Meath and Wicklow

Big game Sunday. A tricky one to call. Meath supporters approach with trepidation, Wicklow ones quietly hopeful I would imagine.

It'll probably come down to luck. A good opening fifteen twenty minutes might reassure the players but if Wicklow get a foothold, demons could set in and who knows the ffoodgates could open as they did against Louth.

I suspect Banty will spring a few surprises in his line-up. He'll select one orthodox midfielder and one more athletic type one such as Eoin or Graham Reilly. I don't think Joe will start - I was at a challenge match recently and he's never looked as slow. He's a pure edge of the square man now but not in the class of Tomas O'Connor or Eoghan O'Gara. He'll arrive into the game late with the hope of exploiting some tired Wicklow defending. Stephen Bray will wear 14 but will have the freedom of the pitch to make the plays. Paddy Gilsenan is a name to look out for - Bray will be looking to find him and another inside man, possibly Cian Ward or Mark Collins, the latter another name to look out for.

It's a game where a lot of outcomes are possible. I'll say Meath 3-19 Wicklow 1-08.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:Big game Sunday. A tricky one to call. Meath supporters approach with trepidation, Wicklow ones quietly hopeful I would imagine.

It'll probably come down to luck. A good opening fifteen twenty minutes might reassure the players but if Wicklow get a foothold, demons could set in and who knows the ffoodgates could open as they did against Louth.

I suspect Banty will spring a few surprises in his line-up. He'll select one orthodox midfielder and one more athletic type one such as Eoin or Graham Reilly. I don't think Joe will start - I was at a challenge match recently and he's never looked as slow. He's a pure edge of the square man now but not in the class of Tomas O'Connor or Eoghan O'Gara. He'll arrive into the game late with the hope of exploiting some tired Wicklow defending. Stephen Bray will wear 14 but will have the freedom of the pitch to make the plays. Paddy Gilsenan is a name to look out for - Bray will be looking to find him and another inside man, possibly Cian Ward or Mark Collins, the latter another name to look out for.

It's a game where a lot of outcomes are possible. I'll say Meath 3-19 Wicklow 1-08.

Say what you like about L2TR but his posts are always worthwhile. Whether educational, informative, caustic or whatever, always worth a read.
I've read this one twice to assure myself of the highlighted. H'mmmm......

Then the punchline...

Nervous times. A win tomorrow (of any margin) = huge relief. A loss = heartbreaking blow.

Let me put this it out there. I think Meath are capable of turning their League fortunes around, and putting it up to Kildare/Dublin in Leinster is definitely possible.

But things went bad in the League, and then against Louth, it turned into a nightmare. Having witnessed the effort that day, everyone has to fear that it could happen again.

Don't underestimate how important tomorrow's game is for Meath.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:
Don't underestimate how important tomorrow's game is for Meath.

Before the 2010 Qtr final against Kildare, I posted on here that it was Meath's biggest game since the 2001 AI Final. A win, I felt, would have given them a great chance of beating Down in the semi, while defeat, on the back of the Cork ('07), Limerick ('08) and Louth ('10) debacles, could see this Meath side fall away. Kildare destroyed Meath in the last 10 minutes and, as I feared, it has been downhill ever since, to the point that Meath now look like a shadow of the side that they were a few years ago.

I'm not sure that I agree with you Loyal, in that while defeat by Wicklow would certainly spell disaster, I'm not convinced that victory will propel them into the reckoning for provincial honours. On paper, that Meath side looks weak, with probably the slowest full forward line in Ireland. I'd guess that the long ball will be the option but, with Stephen Bray missing, I'd worry what the quality of the deliveries will be like.

I think that Meath will have enough to get past Wicklow but, then again, I thought they'd have enough to get past Louth in the relegation battle. Perhaps, as Martin McHugh said last week, Meath have gone soft. Meath folk are right to be worried.

Yes I agree - a win for Meath will not mean much. But at least the show will be back on the road and there will be momentum. I think defeat to Kildare in a Leinster semi-final is inevitable but a sequence of wins someitmes does wonders for a team. Often gets a side playing at a level they are not normally capable of.

lokked at the meath team for this game in good detail,my opinion is that wicklow look the more seasoned team so i think they will scrape home,sadly for meath