Meath dominate Tailteann Cup Team of the Year while some big hitters miss out

Lee Costello

Meath take up eight spots on the team.

Meath have dominated the Tailteann Cup Team of the Year while some big hitters from other counties have missed out, failing to find a space in the 15 spots available.

Colm O’Rourke’s Meath team had a very disappointing campaign in the National League, which was quickly followed by an early exit from the Leinster championship, but they managed to turn their season around.

A lot of credit is owed to O’Rourke who seemed to hand out championship debuts in almost every single game, clearly determined to blood as many new players as he could and give them much needed experience while injecting some youthful exuberance into the squad.

Their performances paid off in the end as they defeated a much fancied Down team in the final, giving The Royals a boost that was badly needed in the county.

Conor Laverty’s Down were disappointing in the final, but their journey to Croke park was very impressive as they steamrolled opposition, most notably Laois, where they managed to score an incredible eight goals in the game.

Like Meath it was young stars who really made the difference in the team, with players like Odhran Murdock and Liam Kerr really standing out this season.

Outside of the two finalists there was only room for one representative in three other counties, Padraig Faulkner from Cavan, Ross Dunphy from Carlow, and Ruairi McCann from Antrim.

Some players will certainly feel a little hard done by, like Paddy Lynch who was moving very well for Cavan, or Adam Loughran who has been a revelation for Antrim under their new manager Andy McEntee.

However, when you look at the performances of Meath stars like Jordan Morris, Matthew Costello, and Jack Flynn, you can see why they occupy the main spots up front.