Evan Kelly has progressed from being a peripheral figure on the Meath panel in the mid-1990s to being one of the county's most effective and reliable performers. From a sometimes-isolated role in the corner, he has become one of the most dynamic wing forwards in the game.
His stamina and hard work frequently see him helping out the defence and his strong and pacey bursts on to breaking ball around the middle of the field regularly create attacking platforms.
His point-scoring ability was a feature of the county's winning All-Ireland campaign of two years ago - and it has been the same this year.
Why did Meath start the season so poorly?
"We never really play that well at the beginning of the year. We're like racehorses. We like the ground being hard and soft going doesn't suit us. We really pushed the boat out this year and got relegated from Division One.
But there's no comparison between League and championship, absolutely none. It's hard to believe it's the same game."
Was there a turning point that marked your transformation from a marginal player to a central figure?
"I suppose I'm 27 now and I've been listening to people over the years saying you reach your peak at 26, 27, 28. It's like anything else; you have to serve your time. You can't just jump straight into the county scene. Some players do but often fade out after a couple of years."
Is the wing your best position?
"I prefer it because I can get involved. If you're in the corner and the ball's not coming into you, you can be very quiet for long periods of the game. It's the old story when you're playing at corner forward and things are going badly you're the first person to be taken off.
"Unless you're an Ollie Murphy who scores goals from half chances you're always in danger of being taken off.
On the wing there's more freedom. If things are going badly you can head for the backs and see if you can get your hands on the ball back there and at least be seen to play."
Can you explain the Kerry match?
"No. I haven't watched the video because it would be of no benefit to watch it. In the first 10 minutes I was concerned but after that it was just one-way traffic. We're trying to put it to the back of our minds because it was just one of those things.
"If we'd kicked a point in the last minute to pull it out of the fire, it would have been different. The euphoria might have got to us. But as it happened, you can't analyse it.
Was it Meath's best display this year?
"The best team performance was the second day against Westmeath. We knew we'd got out of jail the day before and everyone looked after their own corner; we'd three wides in the whole game. They tried and tried and couldn't break us down. It was our best performance."
Do you get used to All-Ireland finals?
"I was involved in '96 when I was 21 and probably got a bit carried away by the build-up. At this stage we have the experience of having had two goes at it and that makes a difference.
"At the end of the day it's only a game of football. People get carried away because it's an All-Ireland final but this is our seventh game at Croke Park this year and it's no different. Seventy minutes of football. That's all I worry about."
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