Meath Vs Dublin, 7th June 2009

[thejuice]

Well I for one just cant wait 8 weeks for the Championship to begin, let alone wait for this game so time to stick up a thread  about it.

I can honestly say since the draw was made, this game has crossed my mind every single day at least once and as it draws closer I begin to think about it more and more.
Not just thinking about the up coming game but also reflecting on the history and rivalry between the teams.
Recounting since the games mid-80's when this fixture began to take on a life of its own and its out-come had seismic effects on the outcome of the championship as both teams were expected be
never to far away from lifting Sam. Perhaps it no longer holds that weight anymore but its still a key fixture in Leinster and one that both sets of players and supporters relish.

The power has shifted over the years, with Meath wrestling the number 1 spot from the Dubs in '86 and firmly held it till '92 with men that became household names such as O'Rourke, Beggy, Hayes, Lyons and O'Connell ,most memorably the 4 game saga.

The Dubs then lead the charge for Leinster till '95 landing Sam that year with the help of Jayo, Charlie and Barr. At one stage handing us a drubbing of 10 points which spelt the end for
many of the veterns on the team.

'96 we took it back with a new generation of players, Geraghty, Giles, Fay, O'Reilly, McDermott mixed with veterns like Coyle and Martin O'Connell and held sway over the Dubs till 2002, landing Sam twice, 96 and 99.

Then the Jacks lead by Tommy Lyons on the line and on the field by Cosgrove, Christie, Brogan Whelan, and they have had the final say since. We came close in 2005 and pushed them to a replay in 2007.



So to 2009.

It has been confirmed today that Shane O'Rourke sadly wont play any part due to persistant hamstring injuries.
The sages on Hoganstand.com's Meath page have saved Eamonn O'Brien the worry of picking a team and have named the team they think should line out on June 7th:

1 Patrick O'Rourke

2 Cormac MacGill
3 Kevin Reilly
4 Eoin Harrington

5 Seamus Kenny
6 Anthony Moyles
7 Caomhian King

8 Mark Ward
9 Nigel Crawford

10 Peader Byrne
11 Cian Ward
12 David Bray

13 Stephen Bray
14 Joe Sheridan
15 Brian Farrell

Though I think its likley we might still see Moyles in at full back and Reilly in HB. Kenny has been a great workhorse this year and Byrne will share that load.
Brian Meade should feature in the line-up probably instead of David Bray unless Bray the younger can recover from injury and reclaim a spot in the mean time.

Our biggest concern is getting our forwards fit and playing at match intensity. Brian Farrell seems to be still struggling, Joe hasnt been playing much over the league,
Stephen Bray hasnt quite got back to the form he showed in 07. Cian Ward seems to be the main man during the league bagging most of the scores.
King, you have to commend him, he did well for a man playing out of position for much of the league but it will be good to get him back in the half back line.

[Gnevin]

Can't wait . Should be two wins for the Super Dubs on the day .

[The Real Laoislad]

Can't wait . Should be two wins for the Super Dubs on the day .

And so it starts......

[Jinxy]

The thoughts of Reilly at full back in the wide open spaces of Croke Park gives me shudders.
If Alan Nestor is fit and in the squad he definitely should be ahead David Bray in the pecking order.
I might re-jig the half forward line, with Ward going in at corner forward and Meade starting at centre forward.
I'd keep Joe on the bench and I'd put Farrell in at full forward where he murdered Paddy Christie in 2005.

[Gnevin]

Can't wait . Should be two wins for the Super Dubs on the day .

And so it starts......

No need to be jealous just because we better at Football and  now Hurling too 

[longrunsthefox]

I have to say the atmosphere at the Dublin-Meath championship clashes I've been at in Croke Park down the yaers have been 0abrilliant. The place rocks-no quarter given and all that -fantastic rivalry.A few of us intend going down and added interest for us with Antrim hurlers on same bill tho the Dubs really seem to have progressed under Daly.. too much I think for the Saffrons.   

[Hardy]

Good man Juice. The Championship starts here.

Bad news about Shane O'Rourke.

It's very hard to know what to expect of this latest version of Meath. Probably the safest conclusion is 'not too much'. I find it hard to make sense of the team selections in the league and hard to decide either what was being attempted or what, if anything, has been achieved. I know many of the strange selections were forced by injuries, but Caoimhín King at full forward? There were games we played with only two recognised forwards.

I have no way of figuring out the management team's ideas or intentions, as I can see no pattern in their decisions. The best I can conclude is that they're going for a Tyrone-like system that relies on a mobile defence, with most of the team getting "behind the ball" (excuse the cliché), but relying on only two or three specialist score-takers to do the finishing. How else do you explain so many defenders nominated in the forward line, with Joe Sheridan on the bench?

It might work, if that's the idea. If it is the idea, we won't be seeing Sheridan, two Brays, Farrell and Ward on the team together. It must be said that a lot of it seemed to be working as the league went on. The defence has performed well and the midfield has been better than at any time in the last five years (though it's hard to see how this had anything to do with management or tactics - it seems to be all about Ward playing well and Crawford having a surprising return to form).  But the forwards haven't delivered and maybe that's not surprising when there are often only two of them on the team. That's in as much as you can judge these things in the phony war of the league.

I too would have sleepless nights about Reilly at full back. I thought he was the successor to Darren Fay at one stage, until I saw him getting a bad runaround by a Cavan full forward of no great shakes in the qualifiers a few years ago. He's a fine player, but, for me, a third midfielder. 

I'd have Moyles at CHB and nowhere else on the simple basis that it has been our problem position for a decade - except when Moyles plays there. Put him there and be done with it. That leaves the full back problem to be soved. But we have eight weeks to talk about that.

It's hard to be optimistic about this game, given the relative rankings of the two teams at present. But this is Meath-Dublin. Anything can happen and usually does.

[INDIANA]

Will you give over lads- you're playing a Dublin team that narrowly avoided relegation and were hockeyed by Tyrone last year . You're not playing Kerry.
Dublin and meath will be tight- always is regardless of how well one team is going over the other.

[Declan]

Dublin and Meath will be tight- always is regardless of how well one team is going over the other.

Correct - 1995 was an aberration really when you look at the history. We've had the bragging rights for the last few years and at this stage I think we may just squeeze a win but nothing more

[Canalman]

Will go in primarily to support the hurlers. Important for us to get to Leinster Final , if only to avoid some real dangerous teams early on in the qualifiers. Having said that a defeat to Meath/ W/Meath or presumably Kildare would not be the end of the world. A trip (or hopefully a few trips )down the country might galvanize the team.
Would also imo be a disgraceful tag for the present crop of Dublin footballers ( a sound bunch by the way) to win 5 Leinsters and no Sam. They don't deserve that.

Early enough days, but I like the look of the way Whelan/Gilroy are moulding the team........ imo some comfort zones have been thrown out the window.

If we are to do well this year, imo Keaney has to play to his potential and O'Sullivan has to start. We also imo need the introduction of one or two toerags into the team.

[Jinxy]

Will go in primarily to support the hurlers. Important for us to get to Leinster Final , if only to avoid some real dangerous teams early on in the qualifiers. Having said that a defeat to Meath/ W/Meath or presumably Kildare would not be the end of the world. A trip (or hopefully a few trips )down the country might galvanize the team.
Would also imo be a disgraceful tag for the present crop of Dublin footballers ( a sound bunch by the way) to win 5 Leinsters and no Sam. They don't deserve that.

Early enough days, but I like the look of the way Whelan/Gilroy are moulding the team........ imo some comfort zones have been thrown out the window.

If we are to do well this year, imo Keaney has to play to his potential and O'Sullivan has to start. We also imo need the introduction of one or two toerags into the team.

Ye can only carry so many. 

[The Real Laoislad]

Will go in primarily to support the hurlers. Important for us to get to Leinster Final , if only to avoid some real dangerous teams early on in the qualifiers. Having said that a defeat to Meath/ W/Meath or presumably Kildare would not be the end of the world. A trip (or hopefully a few trips )down the country might galvanize the team.
Would also imo be a disgraceful tag for the present crop of Dublin footballers ( a sound bunch by the way) to win 5 Leinsters and no Sam. They don't deserve that.

Early enough days, but I like the look of the way Whelan/Gilroy are moulding the team........ imo some comfort zones have been thrown out the window.

If we are to do well this year, imo Keaney has to play to his potential and O'Sullivan has to start. We also imo need the introduction of one or two toerags into the team.

Should be easy enough find a few of them around Dublin...

[Canalman]

Was going to add an addendum to my earlier post about smart alec replies.... but forgot. Needless to say the usual suspects have come up trumps again.
I will say it again the Dublin team in the  last few years has a soft core which saddens me to say really cost us un the heat of Championship battle. I fear that the drift of the GAA to the suburbs/ middle classes in Dublin may be the cause of it and may be a permanent facet of our teams.

Crokes and St Vincents are 2 exceptions though and give me some hope for the future.

Very few teams ( if any) win AIs without at least a toerag or two on the team. In Tyrone and Kerry's cases these toerags are also good footballers..... hence imo their success.

[thejuice]

Not sure if toe-rags are really nessesary for winning A-I's. I mean we never had them   .

As I said in another thread, we have developed into a team that will probably be hard to beat but most top teams probably would still beat us. For all the possession we had in league games we got a poor return on the scoreboard. I think we have a decent chance of racking up some scores against this Dublin full back-line which is why we really need to geto ur forwards fit and playing to their potential. Sadly we ran out of competitive games now. I dont know if being extra defensive is going to help unless we have forwards who can win ball in isolation.

[Jinxy]

Yeah, playing with 2 defensive wing forwards will only get you so far.
I think we are on the right track but the system needs a bit of refining and it needs our best players fit and available. Peadar coming in at wing forward will help as he has plenty of speed to pose both an attacking threat and provide defensive cover. I don't know if or where McAnerney would fit into my championship team. He's good cover for wing forward/wing back but he doesn't do enough in attack to merit a start in the forward line for me.
Lads how would we feel about McGuinness at centre back?