Meath midfield stalwart Bryan Menton will make a landmark 150th senior appearance for the county against Offaly tonight.
Meath take on the Faithful in the Dioralyte O'Byrne Cup Cup quarter-finals at Gracefields this evening, and having made his championship debut in 2011 and stepping away from the inter-county game after the 2022 season due to burnout, this landmark is one Menton most likely never imagined he would see.
But after being recalled to the squad by manager Robbie Brennan last year, the road reopened again for Menton – 15 years after he first lined out for the county.
He immediately eked out a place as a starting midfielder, helping Meath secure a significant Championship win against Dublin and reach the Leinster final in 2025.
The 34-year-old Donaghmore-Ashbourne man started every game last season and also finally got a championship win over Dublin when they came out on top in last year’s Leinster fixture at Portlaoise.
His return quickly added steel and experience to the county’s youthful ranks.
An excellent and accurate long-range kicker, he fired an important goal against Kerry in their All-Ireland series win over the Kingdom.
This came on the back of his Leinster display against the Dubs when he ruled the roost at midfield and punished the Dublin kick-out time and again.
His loss, through injury, in the All-Ireland semi-final loss to Donegal after just 20 minutes coincided with Donegal exerting control around the middle third.
Tonight’s Meath lineup also features the Curraha pairing of James McEntee and Jack O’Connor who come back into the side, with O’Connor making a return to the panel following a year travelling in Australia.
Billy Hogan, Ciarán McCarrick, Bryan Menton, Cillian O’Sullivan and Darragh Campion are others who come back into the side from the team that played Wicklow at the weekend.
In that fixture Daithí McGowan lined out at wing forward in Aughrim but will tonight move out to midfield to partner the long-serving Menton on the occasion of his landmark appearance – just three years after it seemed his intercounty days were behind him.
