An Mhí Vs Laoise, An Uaimh, Dé Sathairn, 7th Márta

[thejuice]

Meath desperatley need to win this game. In a recent challenge we just about saw off a Cavan team also in the doldrums. Things certainly do not bode well for the Royal county this year.

Kevin Reilly is definately out, As yet, have heard nothing on the status of Brian Farrell, O'Rourke or Alan Nestor.

How are Laois faring for this game?

[INDIANA]

Saw Laois in the Battle of Saggart last week. Quite impressed with them, whoever the new manager is he knows what he's at. Will be challengers for Leinster this year and I think you'll have your hands full on Sunday.

[Jinxy]

The way we're going at the moment we'd have our hands full if we were playing the Sligo minors.

[thejuice]

Some of what I've heard:

Anthony Moyles is injured,
Barry Regan is injured,
David Bray is injured,

and in a recent friendly against Mayo which I know nothing about, Niall Kelly played midfield and could well be there on Sunday!!

Is Shane O'Rourke still under 21? Will he line out for his Dad against Dublin on Saturday?

[ExiledGael]

Ladbrokes have Meath favourites here, would Laois be worth a punt? They seem to be going well and all doesn't seem well with the Royals.

[The Real Laoislad]

Ladbrokes have Meath favourites here, would Laois be worth a punt? They seem to be going well and all doesn't seem well with the Royals.

Home advantage swinging it for the bookies I'd say,I reckon Laois are well worth a bet

[thejuice]

While I never like to bet against my own county, if I were neutral I'd take that bet in a heartbeat, what are the odds.

[Declan]

and in a recent friendly against Mayo which I know nothing about, Niall Kelly played midfield and could well be there on Sunday!!

Didn't even realise Niall was back on the panel. Still the best kicker of a long ball from hand I've seen

[thejuice]

and in a recent friendly against Mayo which I know nothing about, Niall Kelly played midfield and could well be there on Sunday!!

Didn't even realise Niall was back on the panel. Still the best kicker of a long ball from hand I've seen

Yeah it surprised me too, to see his name mentioned, not sure how reliable that information was, seen no mention of the challenge game in regards scoreline or line-up. Maybe Eamonn has finally realised that Damian Sheridan isnt our best choice at midfield.

[thejuice]

Difficult to be optimistic about Meath footballers
By Fergal Lynch

With each passing week it is becoming increasingly more difficult to be optimistic about Meath's chances of attaining a first win in the 2009 NFL Div 2 campaign.

Next Saturday night at Pairc Tailteann will offer a great opportunity to dispel relegation worries when Laois come to Navan with plenty of hope.

Meath's recent run of poor form is disappointing, but the O'Moore County men are hardly in outstanding form either and may provide the Royal County with their best chance of a home win.

Saturday evening's visitors can be very hit and miss. When they are good they will be a threat to any side, but when they are poor they should be cannon fodder to any side worth their salt. So the question remains, which Laois side will turn up at Pairc Tailteann?

If it is the team that defeated Armagh in their last league outing then Eamonn O'Brien could be staring at a third straight league loss. However, if the drastically awful side that were hammered by Kildare in round one arrive then the future looks better.

It is disappointing that Meath supporters are praying that it is the sub-standard Laois side that shows up because Meath should be confident of beating any team, no matter what form they are in.

A quick glance through the names of the players at O'Brien's disposal should send fear through the veins of all rival managers. On paper Meath have several of the top players in the country in their respective positions, but games are not played on paper.

Meath are blessed with goalkeeping talent. An exciting young prospect in Paddy O'Rourke, the Irish International Rules goalkeeper David Gallagher and even the retired Brendan Murphy can still be considered as one of the top three in the country.

Defensively we should also be sound. Anthony Moyles is regarded as one of the finest athletes playing the game. Kevin Reilly has an outstanding reputation with DCU and others like Niall McKeigue, Caoimhin King and Seamus Kenny would get on every other county side.

However, Reilly is unlikely to be available for Saturday night's game because he still hasn't recovered from a niggling back injury.

Mark Ward, Nigel Crawford, Brian Meade, Damien Sheridan and possibly Moyles are all outstanding options at midfield. In 2007 Ward and Crawford were good enough to drive Meath to an All-Ireland SFC semi-final, so why are the battles being lost now.

The loss of Graham Geraghty from the attack might hint at a lack of creativity or genius, but again 2007 showed the outstanding abilities of Stephen Bray and along with Cian Ward, Brian Farrell, Peadar Byrne, Joe Sheridan and now David Bray, Meath showed be more prolific.

So where has it all gone wrong for O'Brien so far. The tendency to experiment with so many newcomers has led to some problems. And the application of the new disciplinary rules doesn't suit Meath's style, but they need to adapt.

The yellow card picked up by Kevin Reilly in the opening NFL Div 2 game against Cork has been rescinded and that is another example of how difficult it is for the players when the interpretation of the rules varies from referee to referee.

Injuries have also played a key role in selection. Next Saturday Meath are likely to be without Reilly, Brian Farrell, Brian Meade and Damien Sheridan because of injuries and so the manager's experimentation will have to continue.

Many supporters have questioned the attitude of some players, but every time the manager comments he reiterates that the commitment from the players has been outstanding and he can't ask them for any more.

Selector Donal Curtis believes that as performances improve, so too will results, but he is under no illusions that Meath are in a rebuilding phase and it won't change overnight.

"The form is good. We played Cavan and Mayo over the last few days and have had fairly good results in those games so the lads are in decent form.

"I wouldn't say that Saturday's game is a must win encounter. We don't want to start looking at games in that context. We are rebuilding here and we need to see the performances improve, it's not going to happen overnight.

"We must remember that the two teams we have played in the league so far, Cork and Fermanagh, were both in their respective provincial finals last summer. If we had been in a Leinster final then we would be looking at games a lot differently," said Curtis.

Games are often decided by fine margins and runs of form are often hard to break. Aside from the O'Byrne Cup win over Westmeath's second string, Meath have endured poor results against Kildare, Cork and Fermanagh, the trend needs to be bucked.

If Meath can get on a winning streak their confidence will rise and that may be the source of the biggest problem O'Brien faces.

Confidence is very low in Meath football. The supporters need to get behind the team, cheer them on during these difficult days and they need to be reassured that with so much outstanding talent available Meath football will soon be back on its feet again, starting with a win over Laois on Saturday night.

From the Chronicle,

Well if Donal Curtis isnt worried why should I be.

[ExiledGael]

While I never like to bet against my own county, if I were neutral I'd take that bet in a heartbeat, what are the odds.

Laois 5/4 to win.

[Jinxy]

Why do we always have so many players unavailable through injury?
Someone needs to start looking into this seriously.

[thejuice]

LAOIS (SF v Meath) -- M Nolan; P Begley, C Ryan, R Stapleton; P O'Leary, D Rooney, P McMahon; P Clancy, K Meaney; P McNulty, B Sheehan, MJ Tierney; D Brennan, R Munnelly, C Bergin.

LAOIS football manager Sean Dempsey has made five changes for Saturday night's Division 2 clash with Meath in Navan as suspension and injury take their toll on the O'Moore men.

Captain Brian McCormack and vice-captain Brendan Quigley are banned after the red cards they picked up in the win over Armagh last time out while Ger Reddin, Mark Timmons and Noel Garvan are all ruled out through injury.

Fit-again Billy Sheehan has been drafted into the side as have Cathal Ryan, Darren Rooney, Kevin Meaney and MJ Tierney while experienced duo Joe Higgins and Tom Kelly are also on the road to recovery. Higgins could be back in action as soon as early April while Kelly is expected to return in June.

There's hope yet!

No word on the Meath team.

[thejuice]

Here we are now;

1. David Gallagher (Dunboyne)

2. Niall McKeigue (Navan O'Mahonys)
3. Anthony Moyles (Blackhall Gaels)
4. Eoin Harrington (Wolfe Tones)

5. Shane McAnarney (Clann na nGael)
6. Cormac McGuinness (Navan O'Mahonys)
7. Derek Flood (St Michael's)

8. Mark Ward (Navan O'Mahonys)
9. Nigel Crawford (Dunboyne)

10. Seamus Kenny (Simonstown Gaels)
11. Caoimhin King (Dunshaughlin)
12. Brian Meade (Rathkenny)

13. Stephen Bray (Navan O'Mahonys)
14. Shane McKeigue (Navan O'Mahonys)
15. Cian Ward (Wolfe Tones)

Good to see we're starting with a strong Midfield. Joe Sheridan on the bench. Shane McKeigue, I doubt will stay where selected

[Jinxy]

Shane McKeigue looked very promising when he came on the scene originally.
Shame he had such injury problems.
I'd be all for giving him a few games to get back into the swing of things.
McGuinness was a good CB for the u-21's, maybe that's the place for him.