So we won all 3 group matches without mixed displays. Too be expected. Next Sunday fixed for 2PM (this may change) we will host Dublin in Navan. They like us have had some patchy displays narrowly beating Maynooth and Ofally. So this should be a close affair. The best possible match up to get them going before the Galway match in the league.

Not the biggest crowds at the matches so far so lets get out in force and support the Royals next Sunday! Best of luck to the lads.

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 10/01/2015 20:50:14    1682107

Well tonight was a draw.Poor enough display,but I guess it was 3 games in a week.Seriously struggling for corner backs though,and midfield was cleaned out,although Menton made a difference when introduced. Graham Reilly easily the best player on show..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 10/01/2015 21:23:57    1682118

Obviously ye werent at the game tonight so :)

AthCliath (Dublin) - Posts: 4347 - 10/01/2015 21:28:42    1682122

As a neutral I love these Meath and Dublin matches. I hope Tnag is showing it.

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 10/01/2015 21:38:33    1682126

Didn't really care about beating DCU but a chance to play dare i say a top team the country albeit in January is still a good thing for us. and in Navan too its been awhile.

bobkarlgees (Meath) - Posts: 1263 - 11/01/2015 09:57:53    1682146

Ollie

Prob our only chance to beat Dublin is an O'Byrne Cup fixture at this present time.If we are good enough to beat Dublin in a Leinster Final,then we would be ALL-Ireland contenders,and we are way off that..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 11/01/2015 12:41:49    1682167

We cannot forget this is Byrne cup, here we are gathering information and trying things. Result here not too important.What is important is evidence that we have made progress attitude wise. Donegal answered a lot of questions on a lot of fronts last year.We are not beaten before we start against Dublin. We need to give management some space before deciding if they have learned from last year. Never mind Dublin,with proper preparation we could even do a Donegal !!

nobull456 (Meath) - Posts: 1221 - 11/01/2015 14:13:36    1682195

This game may have little significance in the context of the season (league and championship), but a strongish Meath team should be selected - one that gives Dublin a real game (irrespective of who they field). Break the losing streak against the Dubs!

GlasagusOr (Meath) - Posts: 1348 - 11/01/2015 15:36:30    1682212

i may be shot down for this but, i think getting dublin into navan is a great thing for meath and much easier played than in croker, takes a lot of the sting out of it. if we get promotion to div 1 we would have dublin in naavan every second year if we could hang in there. not just dublin but kerry and cork, mayo etc. this is the only way we can improve, i believe we could actually get a win or two every year to stay there as well.

now i actually think meath should be peaking in april this year and win promotion first and foremost and dont worry to much about the leinster campaign. do we really want to get another hiding in final agin? personally if i had to choose winnig div 2 or gettin bet by wicklow in navan id take promotion. if we were knocked out by wicklow or someone before the leinster final i think the players would pick themselves up easier and go on a bit of a run in qualifiers anyway. they dont seem to be able to do this after the leinster finals so is there anything really to be gained from playing dublin in final year in year out? i dont think so play them and cork, kerry often in the league far better off.

personally i think we could improve quickly with even 2 or three wins a year say at home to mayo, tyrone or derry in league, maybe even catch dubs or kerry, cork off guard after a long trip north. this imo would give us huge confidence to topple dublin in leinster when there poor strwak comes, because lets face it someday dublin will level off and have not as brilliant an outfit as they have now. it happens to every great team, we have to be ready a bit like cork always have to be ready to take advantage of kerrys lean years, i think if the time came of an averaage dublin and kerry team like in the late 90s or late 80s we could be in a nice position. all we can do now is play these teams more and nore

dickie10 (UK) - Posts: 687 - 11/01/2015 15:45:33    1682214

AthCliath
County: Dublin
Posts: 3488

1682122
Obviously ye werent at the game tonight so :)

Sorry but that DCU draw felt like a win! Just had it in my head that if we drew or better we were through haha. We hardly ever find it easy against the likes of DCU and UCD in this cup so I'm not surprised we scraped through. Decent outfit DCU are, if they were in another group they might have progressed.

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 11/01/2015 16:56:50    1682241

What we have learned so far is that graham Reilly is back to his fantastic best, Nicky judge is of county standerd , menton is a option at midfield and McGill is a option at fb.
Dublin game will tell us more im sure.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 11/01/2015 18:28:55    1682271

Royaldunne, I wouldn't agree with you about Nicky Judge just yet, he's proven nothing. Against Westmeath he was replaced at half time due to being on thin ice with the ref, did well on Wednesday against Longford but was poor on his introduction yesterday. Conor McHugh cleaned him out before Judge was switched with Donncha Tobin.

Now in his defence the full back line was very exposed during this spell as our half backline weren't holding their defensive positions and he improved following his switch with Tobin.

The jury in this case remains open minded.

jackhackett (Meath) - Posts: 773 - 11/01/2015 18:37:12    1682276

RD

I tend to agree,Menton looked very mobile and got up and down the pitch,we were cleaned out a midfield and he made a difference.Early in the year but Reilly is looking good at this stage.Judge played well when he got forward,but to me struggled when at corner back and we havea serious problem as I do not see us with corner backs.I wonder could McGill go there if Kev gets back later on..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 11/01/2015 18:54:17    1682285

I think been bit a hard on Nicky. Game v wmeath had glennon in his pocket, and yeah was replaced cause of yellow card but that showed a little bit of passion, thought solid v longford, and cant exactly be blamed in that backline last night when introduced, very good going forward.
Look at this stage all we can look for is potential and i feel he has that.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 11/01/2015 19:25:19    1682313

I agree that he has the potential but as of now I would disagree with the comment that he is already of county standard. What I look for first and foremost in a corner back is an ability to defend. Last night suggested that he will struggle to keep tabs on very good corner forwards. It is my hope thought that he develops into the top quality corner back which we desperately need but I would stop short of announcing that he's fit for this as of yet.

jackhackett (Meath) - Posts: 773 - 11/01/2015 21:04:13    1682368

Dunno what game some of you were watching against Westmeath that thought Judge did well, Glennon was five yards in front of him for every ball. I'd say he was delighted to see him go off injured.

How did Flanagan do against DCU?

Royal (Meath) - Posts: 20 - 11/01/2015 21:08:18    1682371

http://www.westmeathexaminer.ie/sport/roundup/articles/2015/01/07/4034868-glennon-and-brolly-comments-highlight-amateur-sport-pressures/

GlasagusOr (Meath) - Posts: 1348 - 11/01/2015 21:24:40    1682379

Royal, midfield was poor and full-back line a bit suspect at times. I thought Graham Reilly, Mark O'Sullivan, Donal Keoghan and David Bray were pick of the bunch. POR's distribution was very good as well. Joey Wallace lively as usual.

DK's position as either a CHB, CB or FB is a big call to make for the league, given what options and vulnerabilities we have in other areas around him.

GlasagusOr (Meath) - Posts: 1348 - 11/01/2015 21:50:10    1682391

Royal really? Even the wm manager conceded that judge had him, and Dennis himself blamed it on lack of sleep
I do think Nicky has proved that he is county standard now that maybe only as a panel player fir this year bit who knows what might happen.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 12/01/2015 08:21:45    1682398

Lads,
This is going to sound defeatist and i'll admit we were missing a lot of players from a likely championship 15 but I didn't see any progress on saturday from what was a turgid display against Armagh in our last championship match.
There's still no apparent game plan in this team, and no forward plan at all. Too often the backs won the ball looked up and had no option in front of them as DCU were leaving 3 spare backs. The inside forward line were almost redundant due to the HF line taking pot shots at goal in the first half. The full back line was terrible. I'm not sure if it was Judge or McGill that McGraynor got above for the goal but to allow him to field the ball come down and shrug them off and finish with a tame shot past Paddy was a terrible sight.
Now TBH i will give the lads praise for the push in the last 15 minutes to get level but they had chances to win and took bad options time and again.
Looking toward league and summer Rooney and Flanagan can't be in the same team, they're too similar and I'll say the same for Tormey and Reilly.

brian (Meath) - Posts: 1954 - 12/01/2015 08:47:34    1682404