasn’t changed,” O’Rourke told The Meath Chronicle.
He stepped down two years later – walking away as the fourth successive Meath manager who had failed to register a victory, moral or otherwise, over Dublin.
One of the direct casualties arising from Dublin’s ownership of Leinster football has been a thorough deconstruction of the Dublin-Meath rivalry. It is now 15 years since Meath last defeated Dublin. The rivalry has become a relic of the past, a story kids in Meath have heard but never seen.
If it’s not yet a dead rivalry, then it’s certainly a dormant one.
The Royals have not beaten Dublin in a competitive game of senior football since June 2010.
There have been longer periods of hegemony in the rivalry but never has one side suffered as many successive defeats.
Meath are on a nine-game championship losing run to their neighbours – the sorriest streak in the history of the derby. During that time there have been six double-digit defeats, including a record 21-point victory for Dublin.
The Dubs have won those nine games by an accumulative total of 108 points, an average of 12 points per game. As one county enhanced its identity, another lost theirs.
Dublin have also defeated Meath in two league games and two O’Byrne Cup matches (one after a penalty shoot-out) during that period, so in total they have won the last 13 senior intercounty fixtures between the counties.
Since 2002, Meath’s only championship win over the Dubs remains 2010. Stephen Cluxton is the sole playing link from that day 15 years ago. Bryan Menton was an unused sub.
In his programme notes for the league match between the sides in 2023, O’Rourke lamented the fading rivalry.
“If Dublin are trying to rediscover past glories we in Meath have disappeared in the rear-view mirror and recent clashes with Dublin has meant an endless series of humiliations,” he wrote.
“Yet the greatest empires eventually fall and nothing lasts forever. To compete against Dublin, without even thinking of beating them, requires a sea change in our competitive instinct, a return to old values of heart, courage and honesty.”
Sentiments many in the county might share, but nostalgia and reality haven’t proved compatible bedfellows for Meath football in recent years.
The counties meet in a Leinster semi-final at O’Moore Park, Portlaoise on Sunday in what will be the first Dublin-Meath championship fixture outside of Croke Park since 1980. Stand tickets are already sold out.
Dublin are 1-10 favourites to make it 10 championship wins on the bounce over the Royals and add Robbie Brennan to their list of vanquished Meath managers.
Across the border, their neighbours continue to wonder when it will ever end.
A DORMANT RIVALRY – DUBLIN’S NINE-GAME CHAMPIONSHIP DOMINANCE
2012: Dublin 2-13 Meath 1-13 (Leinster final)
Two goals in the closing stages of the first half – by Bernard Brogan and Denis Bastick – swung the momentum firmly in Dublin’s favour. Pat Gilroy’s side led 2-7 to 0-5 at the interval. Jamie Queeney netted a goal late in the second half for Seamus McEnaney’s Meath but the Dubs held on for victory.
2013: Dublin 2-15 Meath 0-14 (Leinster final)
Meath led 0-9 to 1-4 at half-time but Dublin turned the screw after the break with Paul Mannion’s goal proving to be a decisive score in the contest. The Royals managed only five points throughout the second half while the Dubs amassed 1-11.
2014: Dublin 3-20 Meath 1-10 (Leinster final)
Bernard Brogan’s first-half goal helped the Dubs to a nine-point interval advantage. Kevin McManamon added a second Dublin goal shortly after the restart and Eoghan O’Gara added a third late on. Mickey Newman netted for Meath. The game ended in controversy after Meath manager Mick O’Dowd claimed Mickey Burke had been the victim of a biting incident but following a subsequent investigation no disciplinary action was taken.
2016: Dublin 0-21 Meath 0-11 (Leinster semi-final)
Dean Rock scored 0-10 for Dublin as they marched towards the provincial decider. It had been competitive up to half-time when the Dubs led 0-11 to 0-8 but Jim Gavin’s men ramped up through the gears after the resumption of play and eased to another victory over their neighbours.
2019: Dublin 1-17 Meath 0-4 (Leinster final)
The opening salvo in the match report by Gavin Cummiskey in The Irish Times summed it up: “Here lies a Leinster final and provincial football championship in all but name.”
It was a grim day at Croke Park for Meath. Dublin led 0-5 to 0-1 at half-time. Con O’Callaghan bagged a second-half goal and Meath finished the game with just four points and two scorers, Mickey Newman and Bryan Menton.
2020: Dublin 3-21 Meath 0-9 (Leinster final)
A record 21-point victory for Dublin over Meath on a night when the 100th anniversary of Bloody Sunday was marked at Croke Park. The Dublin goals were scored by Dean Rock, Seán Bugler and Niall Scully. The Dubs led 2-13 to 0-2 at the break. On what was a poignant night for the GAA, it also proved to be a sobering one for Meath football.
2021: Dublin 2-16 Meath 1-13 (Leinster semi-final)
Meath staged a late rally to unsettle the defending champions. Dublin led 2-11 to 0-6 at half-time with the goals coming from Cormac Costello and Con O’Callaghan but a green-flag score by Mathew Costello shortly after the restart sparked a Royal revival and coming down the straight the gap had been reduced to just three. However, late points by Costello, Brian Fenton and Ciarán Kilkenny halted Meath’s comeback.
2022: Dublin 1-27 Meath 1-14 (Leinster semi-final)
Dean Rock tucked away a first-half penalty to help Dublin lead 1-17 to 0-5 at the interval. Game over. Meath had two players red-carded late on with Jack Flynn and Jordan Morris both sent off. It was another routine win for the Dubs.
2024: Dublin 3-19 Meath 0-12 (Leinster quarter-final)
Seán Bugler’s first-half goal set the Dubs on their way to a 1-8 to 0-6 lead at the turnaround. Con O’Callaghan and Paul Mannion added goals in the second half as Dublin breezed to a ninth consecutive championship win over Meath.
