royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 22/05/2021 19:49:32    2344276

Just want to wish Shane and Andy the best of luck tomorrow! Awfully nervous about this one. Games against Northerners can do awful damage. Having said that I just don't think Meath have the bench to to prove me wrong. It will be a close game but Down to win by 6

Evernal (Meath) - Posts: 74 - 23/05/2021 01:46:25    2344369

Best of luck to Andy Shane and all the team today. A win will set us up nicely
Hon the royal

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 23/05/2021 08:23:48    2344376

winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 511 - 23/05/2021 11:01:23    2344422

bert09 (Meath) - Posts: 1792 - 23/05/2021 11:51:45    2344438

In the spirit of revising previous thoughts, and even admitting if im wrong, having watched the re run of the Mayo/ Westmeath game this morning maybe I was too harsh on Meath... just maybe. Maybe I was jumping the gun.

Westmeath could quite easily be 2/2 so far in this league campaign. They made a lot of trouble against Mayo, leaving a "star studded" and as ever popular Mayo side to 0-7 after 30 minutes and a black card, and having possibly 3/4 goals in the first half. They caused a great deal of trouble for Mayo, who did try out new things, but still a lot of trouble nonetheless and one could see their frustrations. Like when they played Meath, Westmeath won various areas of the contest. They are not to be underestimated at all come championship.

When you consider that Mayo completely dismantled Down last week, and we likewise struggled against Westmeath... it is looking like this Meath/ Down game could go a long way to getting a good picture of this division. We need a ruthless streak today against what is always a tough opposition. I dont know about anyone else but I always get the fizz before we play an Ulster team. A lot depends on this game. In the spirit of acheiving security for the season and pushing on to a match against a clearly experimental and vulnerable Mayo side, I think the Meath team will be very eager to do a job today and for that reason I will give us the nod by 3 points but we have to perform like we have shown we can or we will be beaten.

Young_gael (Meath) - Posts: 589 - 23/05/2021 12:05:02    2344446

Be foolish to read too much into yesterday or last Sunday, this game will take on a life of its own and what went before will hardly matter. Down make five changes to their starting 15 and know they have to win today. Expect another close battle and hopefully our starting 15 perform to potential.

seadog54 (Meath) - Posts: 2149 - 23/05/2021 13:50:07    2344475

Good performance against what transpired to be a average team. Morris O'Sullivan hickey keoghan all had very good games as did Costello. Colgan kick outs have definitely improved, Morris can field in forward line and is a most exciting prospect going forward. All in all happy. The game after mayo is our biggest game this year. We simply have to win.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 23/05/2021 17:35:34    2344622

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 23/05/2021 17:40:49    2344625

Fair is fair, I was possibly harsh on the boys after Westmeath. Down are a pale shadow of what they once were in years past and Meath could have had two extra stonewall goals in the first half. Our free kicks have to stay in hand and looking like they're best left to Morris. Bringing Colgan up the pitch isn't working and he kicked 3 wide I'm the first half. If I were to nitpick I'd say we could have had the match dead and buried after 25 minutes and allowed Down to hang in well into the second half, but all in all an impressive display.

Points to take from that game:

- two dodgy black cards would have killed us against better teams.
- frees are still a problem.

- O'Sullivan's two goals were top quality. Morris was class as well.
-Kickouts weren't a major talking point.
- Morris had a great game in every sense.
- Costello and Menton worked very hard and played well, they were very readily backed up by a good half back performance. Keogan was very classy as ever.
- Hickey looks the real McCoy, looking very promising.
- Subs all made an impact, struggled to fit into the desperate conditions but all showed workrate.
- we looked a better conditioned outfit, stronger and fitter than Down and its fair to say that the year in division one, fruitless as it may seem on the surface, has paid off well in how we are playing as a team. I can't remember a time in the last twenty years when we have looked so capable and consistent against Ulster opposition as the last 2/3 years. Kudos to the work of Niall Ronan and the management team. Seeing just how much previously light players like Conlon and Wallace have improved their frames is very encouraging.

Very pleased. Division 2 at worst for another year and a stab at the big money again. A happy Meath man tonight.

Young_gael (Meath) - Posts: 589 - 23/05/2021 17:57:54    2344639

Good win today which is all that mattered. Never looked like losing at any stage. We controlled the entire contest and killed it with 15 minutes to spare. Referee was atrocious.

But we have huge issues which are going to badly expose us sooner or later:

1 point from a possible 4 from the 45. You need a kicker who will score all if not 3 of those kicks. Its a massive issue as other teams will happily foul us out there. Thankfully Morris kicked the frees around the D and got a good return.

Kickouts. A decent team which will push up on our kick outs will get a big return. Colgans kicks were accurate and I don't fault him at all. We will be exposed here.

Ball retention. I know today was horrendous but we coughed up so much possession today and last week. Players running down blind alleys and getting choked up.

Half forward line are working hard around the middle but not a scoring threat. Today our wing backs were getting into the scoring positions but then were turning back to look for a half forward. I think this can be addressed with training and should return a few more scores. A better, defensive team will swallow the space up and not give away those chances.

Substitutes weakened us this week. What a contrast to last week. We seemed to really disimprove when the bench was run. I accept that the game was over but you would expect lads coming in with open space to get a few scores and put the hand up to start. We do not have substitutes that are going to change a game against a Top 12 team.

The overall positives from the first 2 rounds are that we won those 2 games which is what we needed to do. Safe in Div.2 at the very least. We have a huge chance to go for promotion now. The game against Mayo is a dead rubber. Hopefully its a used as a training game for both sides to run the squads with an eye on the promotion play offs.

Royalio11 (Meath) - Posts: 757 - 23/05/2021 18:09:48    2344653

redser123 (Meath) - Posts: 403 - 23/05/2021 18:54:31    2344680

grahamc9897 (Meath) - Posts: 1174 - 23/05/2021 19:01:23    2344685

Credit to both sides as conditions looked atrocious. Good win, and Meath looked in control for majority of game. Some poor calls by ref on both sides, watched several games over weekend and absolutely no consistency in applacation of rules. Workrate from Hickey was very impressive, especially when we went down to 14 men on two occassions. One win away from return to Div One, would have taken that a few weeks ago.

seadog54 (Meath) - Posts: 2149 - 23/05/2021 19:11:55    2344691

Really great to get the win today. Clare or Kildare in the semi finals. In with a great shot of promotion to division 1.

bert09 (Meath) - Posts: 1792 - 23/05/2021 19:16:12    2344693

seadog54 (Meath) - Posts: 2149 - 23/05/2021 19:55:03    2344714

Very good win in awful conditions at times.Divison 1 experience really told today,we looked a good bit fitter today than Down.It s great to get two wins under the belt will give the lads alot of confidence winning is a good habit no matter what way you win.Lets go to castlebar next week and believe we can beat Mayo (I know Mayo are good)but we ran them close enough last year in the league so here's hoping we can do it next week.Hickey played well today and Morris looks a real gem,when on his game o Sullivan can do real damage hopefully he can be a bit more consistent.So far in the two games anyway the lads off the bench has come on and made a difference will be interesting to see if they can do it next week v Mayo who are a step or two up on Westmeath and Down no offense to either.We still have issues around our kickouts(v better teams we could struggle)and as other posters have pointed out free taking needs work.If we could get back to division 1 this year it would be a huge benefit to this team so here's hoping we can do it.

Proudroyal (Meath) - Posts: 257 - 23/05/2021 22:27:43    2344772

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 24/05/2021 00:01:49    2344794

In relation to the Mayo game, I see people talking about the conservative option of playing a team made up largely of our replacements, for it is likely the only "freebie" game we'll have all year to give guys adequate game time and build up our squad minutes... its a very tough proposition.

On one hand I wholeheartedly think its the right choice for obvious reasons to rest up and recover for the play-off in the best possible shape.

On another hand im thinking:
- we've only played and won two games and settling back into an atmosphere of a dead rubber isn't ideal all things considered. Maybe its best to go hammer and tongs at every game, esp considering the shorter knock-out championship. Going after every game with top intensity surely is the best way forward for the year that's in it.
- It's a chance to go out and beat one of the big dogs, last years AI finalists, who we should have beaten in Navan last year and whom we seriously owe a redenner. Meath hugely needs a win against a big team, irregardless of whether we play division one next year or not - this Meath team needs to banish some skeletons from the closet and I can imagine as a group that they'll not be eager to let this one slip by considering the League (division 1) last year and the Super 8's the year before. Those matches are a collective stain on the legacy of this team and its management and they ought to be frothing to do themselves justice 2/3 years on. It fascinates me how Mayo will approach this game. I'd wager given their proven consistency and maturity as a team that they'd be safer in the security of an experimental team for this fixture.

Young_gael (Meath) - Posts: 589 - 24/05/2021 05:50:55    2344805

We shouldnt be giving mayo any respect this year. They lost a lot of key personel this year so big transition there for them. We should have enough for them

Irish_downunder (Meath) - Posts: 631 - 24/05/2021 09:20:35    2344822