Important game that it is for meath i cant see us winning. we have been playing awful in the last few weeks. every game has been a false dawn. the kildare game, the derry game. Tyrone are a better team than them 2 teams put together. this tyrone team will take serious stopping in winning the all ireland. the only thing we can hope for is a good performance and hopefully we will win but its unlikely as tyrone going for the league final place. so there will be no complacency from them. id expect tyrone to win by 3-4 points on sunday. Tyrone have too many better players than Meath.
Overall the league has been a disaster for meath. League means nothing in the Championship but it is a good indicator. The games that we should have won were the Laois game and the Antrim game. they were the 2 games that possibly should have got something from. another worying thing is the loss of form by virtually the whole forward unit. with the exception of Joe and biggy when he has played the rest of the meath forwards have been totally off form. Midfield too is another area where we are struggling. the backs are still as brittle as ever. to concede 1-18 v derry is not a good sign. Banty have a big job on their hands to turn this around. i dunno if they can but who knows. worryingly nobody has came through that you could say yeah hel be playing v kildare. seems to be too many average club footballers on the panel too.
Relegation they are saying is not a disaster but i think it is if it does happen.

db9 (Meath) - Posts: 283 - 06/04/2011 18:54:19    905439

Very negative db9. But unfortunately I have to agree with you on some aspects. Defensively, simply not good enough. Shipping too many scores and also conceding way too many scoreable frees. The midfield is definitely still not in great shape. However I slightly disagree with you in saying Joe and Graham Reilly are exceptions to the rest of the forwards in the lack of confidence. I don't think Big Joe is playing anywhere near the level he can get to. He seems to lack pace, hunger and overall desire, but hopefully that will improve. After all we need him to be hitting more scores and definitely holding more balls coming into him. He also seems to be behind he marker on a continuous basis. I'm not having a go at Joe, as he is still one of the better forwards we have at the moment, but just by his standards, he is falling well below. In saying this, the balls coming into him also have to be at a much higher standard! Which is something that the management need to look at. There is no point in having a player of his ability in there and then kicking in poor balls. All this is, in my opinion, leading to his lack of confidence and desire.

David (Meath) - Posts: 567 - 06/04/2011 21:02:02    905606

Big game at the weekend hopefully we can pull off a great escape.

TheZodiac (Meath) - Posts: 25 - 07/04/2011 12:10:00    905905

I completely agree with you Northmeathman.We have zero pace in the panel all told. Zero. We have no playmaker either. There is nobody in the side now who can accurately kick the ball to joe shane or anyone else who might be up there. Thank god for the return of Steven Bray and a fit Graham Reilly. Peader is suspended unfortunately. We should give that Justin O Reilly a run, he is very similar to Alan Brogan. I have saw him play a few times and i normally has two or three men marking him and still scores about six points a game, admittadly only in junior. Paddy O Rourke, is a poor goalkeeper and a poor half forward in my opinion, can we not move him into the middle of the park or into the full forward line? Banty himself might step down before the year is out if our poor results continue. I still maintain that there is time for a rethink. Drop about ten lads from the panel and use the first couple of rounds of club championship as a trial.

James T (Meath) - Posts: 611 - 07/04/2011 13:26:38    905993

I would like to see Cormac McGuinness tried at 11,he is capable of good service..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 07/04/2011 19:07:55    906372

What age is Justin O'Reilly does anybody know?

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 07/04/2011 19:08:29    906373

Would I be right in thinking that a draw would be enough to survive if Sligo + Antrim both lose? That would leave us level with Sligo but we would stay up on the head-to-head record? Maybe I am mis-reading the situation.
If that is the case then no problem - only a draw needed against consistently one of the top two or three teams in Ireland over the past ten years.

anfearbeag (Meath) - Posts: 1134 - 07/04/2011 19:54:09    906423

to answer your question ziggy, justin reilly is 30 in 2 weeks

pim (Meath) - Posts: 119 - 07/04/2011 20:28:33    906462

pim
County: Meath
Posts: 49

906462
to answer your question ziggy, justin reilly is 30 in 2 weeks


You sure about that? I didn't even think Ronan was that age. I'd have said 28.

Jinxie (Meath) - Posts: 6347 - 07/04/2011 20:44:35    906480

Have to agree with some posters do believe their is a big performance in this meath team and think it could be tyrone to bring it out of them.Goin to go for a 2point win for the royals because i really truly believe they will give it all against the red hands to avoid relegation as that would be disastrous for them....

DUB1 (Dublin) - Posts: 5583 - 07/04/2011 20:48:13    906486

28 or 30 really at this stage of his career if he really was good enough why wasn't he picked by any of the previous managers? I think he was tried at one stage alright,but it's unlikely he will make inroads now..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 07/04/2011 20:51:25    906488

Can Meath fix all the problems they have had in the league suddenly in one game? Against a side in great form and, for me, one of the three sides who can win the All-Ireland.. Tyrone don't want to be in division two as much as Meath want to be in division three..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 07/04/2011 20:53:34    906489

Tyrone unchanged from the team that dismantled Kildare,they only conceded 5 points in that game and have an excellent half back line,even if Meath play well it will be very very difficult..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 07/04/2011 21:42:09    906548

looking at this team i think that it will be all pulling and dragging and very little football played.

bluearmy (Dublin) - Posts: 319 - 08/04/2011 08:26:58    906573

nothin to fear we are capable of beating tyrone we just won't

stepaside (Meath) - Posts: 8 - 08/04/2011 12:19:18    906724

James T
County: Meath
Posts: 518

905993 I completely agree with you Northmeathman.We have zero pace in the panel all told. Zero. We have no playmaker either. There is nobody in the side now who can accurately kick the ball to joe shane or anyone else who might be up there.

___________________________________-

james T graham reilly is a playmaker and has pace. seamus kenny also has pace and is good at making things happen

BettystownRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 3353 - 08/04/2011 16:41:07    907033

jinxie, ronan is 31 in about a month, theyre "irish twins", older brother carl going 33 this year, dont know what age younger brothers are

pim (Meath) - Posts: 119 - 08/04/2011 17:22:40    907079

Pim you seem to know a lot about the O Reilly family.

tailteannpark (Meath) - Posts: 174 - 08/04/2011 19:55:07    907186

Pim did u play corner back for moylagh junior bs back in the eighties by any chance?

tailteannpark (Meath) - Posts: 174 - 08/04/2011 20:16:55    907198

Meath 0-08 3-15 Tyrone

BallsMcQ (USA) - Posts: 941 - 09/04/2011 14:03:54    907431