Not since 1995 has Jim Gavin been so tangled up in Meath. The difference now is the Dublin manager is trying to sell the old rivalry ahead of Sunday’s Leinster football final, unlike the final Gavin played in 18 years ago, when all that kind of talk took care of itself.
Dublin come to Croke Park having won three of their last four championship meetings with the Royals, including last year’s provincial final, and the bookmakers agree they only have to show up to claim their eighth title in nine seasons.
“Well I still think that tradition is there,” said Gavin. “Yes, it might have been stronger in the 1990s, but anytime we have come across Meath in recent times there has been a cut to the game.
“Both teams have good form, league and championship, both of us have got big scores in their opening games, and similar enough styles of play, physical defences and competitive midfield and very good forwards – so both sides will feel they have a chance to win.
“With the whole social demographic situation as well, there is a big Dublin community that has moved across the border into Meath, so I think there is still that sense of a local derby between Meath and Dublin.”
It is only three years since Meath stunned Dublin in the Leinster semi-final, winning 5-9 to Dublin's 0-13 – and Gavin was also at the receiving end of a Meath defeat when in charge of the Dublin under-21s, in 2011. Sunday marks their 60th championship meeting; Dublin winning 32 to Meath's 19, with eight draws.
'Unpredictable'
"To me, the Dublin-Meath games have always been competitive in the championship, and 2010 is an example of that. Games are still very unpredictable. But as a manager, and, as players, we're not looking back at what happened in the past. That is completely outside of our control. All we've been doing is preparing for this Meath team."
Gavin, however, can’t completely avoid the past: Dublin fairly destroyed Meath in the 1995 final, 1-18 to 1-8, Gavin playing at left-half forward, Paul Clarke providing the goal, and a 19-year-old named Jason Sherlock a new hero for Hill 16, and maintained that momentum to win the All-Ireland. It still ranks as one of Dublin’s best Leinster final performances against their old rivals.
“It was a good performance,” Gavin conceded, “but then the next year they beat us, and went on to win the All-Ireland final.”
Meath actually have the edge in recent Leinster finals, winning three (2001, 1999, and 1996) of the last five, Dublin’s win over Meath last year their first final win since 1995.
That 2012 final was a lot closer than expected, too, as Meath closed it to down to a goal, after outscoring Dublin 1-6 to 0-2 in the final quarter.
Properly tested
Still all current form points strongly towards Dublin, even if their 16-point wins over both Westmeath and then Kildare suggest they haven't yet been properly tested.
“Well, I think if you asked any of the Dublin players at half-time against Kildare they would have said they were (tested). I think it was a big test. And if you were in both dressingrooms afterwards, both sets of players were fatigued from a big game given from both sides.
“I think if you let either of those teams play football, and they had shown potential what they could do, both Westmeath and Kildare, they could have got a run at us, and it would have been a completely different score at the end of the game. The players had a job to do and they did it well so we move on to the next game.
“I think the players showed good application in both games but there still is room for improvement, and that’s not to be glib about it. It’s just a fact from the players’ perspective. We still haven’t been consistent for the full 70 minutes. And this team haven’t won anything yet.”
