Qualifiers round 3

I would actually advise Meath to start slowly! If you base a gameplan on the basis that Kildare are going to come good in the second half then you're preparing to lose....the target is to prevent that momentum from ever building up. Meath should focus on a game of possession....drag the game down to a dogfight if necessary...make it the ugliest spectacle ever witnessed in Croker. Meath should play the possession game....dictating the pace of the game and slowing it down will favour them, keeping themselves ready for any attempt by Kildare to pull out a second half surge. Kildare thrive on momentum....and if they build momentum and score a point...Meath should focus on holding the ball and slowing the game down again. If they get sucked into a fast paced slog at the end Kildare will wipe them. If you look back at last year's semi final....Down played the fist passing game a lot and crucially rotated their forwards....giving everyone a shift in the fast paced roles and keeping everyone in attack fresh. This allowed them to weather the Kildare surge, getting a score whenever Kildare managed one.....and indeed Kildare's traditional comeback was about 15 minutes later than usual because Down had conserved enough energy to deal with it. Therefore...the comeback wasn't enough.

Meath should forget about this idea of building up a huge lead; first of all they probably won't be able to do it and secondly a huge deficit isn't going to easily faze Kildare. Meath should absolutely kill the game in the first half even if it's low scoring and God awful to watch. They should then come out of the blocks flying the second half....Kildare are not gods...they are a very fit team but are wasteful under pressure.

I like your thoughts Bluearmy..........very interesting!

bluearmy1 wrote:I would actually advise Meath to start slowly! If you base a gameplan on the basis that Kildare are going to come good in the second half then you're preparing to lose....the target is to prevent that momentum from ever building up. Meath should focus on a game of possession....drag the game down to a dogfight if necessary...make it the ugliest spectacle ever witnessed in Croker. Meath should play the possession game....dictating the pace of the game and slowing it down will favour them, keeping themselves ready for any attempt by Kildare to pull out a second half surge. Kildare thrive on momentum....and if they build momentum and score a point...Meath should focus on holding the ball and slowing the game down again. If they get sucked into a fast paced slog at the end Kildare will wipe them. If you look back at last year's semi final....Down played the fist passing game a lot and crucially rotated their forwards....giving everyone a shift in the fast paced roles and keeping everyone in attack fresh. This allowed them to weather the Kildare surge, getting a score whenever Kildare managed one.....and indeed Kildare's traditional comeback was about 15 minutes later than usual because Down had conserved enough energy to deal with it. Therefore...the comeback wasn't enough.

Meath should forget about this idea of building up a huge lead; first of all they probably won't be able to do it and secondly a huge deficit isn't going to easily faze Kildare. Meath should absolutely kill the game in the first half even if it's low scoring and God awful to watch. They should then come out of the blocks flying the second half....Kildare are not gods...they are a very fit team but are wasteful under pressure.

I'd agree largely with that post Bluearmy. Kildare are a running team, so we should take the pace out of the game. Slow, precise passing with blasts of pace around goal. The only problem is passing wouldn't be something I would count as a great atribute of this Meath team. Too many times, even when hand passing, they mis-hit it straight to an opposition player or put it up in the air not giving the players around them a chance. Too many times against Galway I felt myself thinking "to the fecking chest". Basic stuff.

I felt our backs were solid enough the last day, especially Kevin Reilly and Shane McAnarney and if the forwards had had their shooting boots on it would have been rued a very good Meath performance. They need to do something to stem the tide of John Doyle. The idea of man marking him is what I think would work best. As Loyal suggested, Chris O'Connor may be the best man for this job. He needs to be marked tightly and kept quiet if that is at all possible. I think he may be a big factor in this match, not only for his own footballing ability, but he is also a favourite with the Kildare supporters who will be very vocal anyway.

At midfield I don't think we have any option but to leave Shane O'Rourke there. He is a very good player but I am yet to be convinced that he is the next John McDermott as I heard many people tipping him to be. Meade I feel is a liability as the man does not know how to tackle. Mark Ward did well when he came on against Galway and got on some good ball but he has a tendancy to blow hot and cold from match to match. Eoin Reilly is a good young prospect and Banty seems to have faith in him but I'm never quite sure with him. I can see Crawford coming on if we are struggling towards the end.

The forwards is a tricky one. I think Jamie Queeny should be brought on in place of Paddy O'Rourke at FF. I would have him and Joe at CHF rotating throughout the match to change things up a bit. They shouldn't go out with just one game plan in attack, switch things up depending on each individual situation. I wouldn't agree with hoofing the ball into Joe or whoever is on the edge of the square, but giving lower balls in just infront of them could work, even if the sweeper is there. Diagonal balls for Farrell, Ward or Bray could work well as they are all very familiar with skinning defenders. I think they just need to keep changing things and not let Kildare really get to grips with them as on they're day they can destroy and defence.

Unusually I am hoping for rain. I think the softer ground will suit Meath more as it will slow down the ball and the game in general (much as I don't want to get soaked).

If I was an outsider I would not write Meath off. They CANNOT shoot as badly as they did the last time. Players like Ward and Biggy will want to prove themselves. Hopefully it'll be an interesting enough game.

Up the royals!

bluearmy1 wrote:make it the ugliest spectacle ever witnessed in Croker.

The game is in Navan ....

This is the defining game of Meath's season, and may determine whether Banty and his gang will be back again next year. If Meath win, Banty can point to survival in division 2, as well as victories over Kildare and Louth, the 2 sides that 'beat' Meath last year. This could be deemed as a decent enough year, particularly given that the side he inherited were in decline.

So can they win? Of course they can. As Jayo has pointed out, the game is in Navan, which is never an easy place to visit. Kildare would have to be be favoured in Croke Park, but a Saturday night in Navan makes this game a 'pick-em'.

Kildare, while a good enough side, are not a side that Meath should fear. They struggled past Wicklow, and then were beaten by Dublin despite having an extra man for 30 minutes. They hammered Laois, but who hasn't done that in recent years?

I'd worry about Kildare's midfield, as they haven't yet met a side who are strong in this area, and can properly test John Doyle. Meath aren't particularly impressive in this sector either, but it is a potential area that they can exploit if they can get a big performance form someone in there.

I've read Bluearmy's comments about Meath starting slowly and then picking things up, and I don't agree that this should be the Royals gameplan. Sides that start slowly are very rarely able to hit a switch and spring to life. It just doesn't work that way. Meath must tear into Kildare, showing them that they can't expect to come to Navan and get anything easy. Kildare's famous 2nd half surge was not evident against Dublin, and it was no more pronounced against Wicklow than was Armagh's last weekend. Yes, they walked over Laois, but Laois are weak, physically and mentally, and I would like to think that Meath have more strength and pride about them.

Personally, despite what I've written, I fancy Kildare to sneak this as they have more scoring power that Meath, but it would not surprise me at all if the Royals, average side though they are, get the couple of goals that they will need to edge through.

Well that's a plus for RG and TC.

So the consensus seems to be that Kildare are beatable, unlikely though it is.

Never know, Meath might surprise us all yet.

Il jump in on the meath game.

I expect kildare to win by a few scores . If Meath want to beat them they need Farrell, Joe and Bray at their 07 form. Midfield will have alot of breaks possession is key whoever gets the most breaks and gives their forwards the better ball will generally will any game.

Reilly at full back to have a stormer but I worry about the rest of meaths backline. Galway are poor Meehans not fit and Joyce a legend should retire. I expect Banty to get another year regardless of the result.

Kildare by 4

Even if Meath cannot step up a gear, which any good intercounty team should be able to do, I still think they should try take the pace out of this game and not allow it to turn into a fitness test. Yes, it's hard for teams to simply 'turn it on' but if it is as part of a gameplan, rather than something forced out of unfavourable circumstances, it's not hard to expect any decent team to be able to stick to that plan. If they come flying out at the start I have no doubt they will soon have a lead but Kildare will come back at them.

Meath should play a controlled game, players should be making themselves available for close range passing, straight to the chest and none of this loopy passing that often destroys the short game tactic, and no Meath player should be left on the ball without a player supporting him behind. If they start driving big long balls in they might get a few scores but they simply don't have the forward quality, in my opinion, to sustain this for too long. As I said before, any hint of Kildare building momentum should be followed by a sustained period of Meath possession, ....in other words, and I repeat, make this game ugly, kill the pace, kill the atmosphere. And I think it's worth a try...twice now we have seen Meath get the upperhand only to be undone by a Kildare comeback. Should they adopt a similar approach for this game? They may as well try it....the short game tactic can be very effective when dealing with teams who revel in fast paced blood and thunder action.

Injuries are going to be a problem I think. With Graham and Mento out for the long term and Kevin Reilly who was by far our best player last weekend now a worry we could be in trouble. We need our defence up to scratch to combat Kildare. Also Cian Ward, but I wouldn't be as worried about him as he isn't as vital.

I read on another forum that Joe did his hamstring last night and won't be playing. Really hoping that that is only a wind up. Joe is one of the best target men around and he wasn't doing too badly at CHF and he knows where the goals are.


Team without injuries:

Murphy

O'Connor (maybe operating around the middle of the field to man mark JD)- Reilly- O'Brien

Lenehan- McAnarney- King

Ward - O'Rourke
Kenny

Joe- Ward

Bray

Queeny- Farrell/Gilsenan


Without injured players:

Murphy

O'Connor (same role) - King- O'Brien

Lenehan- McAnarney- Kenny

O'Rourke- Ward

Byrne- E.Reilly - Biggy

Bray

Farrell/Gilsenan- Queeny

Bit makeshift but best I can come up with at the moment.

Hopefully, Meath have a clean bill of health. Hugh Lynch will be a loss for Kildare, Man of the Match last week, five days later out with suspected cruciate. Cruel stuff.

Only seen Bluearmy's second post there - all quite interesting. Particurly, the bit about holding possession. We shall see......not Meath's style.......but Banty won't worry about introducing new ideas.

I'll still be looking to Meath to get the upper hand early on. Kildare generally take a few minutes to get to grips with the hustle and bustle of a championship game. And even though, a controlled gameplan is worthwhile, an easy four or five point surplus won't do our chances any harm. But there's a tendancy amongst Meath forwards to get into showboat mode rather prematurely so one would hope Meath remember what's at stake here. That'd be what I'd see as Meath's biggest concern if they find themselves dominating after ten minutes. Maybe Kildare will come out of the blocks flying themselves. But when Meath go through their periods of dominance, they'll need to be absolutely ruthless.....

Think it's inevitable that there will be a period in final quarter when Kildare dominate. How well Meath weather that storm could ultimately decide their fate.

Happy Birthday bluearmy!!! Only 23 - so much knowledge for one so young ...

1: Kildare are very good. I know Antrim played them off the park at Newbridge two years ago and they lost to a poor down team last year, but by Leinster Standards......and kevin McGourty did give his best county display that night. Meath do not have anyone like him, never did.

2: Is the quarterfinal draw seeded or prearranged. Antrim duff Down and Cork, I want the Dubs.

patrique wrote:1: Kildare are very good. I know Antrim played them off the park at Newbridge two years ago and they lost to a poor down team last year, but by Leinster Standards......and kevin McGourty did give his best county display that night. Meath do not have anyone like him, never did.

God Patrique that's some sweeping statement. Kevin McGourty better than any Meath player ever? Interesting opinion.

Also, what exactly do you mean by "Leinster Standards"? I wouldn't have thought that standards in Leinster are much lower than anywhere else in the country.

I dont think slowing the pace of the game will be enough. Kildare will tackle with intensity and will eventually swarm the players with the ball and severly reduce Meath's chances of scoring. Meath have shown they can put it up to teams by scoring goals, they battered Dublin the other year and annihilated Louth the other week and will be more adaptable to playing an attacking brand of football.

Also, looking at how much Kildare have conceeded this year in the second half is a great record...I think in the second half against Dublin they only conceeded 4/5 points. Dublin paced themselves but could not rack up huge scores.

Kildare vs Wicklow, in the second half Wicklow only managed a single point.
Kildare vs Meath, Meath only managed 3 points to Kildares 11.
Kildare vs Dublin, only conceeded 5 in second half.
Kildare vs Laois, only 4 points were conceeded.


Altogether, in the second half of games thats only 13 points compared to the massive 2-38 they have scored in the second half with a total of 4-55. Interestingly Meath have scored 44 (5-29) in 280 minutes of football whereas Kildare have matched this in 140 minutes of football. Would have been even more impressive if they reduced the wides tally also. Just read this part in the indo...In 12 championship games since 2010 Kildare have overall scored 6-67 in the first half and have a score of 7-109 in all their second half performances. They conceeded 4-78 overall in first half performances and only 2-57 in the second half.

I think Meath should take the game to Kildare they were not far off the last time. If they try to hold the ball up it could be disasterous. Kildare's wide tally is a weakness that's crying out to be exploited simply by putting an overwhelming amount of pressure on the forwards. If Armagh played Kildare id be happy with them playing only one half, if they played 70 minutes of football **** knows what would happen.

Good post GF. I agree Meath backs will be looking to "worry" Kildare forwards into taking erratic shots at the posts. Hopefully, a few wides will leave them doubting themselves. Though as I say that, I think the Kildare forwards are not worried about the last miss if the next one goes over.

I think the point about retaining possession is in relation to Kildare gaining momentum. They can pound the opposition into submission in minutes but they won't do that unless we give the ball back to them after every score. The obvious solution is a short kickout and methodically work the ball into dangerous positions of our own but Meath only know one route to goal from a kickout and that is foot through ball, and scrap for it on the halfway line. Maybe Banty will take Bluearmy's advice though.

Meath will probably need a lock of goals. But we didn't look like scoring too many in the Kildare and Galway games. Think it'll take all the magic and brilliance of the Meath forwards to carve openings.

Kildare by 10 +

If Meath take the short kickout route they are going to tire quickly and will take big hits from all over the field which could possibly intimidate them into making hesitant decisions. But If the Kildare forwards start chasing they will tire also but that will not work the entire match and Kildare's defence will tighten and can't see Kildare forwards falling for that one. The big difference is Kildare are a well oiled machine but Meath are a goal machine and can see it being the deciding factor.

Some days Meath forwards get in for goals chances, other days they don't. The Louth game was as much about naive defending as it was about Meath's ability to create openings. I mean Cian Ward showed the Louth defender the ball for the third goal, and there he went flying in. Ward didnt even have to change stride. Our goals in last four games reads 0050. Need a few tonight though - so hopefully, we get a few breaks round the goalmouth area.

The problem with the gung-ho kickout is that Meath have been making a habit of faltering in the second half of games round the midfield area. If it happens again, it'll most likely co-incide with Kildare building up a head of steam. The short kick-out hurted Kildare in the Dublin game too - O'Neill and Leper were taken out of the game and McGeeney even said this in his post-match interview. Although whether Meath try it or not is a different story. I don't recall a Meath goalkeeper ever taking a short kickout.

Jayo Cluxton wrote:Happy Birthday bluearmy!!! Only 23 - so much knowledge for one so young ...

Bluearmy must have put in his details wrong ..he's only 20 yet!

In 6 hours 4 counties seasons will come to an end
1 manager will be leaving - possibly 2.

Fantastic start to the game. Meath start with a lovely point but Kildare get a penalty at other half.

Kildare 1-6
Meath 0-7

Meath are going at this too quick...no way can they keep this intensity up.

Wicklow 0-6
Armagh 1-6

Jamie Clarke goal

Down 0-6
Antrim 0-5

Limerick 0-9
Waterford 0-5

Meath now level

Kildare are just walking through Meath defence but arent converting.

Kildare and Meath really is end to end stuff.
Kildare just gt a goal.

Armagh through to play Tyrone. Thank god for that.

2-9 to 10
Jamie with both goals.
16 wides!

The draw is now a bit lopsided, with Kildare's reward for beating a side who were Leinster champs is a game against the ulster runners up.

Meanwhile Limerick meet Wexford for a place in the quarters, and Tyrone have an easy few games against Armagh and Roscommon.

Luck of the draw and all that.....