Jim Gavin knows from experience that you write Meath off at your peril so the Dublin manager isn't going to fall into that trap ahead of Sunday's Leinster SFC decider.

According to the All-Ireland winning manager, the local derby element can't be over-looked.

"The tradition is there," Gavin said to the Examiner. "That's probably one thing. It doesn't just go back five years. It goes back many, many years.

"We're on each other's border so there is that local derby. A lot of Meath people live in Dublin and vice-versa. There is that closeness."

Meath's performances in dispatching Carlow and Kildare have caught Gavin's eye.

"Yeah, they've been impressive in both games - 9-29 is an impressive return in anybody's book.

"They've been very impressive, playing traditional Meath football. Very solid in defence, very mobile in their half-back, midfield, half-forward line area.

"They have multiple options up front, they've lots of pace and they can and have punished teams, both Carlow and Kildare, and saw out both games in a very professional manner.

"They had a very good run in the National League. It's going to be a traditional Dublin/Meath game.

"They're always good, honest, hard games of football. Both teams will really go hard at it, as we saw last year. So, either team can win this game." Tweet

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