Kevin Reilly expects his Meath side to acquit themselves very well against Dublin in Sunday's Leinster SFC final.

The Royals went toe-to-toe with the All-Ireland champions for 55 minutes of last year's decider before fading in the last 15, but Reilly feels they are better equipped to go the distance this time around.

"Dublin are obviously quite strong, have proven it time and again, and are probably favourites for this year as well. But we're going to be doing our absolute best, whatever we can, to push them every second of the way. And we are very confident in our own ability," the Meath captain tells the Irish Times.

"We've prepared as best we can, it's a massive occasion, and one which the whole squad is very much looking forward to."

He added: "We are a year-and-a-half down the line from when Mick (O'Dowd) took over, and this new squad was in the process of being built. So a lot of guys have a lot more experience than they did last year. And we've been playing a division higher in the league. So we are in a better place.

"And I've always said, being involved so long, stability is key. We've hit some highs. We've got to two All-Ireland semi-finals, and won a Leinster, under a previous manager, and they were doing a lot right too.

"Unfortunately, when the lows came and managers moved or were moved on, it lacked stability. For any team to evolve from where they are they need a little bit of time, a little bit of stability. I think we have that now." Tweet

Most Read Stories