Meath vs Kildare 1st July 12 Croke Park

[Dinny Breen]

Never seen the Meath crowd so quiet before a match, that has me worried.

[Hardy]

Never seen the Meath crowd so quiet before a match, that has me worried.

[thejuice]

I suppose there's not much to say other than hurl some abuse.

I am just deeply disturbed by Kildare folks and their fixation with strapping midgets to wild animals and making them jump over fences all under the guise of sport. This sort of bushman spectacle would shame the baloobas.

[Donnellys Hollow]

1. Shane Connolly   (Naomh Lorcan)
2. Hugh McGrillen   (Cill Droichid)
3. Mick Foley   (Áth Í)
4. Peter Kelly   (Teach Dhá Mhíle)
5. Eoin Doyle   (Nás na Ríogh)
6. Morgan O'Flaherty   (Cairbre)
7. Ollie Lyons   (Cill Droichid)
8. Emmet Bolton   (Baile Éide)
9. Rob Kelly   (Teach Srafáin)
10. James Kavanagh   (Baile Mór)
11. Mikey Conway   (An Urnaí)
12. Pádraig O'Neill   (Naomh Lorcan)
13. Johnny Doyle   (Fiodh Alúine)
14. Tomás O'Connor   (Claonadh)
15. Eoghan O'Flaherty   (Cairbre)

I would expect a few changes to that team before the throw in as is the norm with Kildare these days.

[heffo]

Bolton to wing back to pick up Reilly I'd imagine.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Bolton to wing back to pick up Reilly I'd imagine.

I'd assume so. Either that or McGrillen will go out and track him like he did against Cavanagh in the league final. Daryl Flynn will start if anyway fit - hard to believe a Kildare team would start without Newbridge representation for two successive games! It would be great if Callaghan can play some part. Even against Offaly his ball winning ability and link play was missed around the middle.

[Declan]

Never seen the Meath crowd so quiet before a match, that has me worried.

Well Dinny the locals are only worried about keeping the score down to a respectable level.

[Jinxy]

I forgot all about this match.

[Dinny Breen]

Never seen the Meath crowd so quiet before a match, that has me worried.

Well Dinny the locals are only worried about keeping the score down to a respectable level.

The fear I have is complacency, Kildare are not in good position, I've never seen Kildare supporters so confident of a win against Meath and Meath supporters expecting a loss against Kildare. Our traditional role in Leinster is that of the Little brother to Meath and Dublin, occasionally a mild irritant but normally just ignored or laughed at when our Leinster cousins put us to the sword.

Hopefully Kildare are right mentally for Sunday but if we're not right the match could get very interesting.

[Donnellys Hollow]

I don't think complacency will be an issue. My fear would be whether we're a bit rusty after essentially nine weeks without a competitive outing. Offaly put up a decent fight for about twenty minutes but even then there was a sense of inevitability that they'd run out of steam long before the half time whistle. Kildare just seemed to be in auto-pilot for most of that game. Meath on the other hand have had good hard tests against both Wicklow and Carlow where they'll have been able to pinpoint weak areas. The replay with Carlow suggested that they are beginning to move in the right direction again.

Familiarity breeds contempt and apart from Kerry and Cork, there are probably no two teams in Ireland that have met as much as Kildare and Meath in recent years. They'll know each other so well at this stage that they may begin to cancel each other out. The more the match becomes an out and out dogfight, the more it'll suit Meath. I am confident Kildare will win if we play near our optimum level but I hope we are not caught off the pace in the opening twenty minutes due to a lack of match sharpness. There has been little between these sides in the last three championship encounters. In 2010 we only pulled away in the last 5-10 minutes. Last year's game in Croke Park was in the balance until Brian Farrell was harshly sent off and Geraghty's goal was disallowed. The match in Navan was nip and tuck all the way with the early penalty giving us a small bit of breathing space. It was only when Kenny went off that Bolton could push forward and get the scores that won it for us.

I think Kildare will win on Sunday but I'd be pleasantly surprised if we beat the four point handicap.

[Ohtoohtobe]

In a colossal mistake guaranteed to come back to haunt me, I'm going to be honest instead of trying to impersonate a Kerry man.

I think it will be close until midway through the second half when Kildare will pull away and win by 4-6pts.

[Ard-Rí]

The Calm before the Storm ...

[Hardy]

When is the draw for our round of the qualifiers?

[Croí na hÉireann]

When is the draw for our round of the qualifiers?

Monday morning at 8.30 I think. Wouldn't mind being in it either.

[Royalranter]

When is the draw for our round of the qualifiers?

It'll be interesting to see who we get drawn against. Kildare won't have to worry about any draws taking place until they get drawn as provincial champions (without having to hit 3rd gear in any match) against one of the qualifiers.