How will Tyrone and Meath reflect on their 2025 seasons?
Tyrone
A first All-Ireland semi-final since their 2021 Sam Maguire triumph ended in a bruising defeat to Kerry. The signs were creeping in before Mattie Donnelly knocked over a point at the half-time buzzer to bring the gap back to three. They could have been trailing by much more had Kerry been more efficient with their goal chances.
Darragh Canavan’s four points — including a two-pointer — in the early stages of the second half kept Tyrone in the hunt, but Kerry went on to outscore them 0-9 to 0-4. After smoking out Dublin with the stronger finish in the All-Ireland quarter-final, Tyrone ended up with a second-half fadeout to exit the championship.
Michael McKernan was a major absentee from their defence due to injury, and although he was declared fit for Kerry, his second-half introduction did little to affect the outcome. Tyrone’s attacking force failed to fire too. Canavan scored 0-7, while their half-forward line of Seánie O’Donnell, Donnelly and Ciarán Daly combined for 0-6. But four of their six starting forwards were taken off, including the normally lively Darren McCurry who was well marshalled by Jason Foley.
Malachy O’Rourke’s first season as Tyrone boss started with relegation from Division 1 for the first time since 2016. Three losses in a row to Armagh, Mayo and Kerry put them in drop zone territory and subsequent wins over Donegal and Dublin were not enough to rescue them from playing Division 2 football for 2026.
Their search for a first Ulster title since 2021 goes on after a thrilling Ulster semi-final defeat to Armagh which was settled by a Rory Grugan free at the buzzer. They recovered from that defeat to win Group 1 in the All-Ireland series and take the direct route to the All-Ireland quarter-final. Leading Dublin by just one with five minutes to go, they reeled off the last six points of the game to win by 0-23 to 0-16.
Tyrone have enjoyed a hugely successful year at underage level, claiming back-to-back All-Ireland U20 titles — three in total since 2022 — as well as the minor crown. Eoin McHolm, who made his first senior championship start in the semi-final against Kerry, hit 2-4 for the U20s in their 5-16 to 0-17 All-Ireland final win over Louth.
Emerging star Joel Kerr was unavailable Tyrone’s first All-Ireland minor victory since 2010 as he is contracted with West Ham United. But the Red Hands still prevailed by one point against Kerry.
Another positive for Tyrone to reflect on this year is Errigal Ciarán reaching a first All-Ireland senior club final where they were held off by Dublin’s Cuala.
Meath
It was also a year of firsts for Meath as they ended a 16-year wait for an All-Ireland semi-final appearance. Under new manager Robbie Brennan, Meath ended Dublin’s dominance in the Leinster championship while also enjoying major victories against Kerry and Galway in the All-Ireland series. Three high-stakes wins is a major green tick.
Similar to Tyrone, though, they lacked the firepower to keep pace with Donegal on Sunday. Jim McGuinness’s side scored three goals but left a lot of green flags behind in a 20-point victory. The sharpness and efficiency that characterised Meath’s win over Galway eluded them this time in Croke Park. They were also guilty of some wayward shooting, while the loss of influential midfielder Bryan Mention to injury ultimately paved the way for a Donegal massacre.
Missing out on promotion to Division 1 was a blow for Meath in 2025. They were on the brink of reaching the top tier before losing out to a Louth side who preserved their Division 2 status with a 1-19 to 0-17 win in March. Ace forward Jordan Morris also suffered what looked like a season-ending injury that day. The following month brought another setback as Joe McMahon and Martin Corey stepped away from the backroom team just over a week before the start of their Leinster championship.
Brennan steered Meath through that rocky patch to reach the Leinster final, while Morris managed to come back from a fractured tibia along with Grade 2 tears of the ACL and PCL in just six weeks.
Meath’s Leinster semi-final victory over Dublin shook the GAA world, ending a 15-year stranglehold on the province. It was a particularly striking result as they were 10 points down at half-time against Offaly in the quarter-final before eventually winning by seven.
The provincial decider against Louth was a repeat of the controversial 2010 final. And while it was somewhat fitting that the Wee County avenged those ghosts with a famous win, it was another disappointing result for Meath. A Matthew Costello goal in the 62nd minute edged Meath ahead by one point and appeared to be the turning point in the game. But they failed to build on that momentum and conceded a free outside the arc which Sam Mulroy converted to move the dial again.
But as Louth toasted a first Leinster success in 68 years, they struggled through the All-Ireland series while Meath regenerated to win their group. They claimed the All-Ireland quarter-final spot with a 1-22 to 0-16 upset win over Kerry. The Kingdom were within two points by the 50th minute, but Meath’s composure secured another big win for Brennan’s resolute crew.
Last year’s All-Ireland finalists Galway were considered the favourites for that quarter-final meeting, but Meath would not be conquered. A quickfire 2-3 in five minutes put the Tribesmen two clear in the final 10 minutes but Morris struck back with a goal to quench the Galway revival and spark the Meath celebrations.
That score helped bring Morris’s tally to 1-6 to cap off a remarkable comeback from injury and put himself in All-Star contention. Bryan Menton, Eoghan Frayne and Seán Rafferty have put themselves in that conversation too.
And while Donegal proved to be a step too far, Meath will reflect on 2025 with much fondness.
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