Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Trevor Giles.Ryan Byrne/INPHO FreeTricky Trev 'I am just delighted that Meath are going well' - Trevor Giles on Meath pride restored Royals legend delighted at the progress of his county after having been selector for heavy defeats of 2024. 8.01pm, 9 Jul 2025 Share options LAST YEAR, HE was there on the sideline for Meath, that familiar lean figure and rakish public-school hair. Trevor Giles had to stand there as Meath selector in Colm O’Rourke’s backroom, watching on as they were shot down by Dublin with a 16-point margin in the Leinster quarter-final. It got even worse in the group stages as they fell to Louth by 10 points, Kerry by 15 and then Monaghan by three. When invited to relive those horrors, the Skryne man instead surprises you. “I was involved last year with Colm I have to say, a very enjoyable year,” he states. “Now, it would be an awful lot more enjoyable when you are winning the big games and lifting the odd trophy. But I have to say I really enjoyed last year. “There’s been a number of reasons for the change this year. For me, I am just delighted that Meath are going well. That’s the main thing. Advertisement “Great credit to Robbie (Brennan) as manager and Conor Gillespie, a great player for Meath and had to finish earlier than he would have liked. And to Shane Supple the goalkeeper coach.” While he did enjoy it, the sheer amount of man hours and preparation that went into last season did vary from the last time he was in as selector with Mick O’Dowd, over a decade ago. “Big changes in ten years. Much more time spent on your own kickout and the opposition kickout,” he begins. “Width and depth and penetration and circulating the ball and players. Just a new language altogether. “There is a bigger emphasis on the tactical side of things, but still when you are not working hard or playing with a certain level of physicality, when you are not tackling really well, the tactical stuff is useless.” He adds, “It’s just marrying that with the tactical stuff. Intercounty management is a tough job. You have to put together a backroom team of 20 people who are excellent in their field. And it’s a bonus of they are Meath people and interested in the game. “Those are the things you need to put together. Not everybody would be interested but it is enjoyable to be working with those players.” Resilience doesn’t happen without setbacks, and Giles understands that the travails of 2024 may have gone some way to shaping the young men in the Meath jersey. “Last year may have helped the lads. What they went through last year and the year before helped this year,” he says. “The new rules as well, we always struggled against the northern teams with their defensive set-ups. Meath have struggled. “We weren’t good on opposition kickouts, they would get a kickout away and suddenly you are chasing for three minutes. Jordan Morris.Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO “Jordan Morris was injured all of last year and is playing great this year. Matthew Costello is playing great this year. You know, just getting better and going through the years. “A little bit of good fortune to get Dublin in Portlaoise on a windy day and enjoy the breeze in the first half and we capitalised. And they are a completely different team once they got over Dublin. “It’s a tough station when things are going bad and you are not getting results. Just delighted to see Meath going well.” And how. This Sunday, there is a Cemetery Sunday in Skryne and an outdoor Mass where people can spend some time by their family graveside, before making a pilgrimage to Croke Park. There’s an 80-seater double-decker bus and it’s completely jammers. “Sunday is a huge event, there is probably a big exodus around the county,” he says. “All the teenagers want Hill 16 tickets. They don’t want to go to the stand. Stand tickets are a tenner, Hill 16 tickets are €40, but they want to go on Hill 16 because that is where their friends are and that’s where the craic will be. Kids in Meath growing up in the last 20 years haven’t had those days out.” Among the platitudes thrown at Robbie Brennan is the freedom of expression he allows his players. He is helped to no end by the new rules in that regard, but it has all found favour with the watching Meath public. Related Reads ‘I couldn’t miss out’ - Meath star battles back from serious leg injury Here's this week's GAA inter-county schedule and TV coverage Mayo GAA apologise to McStay over statement, U20 and minor managers step down “That is what you want to hear, a coach telling a player you’re a good player, have a go, you are capable of scoring it,” Giles says. “Until this year, there wasn’t a huge reward for trying a risky shot from far out because you only get a one pointer, but there is a massive reward for getting the two-pointer, we know all about that. Once you get a couple of those, you get a bit more license to keep trying them. “Jordan Morris was brilliant the last day. You could argue he is as skilful with the ball as any other player in the country. There is going to be space there. There is going to be opportunities. “He is going to need some of the other lads to carry a little bit more of the load on Sunday. When you hear coaches say you can’t shoot from here or only this player can shoot, that is not fun for anyone playing. Fair play to Robbie, he is always positive and in good humour.” Former Meath footballer Trevor Giles, pictured today for AIB ahead of GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final between Donegal and Meath this Sunday, July 13th at 4:00pm. Unprecedented surprises and high-octane action have defined a historic season which has proven to be #TheToughest to call, with the race for silverware still wide open. AIB have also added an extra layer of excitement as the season nears an end with the return of the Volunteer VIP competition for the third time. The competition launched on Monday, July 7th and is open until Sunday, July 20th. Declan Bogue Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'I am just delighted that Meath are going well' - Trevor Giles on Meath pride restored”. 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