Meath defender Kevin Reilly will miss the rest of the National Football League campaign and could well be absent for the Royals' opening game of the Leinster SFC.
The Navan O'Mahonys man had surgery on a back problem before Christmas and his recovery has been slow and as a result he has missed out on the first four rounds of his county's league campaign.
Meath boss Eamonn O'Brien has confirmed that Reilly will not play a part in his team's remaining Division Two fixtures

We are in big trouble in the full-back position now.I will be very surpised if Reilly plays against Offaly on the 23rd of May.Who do people think he will play at full-back.Will he keep faith in Macken,leave Harrington there or try to get McGill back.I would hope he asks McGill but i cant see it happening.

12Royal (Meath) - Posts: 987 - 16/03/2010 12:20:41    589571

Mcgill is the best man for the job. But unfortunately I dont see him getting a chance either. Mackens not up to scratch and Harrington is our best corner back but hes no full back. So I would play Anthony Moyles out of position again at full back because hes the best we have available there.

happydude (Meath) - Posts: 234 - 16/03/2010 13:18:28    589647

eamonn o brien asked cormac mcgill if he would be interested in training with the panel for the year but he wouldnt be in contention for starting team....how could any man say yes to that so as a result i doubt mcgill will be back this year....the same question was asked of damien sheridan.its totally unreasonable to ask a player to do this!!!and for anyone thats gonna argue this point dont waste ur time i know this is what happened!!
kevin reilly will be a massive loss.moyles is our best option for full back now that reillys gone,all our other backs too small.

Obama08 (Meath) - Posts: 84 - 16/03/2010 13:21:00    589650

Best of luck Kevin in your rehabilitation, we need to you back but don't rush yourself, the back is a horrible thing to injure so make sure you get it right.
As for Meath full back, I think Macken deserves at least another chance, don't forget, its his first time in a Meath jersey, it takes a while to settle into it. McGill should be called back at this stage, send the man a bunch of flowers or whatever it takes to get him back! There are surely other defenders in Meath football who are worth a chance, off the top of my head at the moment and with the first race at Cheltenham about to begin I can't think of one at the moment but I will think during the afternoon and get back to ye! ;)

updaroyal (Meath) - Posts: 1132 - 16/03/2010 13:24:11    589654

hope he is ok best of luck to him

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13659 - 16/03/2010 13:48:06    589684

I expected this would be the case. Anthony Moyles looks our best option for full back with McGill not on the scene. However I would give Macken another chance to prove himself, he has the makings of a good full back if he can apply himself properly and with the right guidance.

men_of_49 (Meath) - Posts: 2024 - 16/03/2010 14:07:41    589715

not really surprised by this. If thats true what Obama08 was saying about McGill then O'Brien is a worse manager than I thought. McGill is quality and should be starting in the full back line, never mind just being on the panel.

Looks like Macken or Moyles will be starting at full back against Offaly.

Ochocinco (Meath) - Posts: 82 - 16/03/2010 14:15:06    589723

I hope Kevin's getting good advice from specialists and that his rehabilitation is moving along smoothly. It's not the kind of problem that's going to go away with a bit of a rest so he can take his time. What he was doing running around Croker chasing Tommy Walsh in last year's semi-final is beyond me but at least the problem is now being treated with the seriousness it deserves.

None of us will be surprised when Anthony Moyles lines out on the edge of the square come the start of the championship. If O'Brien and his selectors believe that Macken can play full-back for Meath then they have to stick to their guns and play him there. McGill won't be back. Harrington doesn't have the authority in the air to play in this position and even if McGill were available, I'm not altogether sure if even he would be good enough under the high-ball to mark a big full-forward like Mark Davoren or Michael Murphy.

Moyles will do fine. O'Brien will realise he has to hand him the number 3 jersey soon enough, it's just a matter of when

Ollie99 (Meath) - Posts: 442 - 16/03/2010 15:51:11    589807

Well i was at the Don/Ashbourne v Senchalstown game last year and McGill cleaned Joe Sheridan out of it.Where were EOB and his selectors then,O ye they were probably wasting there time watching Rathkenny and Navan O'Mahony's games.The Meath management team obiously dont have a clue what they are doing.Like to say to McGill do you want to train with us but you will not get to kick a ball come game time.But yet he persisted with playing McKiege game in game out.There are better defenders playing junior A football.

12Royal (Meath) - Posts: 987 - 16/03/2010 16:50:21    589866

Ochocinco
County: Meath
Posts: 48

589723 not really surprised by this. If thats true what Obama08 was saying about McGill then O'Brien is a worse manager than I thought.

from what ive been told its true, he was told he'd be no 26 or 27 on the panel, and can i also add, i dont see brian sheridan getting a chance either

The.Rock (Meath) - Posts: 582 - 16/03/2010 16:58:10    589878

12Royal
County: Meath
Posts: 377

589866 Well i was at the Don/Ashbourne v Senchalstown game last year and McGill cleaned Joe Sheridan out of it.

Yeah, I heard that. The full-back position has changed over the past ten years but it still requires a certain amount of physicality, for example Tommy Walsh muscled Moyles off the ball on more than a few occasions last year which is why I suspect Macken has been drafted in at 3. Macken fits the mould of the traditional full-back, big and strong, good hands but that probably isn't enough in the modern game.

Having said that McGill always struck me as being just that bit too light to play full-back at inter-county level. I honestly thought he would have nailed down one of the corners by now. I would like to have seen King playing full-back during the league, surely the qualities that ear-marked him for a full-forward role would make him better suited to the other end of the pitch though that was never going to happen this year.

Would you honestly have McGill on someone like Donaghy or Murphy? I suppose the only way to find out if he's good enough is to play him there and that isn't likely to happen anytime soon.

Ollie99 (Meath) - Posts: 442 - 16/03/2010 17:04:59    589886

If Meath dont go on another run this summer i cannot see EOB as manager.In my opinion he is killing the team with stupid desisions and bad judgement of a talented group of players at his disposal and it is becoming very frustrating.

12Royal (Meath) - Posts: 987 - 16/03/2010 17:09:10    589896

12royal - you should not advertise your lack of football knowledge by making silly comments. KcKeigue whether you like it or not was the best defender playing senior club championship football last year and to say that he would not get on a junior team sums you up, as I expect junior b is about the highest level you ever played, if indeed you ever played at all!. Incidently I have never commented on whether he should be on county team or otherwise. The fact is that we have an abundance of poor defenders with our best back now recovering from injury. As I have said numerous we do not have one man-marker with all our backs too loose and most of them lacking in confidence or maybe ability to kick an accurate pass 30m or more. Furthermore we do have some very talented forwards but we do not have any forwards with a high workrate- I mean the type of workrate you need to bring sam home. The best of luck to the team and management in the championship. (Apart from 2 or 3 teams the rest are pretty ordinary and beatable)

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 16/03/2010 18:36:34    589996

From the outset, I'd like to wish Kevin Reilly a quick and speedy as possible recovery. As posters before have said, a back injury is something very difficult to recover correctly from. Time is its best friend. However now that it is confirmed that his injury is longer than most expected, it is fairly certain that he will struggle to play in the championship opener on May 23rd. Realistically if Kevin Reilly does get back training between the end of the league and then, he will only have a few weeks (a month at most) to get match fit. It's a big ask for someone that has not kicked a ball in anger in close on a year already.

So from there, we as a county are left with a gaping hole in the full back line. Looking at the league matches so far, our defense is very weak and suspect. No real strength and definitely too loose on their men. Against Armagh in the opener, we were severely too loose, letting Charlie Vernon and co run through us in the second half especially. Up in Newry, we looked out of our depths at times. Westmeath nearly beat us, and probably should have only for the two Bray's late scores and a fortunate refereeing decision. And lets not get into the match last Sunday afternoon. Our defense looks a shambles, with no structure or shadowing or anything. They look lost!

As I have stated before, I will not be surprised (and now definitely expect) to see Anthony Moyles playing no.3 come May as a stop gap again. He is our best option available now. James Macken, is not playing there at club level, so will find it hard to learn the position, and also from the first three matches in the league, the inter county ability is suspect. That said I think he needs to be given a chance as he has potential. Eoghan Harrington is not a natural full back, and kind of showed that on Sunday. With Cormac McGill not there (and he WAS told that from EOB) we are left bare on the ground. And the other defenders are corner backs and wing backs. I know people have being saying Caoimhin King could play there and should be given as chance, but sure how can he do that when EOB told him, that they would ring him!?

This leads me onto a question, I have been asking myself for the last while, since I heard that about Cormac McGill and EOB.

Why has EOB and the management team let him (McGill) go, when they surely had the understanding that Kevin Reilly may not recover from his back injury quickly? Especially as back injuries are so unpredictable. Cover is essential for nothing other than back-up! And at least then, he (EOB) has the option of playing McGill, to find out if he has the ability to mark the likes of Kieran Donaghy or Michael Murphy.

David (Meath) - Posts: 567 - 16/03/2010 21:33:35    590186

Long drive...but slow for full back

scoreofthegame (Meath) - Posts: 11 - 29/04/2010 15:26:38    633681

He was brilliant for O'Mahony's yesterday and against Oldcastle!

omahonys_man (Meath) - Posts: 229 - 03/05/2010 12:26:27    636234

Yeah he was brilliant yesterday.

UpTheHoops_x (Meath) - Posts: 47 - 03/05/2010 19:48:03    636639

yeah great to see Kevin back in top form! Thought all the backs did great yesterday for the Hoops!

navanshoegal (Meath) - Posts: 10 - 03/05/2010 20:21:41    636688

I thought Kevin had a stormer again for us on Sunday, adding to his impressive performances in both games against Laois. He seems to be getting better with each game. There was a lot of pressure on him to solve a huge problem at full back and thankfully he is stepping up to the mark. This is even more satisfactory when you consider all the problems he has had with injuries in the last 18 months. Hopefully he will remain injury-free and fully fit. It's no coincidence that our defence are playing much better sice his return.

men_of_49 (Meath) - Posts: 2024 - 29/06/2010 13:10:45    690783

Even more impressive given that Alan Brogan tried to put him out of the game with an elbow after 10 mins. Amazing how this wasn't highlighted. If it was Paul Galvin it would have been. If you watch Bernard Brogan's point about 10 mins in from under the Cusack you'll see it...

Finnertys_Perm (Meath) - Posts: 440 - 29/06/2010 13:45:33    690869