Meath Forum

Regional Championship

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Replying To Cabbagepatch1667:  "The structure is all wrong, lads in the 30s really shouldn't be involved in it It should be an Under 25 or 26 competition, giving younger players a chance to impress or maybe unearth someone like Sean Rafferty who might have been a late developer.

You don't really get a whole lot out of playing the older lads other than filling numbers. And there seems to be a lo to that going on, lack of a buy in from some clubs who have just had a long year and don't want to play.

It has a lot of potential, but the coverage and marketing behind the whole thing is really poor. There's very little information on panels, management etc.."
Is the whole point of Regional Teams not to have the best players from each Club on said team? Excluding lads over a certain age is bringing in a cohort of lads purely on their age and not merit/ability, and reducing the standard. The Kerry system has the best players playing against the Senior Clubs. Surely a similar setup could be employed here, which would probably contribute to a greater buy in from players. Currently they are predominantly playing against the same lads as they have played all year. The secondary function of the regional competition right now is to unearth lads for the County team, diluting the standard through restrictions on age will contradict that.

loyalroyal13 (Meath) - Posts: 31 - 05/11/2025 20:47:21    2643206

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Going by last nights game don't really know what's the point to this. It should be limited to players under 25 and just 4 teams. There were lads there last night in their mid to late 30s and other lads who struggle to get on their own club teams.

Rickoshay (Meath) - Posts: 49 - 06/11/2025 08:42:24    2643226

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A number of things are wrong with the Regionals ..

1) The age profile - however this can't be put on the players. I'm sure a lot of lads, once asked would be happy to play so they just get on with it. I also don't think a small scattering of slightly older lads is too bad....it can again bring younger lads on.

2) The county board wanted some sort of instant results from this - things like this take time to see results. This is so evident in the lack of respect towards it this year - no marketing, team sheets, no umpires, no linesmen, no in game promotion etc etc

3) There must be a carrot at the end for a winning side - this will end in late November, surely....the winning side could be included in the Feis Cup. It doesn't have to be a dramatic jump of including all 8 regions - but only one.....or what about a season opener, like the 'Community Shield' - winners of regionals play the senior champions. It becomes a big annual game, new trophy, branded and marketed well.

The simple fact about this competition is that it is there to improve Meath football overall - the county board of massively dropped the ball.

TheGreenScene (Meath) - Posts: 1 - 06/11/2025 11:33:09    2643246

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Replying To TheGreenScene:  "A number of things are wrong with the Regionals ..

1) The age profile - however this can't be put on the players. I'm sure a lot of lads, once asked would be happy to play so they just get on with it. I also don't think a small scattering of slightly older lads is too bad....it can again bring younger lads on.

2) The county board wanted some sort of instant results from this - things like this take time to see results. This is so evident in the lack of respect towards it this year - no marketing, team sheets, no umpires, no linesmen, no in game promotion etc etc

3) There must be a carrot at the end for a winning side - this will end in late November, surely....the winning side could be included in the Feis Cup. It doesn't have to be a dramatic jump of including all 8 regions - but only one.....or what about a season opener, like the 'Community Shield' - winners of regionals play the senior champions. It becomes a big annual game, new trophy, branded and marketed well.

The simple fact about this competition is that it is there to improve Meath football overall - the county board of massively dropped the ball."
The winning side in the Feis Cup is, in my opinion, a terrible idea. Those players will be wanted by their own teams, managers will be looking to implement ideas from the start of the season and try out new things in pre-season competition in their own right. What do you think players will choose to play for Boyne Valley FC over their own club? A couple of years ago, I believe they played a meat development team.

Meathfootball12 (Meath) - Posts: 21 - 07/11/2025 22:03:21    2643442

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Last four in. Good luck to them all...last years champs BNB bottomed out but on a positive note i thought Clarke and Brennan did very well together. Pity we had so much injury especially the Pats lads, Landy only for the first match and Brennan only coming back for the last game thst was big pity and then Myland gone for the last. It was a real shame. Navan for the semis sure i might tip over you never know.

Holymoly#6 (Meath) - Posts: 35 - 10/11/2025 11:01:32    2643819

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Replying To Holymoly#6:  "Last four in. Good luck to them all...last years champs BNB bottomed out but on a positive note i thought Clarke and Brennan did very well together. Pity we had so much injury especially the Pats lads, Landy only for the first match and Brennan only coming back for the last game thst was big pity and then Myland gone for the last. It was a real shame. Navan for the semis sure i might tip over you never know."
I was over at this one myself and I do agree that BNB did look more comfortable defensively with Brennan in there, he didn't do anything spectacular like we have seen in the championship this year but was just solid all round, he did break through fantastically at one point in second half, so that'll be a positive for Pats and good to see him back from injury, but Clarke is a class bit of stuff has been brilliant throughout for BNB, and young O'Brien from Ard Cath deserves a lot of praise also a lot of good stuff from BNB the weekend came from Clarke and O'Brien.

paddyfong (Meath) - Posts: 4 - 10/11/2025 12:48:29    2643836

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The Regional Championship this year has been nothing short of a disgrace. No coverage, no team sheets. Club team managers involved with regional sides along with players from the same clubs is not a good look. The Blackwater regional team wouldn't have made it out of an intermediate group this year. The competition is finished in its current form and needs to change.

Head4TheBlackSpot (Meath) - Posts: 42 - 11/11/2025 18:56:49    2644050

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Replying To Head4TheBlackSpot:  "The Regional Championship this year has been nothing short of a disgrace. No coverage, no team sheets. Club team managers involved with regional sides along with players from the same clubs is not a good look. The Blackwater regional team wouldn't have made it out of an intermediate group this year. The competition is finished in its current form and needs to change."
You're absolutely spot on but Blackwater along with almost all the other regions do NOT have the best players available for selection playing. Why? It's simply not appealing, lads have had a long year of competitive football and a tough championship campaign. The appeal factor is not there for lads to keep going for another 7/8 weeks. You achieve nothing except playing against lads you already played against this year in a pointless competition with nothing to take from it. There are lads playing this competition who wouldn't even get a kick on a second team, it takes away the point of the competition. Robbie Brennan and Co are not going to these games to pick out lads, they simply can't. It needs to made appealing to players to want to play, I say make it 4 teams, North, South, East, West and either play a competition that way or put it in with the feis cup. It also needs to be restricted to first team players only and Under the age of 27/28? Realistically anything after that is not getting a look in with Meath at that stage unless shining with their club all year. Managers too need to be addressed and assigned in advance. It should be a pre season tournament to get lads interested in football early in the year and then after jt they go their separate ways back to clubs, fit, in good shape and pre season football in the tank to a good standard. Just my opinion

SillySimonsOpinion (Meath) - Posts: 82 - 11/11/2025 22:43:32    2644084

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Replying To SillySimonsOpinion:  "You're absolutely spot on but Blackwater along with almost all the other regions do NOT have the best players available for selection playing. Why? It's simply not appealing, lads have had a long year of competitive football and a tough championship campaign. The appeal factor is not there for lads to keep going for another 7/8 weeks. You achieve nothing except playing against lads you already played against this year in a pointless competition with nothing to take from it. There are lads playing this competition who wouldn't even get a kick on a second team, it takes away the point of the competition. Robbie Brennan and Co are not going to these games to pick out lads, they simply can't. It needs to made appealing to players to want to play, I say make it 4 teams, North, South, East, West and either play a competition that way or put it in with the feis cup. It also needs to be restricted to first team players only and Under the age of 27/28? Realistically anything after that is not getting a look in with Meath at that stage unless shining with their club all year. Managers too need to be addressed and assigned in advance. It should be a pre season tournament to get lads interested in football early in the year and then after jt they go their separate ways back to clubs, fit, in good shape and pre season football in the tank to a good standard. Just my opinion"
Robbie Brennan definitely hinted at a change in structure on the wearemeath interview, getting senior clubs involved, bringing them into the Feis Cup - but this year the regionals seem to be a complete mess and just thrown together.

Cabbagepatch1667 (Meath) - Posts: 101 - 12/11/2025 11:11:49    2644135

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The only good two teams are every year are Boyne Valley and Loughcrew , anyone thinks different has there head in the sand in Bettystown

Head4TheBlackSpot (Meath) - Posts: 42 - 12/11/2025 16:14:00    2644196

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Replying To Head4TheBlackSpot:  "The only good two teams are every year are Boyne Valley and Loughcrew , anyone thinks different has there head in the sand in Bettystown"
Ah cmon now the men that represent Tara seem to mingle well and it shows on the pitch and men from ardbraccan who have rich tradition in the competition also perform very admirably year in year out.

Meathboyos86 (Meath) - Posts: 86 - 12/11/2025 17:00:15    2644203

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