Dublin’s Shock Exit

A huge shock in the world of Gaelic football occurred over the weekend as Dublin were defeated in the Leinster Championship for the first time since 2010. Dublin were 12 points down to Meath at half time, trailing 0-17 to 0-5. They made a flurry in the second half but in the end, Meath were too strong for Dublin, winning by four points on a scoreline of 0-23 to 1-16. The result was a shock to the GAA world and has blown the Leinster Football Championship wide open with the final to be contested between Meath and Louth, who were victorious of Kildare at the weekend. Let’s take a look at how Meath got the job done versus Dublin as well as looking at Dublin’s dominance over the last decade and a half.

Meath Masterclass

For the first time in 15 years, Meath claimed a victory over their neighbours Dublin. Dublin had not lost a fans in the Leinster Championship since 2010, which ironically came against Meath. Dublin have been dominant, and everyone expected this dominance to continue, but they were stunned by a clinical Meath on Sunday last. Meath had a wind assisted first half, but they still had to make the most of it. They did just that leading by 12 points at half time on a scoreline of 0-17 to 0-5. Meath excelled in midfield which allowed them to get a foothold in the game.

They showed the advantages of the new rules that rewards shooting from distance, securing many two pointers to pile the pressure on Dublin. Meath had four two pointers scored by half time and really limited Dublin, who only scored two points in the first half from play. Dublin piled on the pressure in the second, finding the back of the net in the 54th minute to reduce the gap to six. Dublin got within two points of Meath with six minutes to go but Meath managed to hold on to claim an historic and memorable victory for the Royals.

Over A Decade Of Dublin Dominance

Dublin have dominated the Leinster Championship winning every championship between 2011 and 2024. This dominance had to end eventually but many still believed Dublin would be too strong for the other teams in the Leinster Championship this season and would make its 15 Leinster Championship titles in a row. Meath have stopped that from happening with their victory last Sunday, but we must give tremendous credit to Dublin also who have been a joy to watch throughout this decade and a half of dominance in their province.

They have made the Leinster Championship boring and predictable for years but that is through no fault of their own, they were simply miles ahead of the other teams in the province. Dublin have been a class above for many years, but this era of dominance may be coming to an end, and we could be looking ahead to a more tight and unpredictable Leinster Championship for years to come.

Conclusion

Meath will be on cloud nine after their victory in Portlaoise on Sunday. It was a dazzling display by the Royals, dominating the midfield battle and being very impressive in attack, gaining a big lead and managing to hold onto it and win by four points. It has opened up the Leinster championship with Meath and Louth meeting in the Leinster final on May 11th. It will be the first time since 2010 that Dublin will not be in the Leinster final, with the 2010 final ironically being Meath versus Louth also.

Meath were on the winning side that day and Louth will be looking for revenge due to the controversial nature that game ended in with Jason Sherlock throwing the ball over the line but the referee awarding the goal for a win for Meath on scoreline of 1-10 to 0-12. The upcoming Leinster final promises to be an exciting one due to the fact that Dublin will not be contesting it for the first time in 15 years.

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