Kevin Reilly respects Dublin but doesn’t fear them

Kevin Reilly doesn’t look like a man who knows the meaning of the words fear or daunting, which is a good thing. The last man Meath would want playing full back right now is the shy and nervous type.

In Croke Park on Sunday, he’ll walk up to his Dublin opponent and shake his hand: it could be Bernard Brogan, or Paul Mannion, or later, it could be Eoghan O’Gara, Paddy Andrews, or even Cormac Costello, or. It could be any of those, depending on which way the All-Ireland champions want to come at the Royal County.

They’ll come with nothing Reilly hasn’t seen before. He’s been wearing the Meath number three jersey sine 2005, bar the 2008 season when he swapped with Darren Fay, and wore the number six.

Captain’s armband

He doesn’t wear the captain’s armband for show, either, so there’s really nothing left to be fearful about.

The first time Reilly played full back in the championship was against Dublin. Meath lost that day and in their six meetings since have won only once.

That was in 2010, and although they went on to beat Louth in that year’s Leinster final, it was dogged by Meath’s controversial winning goal, late on, scored by Joe Sheridan.

No wonder Reilly feels it’s about time he got one back on Dublin, and while he obviously respects them, he certainly doesn’t fear them.

Meath are the only team to beat Dublin in the province in the last decade, yet have watched them claim nine Leinster titles to their one.

“Yeah, it’s been a little bit top heavy in my time,” says Reilly. “Dublin are obviously quite strong, have proven it time and again, and are probably favourites for this year as well. But we’re going to be doing our absolute best, whatever we can, to push them every second of the way. And we are very confident in our own ability.

“We’ve prepared as best we can, it’s a massive occasion, and one which the whole squad is very much looking forward to.”

What makes this Meath team different to last year, he says, are two things: Mick O’Dowd is in his second year as manager and there’s a stability about the team which hasn’t been felt since the Seán Boylan era; there’s also a physicality about them, which wasn’t there last year.

“We are a year and a half down the line from when Mick took over, and this new squad was in the process of being built. So a lot of guys have a lot more experience than they did last year. And we’ve been playing a division higher in the league. So we are in a better place.

“And I’ve always said, being involved so long, stability is key. We’ve hit some highs. We’ve got to two All-Ireland semi-finals, and won a Leinster, under a previous manager, and they were doing a lot right too.

“Unfortunately, when the lows came and managers moved or were moved on, it lacked stability. For any team to evolve from where they are they need a little bit of time, a little bit of stability. I think we have that now.

“There has been a dramatic change at committee level. A change with Mick, and his backroom team coming on. So everybody’s pointing in the right direction, and I think we’re moving forward.”

Meath certainly gave that impression in their two championship matches to date, putting 7-13 past Carlow and 2-16 against Kildare – both performances marked by a notable increase in Meath’s physicality, especially in defence.

“Well, as a defender, you go out to prevent your direct opponent from getting the ball,” says Reilly. “So you’re trying to delay, disrupt or turn over the ball. The rules are there. and you have to play within them.

Intensity

“So I suppose I’d rather focus on words like intensity, if you’re talking about tackles and defensive displays. But physicality? Yeah, in a certain context.

“But these opportunities don’t come around too often. We’ve been fortunate enough to contest three out of four Leinster finals in the last few years, and before that we didn’t get close. So you definitely have to give it absolutely everything you have, for as long as you have that opportunity. Because you don’t know when the next one is going to come.

“And we are trying to build a consistency within the squad. For years, we had the potential to win any game, but the next game we might go out and be beaten. We just weren’t consistent, and I think consistency is key for further development and progress.

“We’re also playing a selfless brand of football, which is very important. It doesn’t happen all too often where lads are willing to give their best for the greater good.”

“I’d say there are quite a few young guys who have plenty more years ahead of them, but who’s to say they are going to be spent contesting Leinster finals? It just doesn’t happen like that. You do have to seize the moment.”