Cross pair McEntee and Kernan “massive additions” for Down and Meath

By Shaun Casey

ROSSMAGLEN pair Tony McEntee and Aaron Kernan are on the move and former club and county teammate Johnny Murtagh believes that Down and Meath will benefit massively from their expertise.

As exclusively revealed by Gaelic Life, McEntee is making the short trip across the border to take up a role in Conor Laverty’s backroom team while Kernan has linked up with Robbie Brennan and Meath for the 2026 season.

Kernan retired from inter-county action at the end of the 2014 season and finished with player with Crossmaglen in 2023. He was part of McEntee’s Sligo management team this season and worked as the defensive coach. McEntee had unsuccessfully pursued the vacant Mayo position after leaving the Yeats County with Andy Moran instead winning out, meaning the pair moved elsewhere.

Meath reached the All-Ireland semi-final this season but were blown away by Donegal. Still, 2025 was a step in the right direction as they defeated Dublin to reach the Leinster final, where they came up short against Louth.

Brennan had his own issues with the management team as coaches Joe McMahon and Martin Corey stepped away during the league, later linking up with Kilcoo, so Kernan has be included to fill that void.

“I think he’ll be a massive addition to Meath,” said Murtagh. “He’s a great personality around the place, he’s a leader. Cross have definitely missed his leadership skills since he departed the field and that’s plain to be seen the last few years.

“He has a wealth of experience at both club and county level. He’s a multiple All-Ireland winner, a highly decorated county player as well so to bring him into the Meath set-up, it was refreshing to see a Meath team back competing in Croke Park.

“I’ve been very impressed with them. They went through a bit of a roller-coaster early on and it wasn’t easy for them to shuffle things up, but it didn’t bother the management team one bit.

“Robbie has done a serious job, he’s a top-quality coach and he’s proved that everywhere he has been, especially with Kilmacud Croke’s so he knows what he’s looking for and Aaron is a massive addition.

“Meath are hungry again and they really want to get to the top. They have an exciting young team coming through, they’re very strong, they’re pace and bringing in Aaron who has so much experience of playing under pressure, it’ll be massive.”

On McEntee, who Murtagh soldiered with for years in the black and amber, Down are going to move to a whole new level as a result of his addition.

“Conor has done a really good job in Down, they’re an exciting young team coming through and they are going to go to a whole new level with Tony McEntee there,” Murtagh added. “Tony is a serious operator and he’s the sort of guy that Down will get a serious kick out of.

“His ability to call players out and the way he does it is second to none. I think he can really get a serious note, along with Conor Laverty, out of Down. He is a serious appointment for Laverty, to have a man of that calibre in there.

“He showed with Sligo, the way he improved them just shows the quality that he has, and I couldn’t speak highly enough of Tony, I think he’s one of the best around.”