IT’S A DIFFERENT look to the Leinster final. No Dublin for the first time since 20100. The pairing before is the pairing now; Meath and Louth.
It’s a very different Louth now too. Back then, their story was bound up in romance. Managed by a passionate sideline presence in Peter Fitzpatrick and assisted by Brian McEniff, they came from mid-table in Division 3 and had beaten Longford, Kildare and Westmeath to get to a final that was robbed from their grasp.
Louth are a different animal now. This is their third consecutive Leinster final, a feat not achieved since the 1912-’14 seasons.
It can often be difficult to follow up a headline act, and Louth had that in Mickey Harte and Gavin Devlin, who led them to two successive promotions and narrowly missed out on a third, while bringing them to the 2023 provincial final.
Taking over as a rookie manager, many felt that gravity would ensue and they would slide down a division or two after Harte and Devlin left to join up with Derry.
Instead, Brennan managed three league wins in this and last years’ league to survive in Division 2 and closed the Leinster final gap to Dublin from 21 points in 2023 to three points last year.
All the same, Louth still feels an unlikely place for a former Pat Gilroy disciple to end up.
Especially in his role as a GAA co-ordinator in UCD.
Brennan in his playing days in 2012. Cathal Noonan / INPHO
Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
He doesn’t take long to explain the major footballing cultural differences.
“The facilities of Louth clubs are far superior to the facilities of Dublin clubs by a huge amount,” says the St Vincent’s clubman.
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“You only have to look at the bit of messing between Ballinteer St John’s and Kilmacud Crokes. They’re both competing for 15 acres of land in South County Dublin.
“So in rural counties there’s obviously a bit more space and then with the generosity of local landowners and that a lot of clubs can put more of their funds raised into actually the infrastructure as opposed to the purchasing of the lands.”
While there’s not much land in the offing around Dublin, there are chimney pots, and that brings players.
“The biggest difference I noticed is just playing bodies, the volume of players you have to choose from,” says Brennan.
“While the panel is stronger this year than it was last year, overall, you look at Dublin and again it comes down to a numbers game in terms of what the Dublin lads would receive by way of preparation or food and everything else.
“The Louth lads are getting the same you know, so I don’t see anything too dissimilar to be honest.
“I’d say the food’s a bit nicer now, I’m probably eating too much of it at the moment and I’m not playing anymore!”
But it does impact the culture any manager wishes to create. Sometimes managers in counties with a smaller pick have to tolerate situations that wouldn’t be heard of in other environments.
“Context is key, so there’s elements of people’s schedules and real-life moments and responsibilities that in a Dublin you can get away with, once or twice,” explains Brennan.
“But then, ‘right this isn’t working out for you’ and the next man comes up whereas in Louth, you have to work with the lads far more.
“So there’s probably a lot more man management going on to ensure that you’re helping fellas off the field as well. Being on the pitch training is easy, it’s all the other stuff that takes more time.”
The work had already started in Louth but was accelerated by Harte and Devlin who imported some Tyrone expertise in youth structures.
It paid off in Newbridge a week ago when they beat Meath by seven points in the U20 Leinster final, while the county’s minor team comfortably defeated Dublin last night to reach their final.
Brennan was there to see the U20 success last week and the jubilation on the pitch afterwards. Since then, Louth has had their flags hung out; a little more tattered and weather beaten in their third tour of duty in as many years.
Drogheda is the dividing line, the town split by the river and a clear demarcation of colours with the occasional incursion.
Naturally, there is a very different feel to this final than last year.
“Last year I felt a bit weird because I obviously played with Dublin for so long and it was a funny situation to be in, albeit I kept my thoughts to myself in the build up to the game last year,” says Brennan.
“I think this year, between my time in Louth this year and last year, what I have come to appreciate is that there is a very healthy hatred between Meath and Louth. Similar to what it was with Dublin in the ‘90s and that four-in-a-row back then and even as far as ‘00 between Dublin and Meath.
“It has kind of softened over the last five years with Dublin dominance. Now there is a real kind of healthy hatred between both counties. So it is something I am feeding off myself and I am enjoying.”
With Dublin manager Dessie Farrell after last year's Leinster final defeat. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
The two league meetings between the counties; hosted in Inniskeen, Co Monaghan due to Louth’s present lack of a suitable venue, have ended in Louth wins.
It provides some context. But only some, Brennan insists.
“It is probably better than losing but I think the Leinster final itself will probably take on a world of its own. I think there will be so much at stake for both counties.
“The history that comes with it. The rewards of going into what you would say is probably a more favourable group perceived for the All-Ireland series when you look at the draw.
“So it will probably be a nervy affair between two teams who haven’t won anything in a while.”
And then, there’s the whole 2010 background, and the controversy of Joe Sheridan’s winning ‘goal’ when he threw the ball over the Louth goalline for an illegal goal.
Does it make any odds? Hardly.
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“The vice-chair of Leinster Council (was) just talking about how it’s a generation of people, players have gone without knowing any different than Dublin winning the Leinster championship,” Brennan recounts.
“So, I don’t know how much 2010 actually does come into it for both sets of players. I think for the supporters, that’s a different conversation, I would say. There’s no love lost there.”
In the meantime, it’s a case of damping down everything; expectation, excitement, nervous energy until the throw-in on Sunday.
“Both teams are going to go in fancying themselves which is great. I thought the atmosphere after the Kildare game was a bit subdued kind of optimism, that we had won and were in another Leinster final and there wasn’t as much of a song and a dance about it.
“So that would suggest the maturity amongst the group, which means there’d be less management required from me in terms of the occasion.
“I think the big thing is, I’ve always said it before, when you’re playing with a Dublin, the size of the city, you can go anywhere for a few days and nobody would know you or talk to you about football.
”But when you’re from the Meaths and the Louths of this world everyone knows you.”
And should they win on Sunday, they’ll remember Brennan forever.
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'There is a very healthy hatred between Meath and Louth' - Wee county manager Ger Brennan
IT’S A DIFFERENT look to the Leinster final. No Dublin for the first time since 20100. The pairing before is the pairing now; Meath and Louth.
It’s a very different Louth now too. Back then, their story was bound up in romance. Managed by a passionate sideline presence in Peter Fitzpatrick and assisted by Brian McEniff, they came from mid-table in Division 3 and had beaten Longford, Kildare and Westmeath to get to a final that was robbed from their grasp.
Louth are a different animal now. This is their third consecutive Leinster final, a feat not achieved since the 1912-’14 seasons.
It can often be difficult to follow up a headline act, and Louth had that in Mickey Harte and Gavin Devlin, who led them to two successive promotions and narrowly missed out on a third, while bringing them to the 2023 provincial final.
Taking over as a rookie manager, many felt that gravity would ensue and they would slide down a division or two after Harte and Devlin left to join up with Derry.
Instead, Brennan managed three league wins in this and last years’ league to survive in Division 2 and closed the Leinster final gap to Dublin from 21 points in 2023 to three points last year.
All the same, Louth still feels an unlikely place for a former Pat Gilroy disciple to end up.
Especially in his role as a GAA co-ordinator in UCD.
He doesn’t take long to explain the major footballing cultural differences.
“The facilities of Louth clubs are far superior to the facilities of Dublin clubs by a huge amount,” says the St Vincent’s clubman.
“You only have to look at the bit of messing between Ballinteer St John’s and Kilmacud Crokes. They’re both competing for 15 acres of land in South County Dublin.
“So in rural counties there’s obviously a bit more space and then with the generosity of local landowners and that a lot of clubs can put more of their funds raised into actually the infrastructure as opposed to the purchasing of the lands.”
While there’s not much land in the offing around Dublin, there are chimney pots, and that brings players.
“The biggest difference I noticed is just playing bodies, the volume of players you have to choose from,” says Brennan.
“While the panel is stronger this year than it was last year, overall, you look at Dublin and again it comes down to a numbers game in terms of what the Dublin lads would receive by way of preparation or food and everything else.
“The Louth lads are getting the same you know, so I don’t see anything too dissimilar to be honest.
But it does impact the culture any manager wishes to create. Sometimes managers in counties with a smaller pick have to tolerate situations that wouldn’t be heard of in other environments.
“Context is key, so there’s elements of people’s schedules and real-life moments and responsibilities that in a Dublin you can get away with, once or twice,” explains Brennan.
“But then, ‘right this isn’t working out for you’ and the next man comes up whereas in Louth, you have to work with the lads far more.
“So there’s probably a lot more man management going on to ensure that you’re helping fellas off the field as well. Being on the pitch training is easy, it’s all the other stuff that takes more time.”
The work had already started in Louth but was accelerated by Harte and Devlin who imported some Tyrone expertise in youth structures.
It paid off in Newbridge a week ago when they beat Meath by seven points in the U20 Leinster final, while the county’s minor team comfortably defeated Dublin last night to reach their final.
Brennan was there to see the U20 success last week and the jubilation on the pitch afterwards. Since then, Louth has had their flags hung out; a little more tattered and weather beaten in their third tour of duty in as many years.
Drogheda is the dividing line, the town split by the river and a clear demarcation of colours with the occasional incursion.
Naturally, there is a very different feel to this final than last year.
“Last year I felt a bit weird because I obviously played with Dublin for so long and it was a funny situation to be in, albeit I kept my thoughts to myself in the build up to the game last year,” says Brennan.
“I think this year, between my time in Louth this year and last year, what I have come to appreciate is that there is a very healthy hatred between Meath and Louth. Similar to what it was with Dublin in the ‘90s and that four-in-a-row back then and even as far as ‘00 between Dublin and Meath.
“It has kind of softened over the last five years with Dublin dominance. Now there is a real kind of healthy hatred between both counties. So it is something I am feeding off myself and I am enjoying.”
The two league meetings between the counties; hosted in Inniskeen, Co Monaghan due to Louth’s present lack of a suitable venue, have ended in Louth wins.
It provides some context. But only some, Brennan insists.
“It is probably better than losing but I think the Leinster final itself will probably take on a world of its own. I think there will be so much at stake for both counties.
“The history that comes with it. The rewards of going into what you would say is probably a more favourable group perceived for the All-Ireland series when you look at the draw.
“So it will probably be a nervy affair between two teams who haven’t won anything in a while.”
And then, there’s the whole 2010 background, and the controversy of Joe Sheridan’s winning ‘goal’ when he threw the ball over the Louth goalline for an illegal goal.
Does it make any odds? Hardly.
“The vice-chair of Leinster Council (was) just talking about how it’s a generation of people, players have gone without knowing any different than Dublin winning the Leinster championship,” Brennan recounts.
“So, I don’t know how much 2010 actually does come into it for both sets of players. I think for the supporters, that’s a different conversation, I would say. There’s no love lost there.”
In the meantime, it’s a case of damping down everything; expectation, excitement, nervous energy until the throw-in on Sunday.
“Both teams are going to go in fancying themselves which is great. I thought the atmosphere after the Kildare game was a bit subdued kind of optimism, that we had won and were in another Leinster final and there wasn’t as much of a song and a dance about it.
“So that would suggest the maturity amongst the group, which means there’d be less management required from me in terms of the occasion.
“I think the big thing is, I’ve always said it before, when you’re playing with a Dublin, the size of the city, you can go anywhere for a few days and nobody would know you or talk to you about football.
”But when you’re from the Meaths and the Louths of this world everyone knows you.”
And should they win on Sunday, they’ll remember Brennan forever.
*****
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All-Ireland Football Championship Ger Brennan Leinster Final Louth Meath