RD, Don't worry mate - Jason Ryan and Kildare may well have underestimated your strength..............................We wont.

And that (along with our superior players) is why we will beat you in 18 days time.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13655 - 02/07/2014 10:58:07    1612497

I actually think Dublin will underestimate Meath, Dublin are so good now and so used to hammering better opposition than us I think most of their players will see the Meath game as nothing more than brushing a fly off their shoulder. Which with a bit of luck might make for an interesting game but ultimately won't even come close to stopping Dublin.

The thing is Jim Gavin himself probably played in (I don't know his exact Dublin playing years) plenty of tight Meath v Dublin games where both teams where very evenly matched but most of the current crop know they're better than our lads and are used to beating them at all grades, that's the reality.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 02/07/2014 11:08:42    1612502

Cant believe Jason Ryan's comments and his players Shock at the Physicality meath brought to the game...

Have they been living on a desert island or what...

Everyone knows how strong Kevin Reilly is, and also the level of physicality meath bring to championship games.
Very strange to be coming out with that...

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 4417 - 02/07/2014 11:26:55    1612518

Fionn
I agree,also I don't think we were anymore physical than we have been in the last couple of years.God help Kildare if they came up against any of the old Meath teams! :)

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 02/07/2014 11:28:53    1612520

Htaem
County: Meath
Posts: 5448

I actually think Dublin will underestimate Meath

Not a hope of this happening after how ye dismantled the Lillies. It was the best thing to happen from a Dublin point of view.
Jim and the lads will be totally focussed and expecting a battle. The lads will know what to expect.

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 4417 - 02/07/2014 11:29:27    1612523

On the point of physicality, Martin McHugh said that Meath had gone very soft..

The people of Meath would to see him eat his words

Royalio11 (Meath) - Posts: 802 - 02/07/2014 11:40:18    1612532

The only thing is,Dublin will expect to blow Meath way in the last 20 minutes.In a way,Meath may be better off being a few points behind at half time,there will come a time when Dublin won't be as good in the second half as many think..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 02/07/2014 11:48:18    1612537

There could also could come a time when Dublin could have the match won by half time.

fainleog (Limerick) - Posts: 602 - 02/07/2014 11:55:56    1612543

im going for meath by 4,if nadal can be toppled so can the dubs

the seal (Meath) - Posts: 583 - 02/07/2014 11:56:23    1612544

the seal

im going for meath by 4,if nadal can be toppled so can the dubs

Aye but Nadal doesn't like grass, the Dubs absolutely love grass.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 02/07/2014 12:02:46    1612549

The only thing is,Dublin will expect to blow Meath way in the last 20 minutes.In a way,Meath may be better off being a few points behind at half time,there will come a time when Dublin won't be as good in the second half as many think..

__________________

Dublins game plan doesnt revolve around the last 20 minutes - It just so happens that our better options off the bench and our superior fitness levels mean the last 20 minutes we tend to pull away.

You are right, There will be times you'd imagine when second half's become more even especially when we come up against Sterner tests which i expect from Meath, But you also have to consider the fact that we wont play as bad in the first half of games as we have done in our last 3 or 4 games.

The main thing for JG and the Dublin panel is to win games, Performances are great if they come too but winning is the first objective and the more games we win, The tougher the challenges will get, But Dublin realistically have been looking to this game against Meath/Kildare as their first BIG championship challenge, And while i dont believe you can just flick an imaginary button and turn on a consistently brilliant 70 minute display, I do believe you can improve with each passing game and i expect us to improve (especially on our first half performances) against Meath in 2 and a half weeks time.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13655 - 02/07/2014 12:06:38    1612555

Fionn

Not a hope of this happening after how ye dismantled the Lillies.

Ye but we finished the game poorly, which is in exact contrast to how the Dubs finish games, if we'd have been playing Dublin on sunday, well for a start we wouldn't have been 12pts up, that's a given but we'd sure as hell have been at the very least 12 down by the final whistle playing like that.

Huge improvement needed from our lads, no team is unbeatable of course, we all know that but a massive effort is needed from our lads.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 02/07/2014 12:08:31    1612557

Htaem, yes but ye took your foot off the gas.
It was very clear to see after going 12pts up.

Don't forget ye should have scored at least 3 more goals also.

At least Jim will be prepared for MOD tactical switches after the way he changed things around for the Kildare game.

If meath get a big head start and then close up shop, it will be difficult for us to win..!

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 4417 - 02/07/2014 12:14:44    1612564

Fionn

Htaem, yes but ye took your foot off the gas.
It was very clear to see after going 12pts up.

Don't forget ye should have scored at least 3 more goals also.

Ye in fairness we did take the foot off the gas but that's something I don't like to see, there was a lot of unnecessary sweating in the last 10mins of that game. Being more clinical infront of goal is something that will have to be looked at aswell but hopefully Newman will be back and he's another tall target man at 15 who likes a shot at goal so it should make things interesting.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 02/07/2014 12:29:01    1612582

The more I think of it, the more I'm convinced this will be one of very few challenges Dublin face this year. Kerry maybe? Cork? Mayo? Monaghan at a push? Or even further push Donegal. I see not other side that could give them game

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 02/07/2014 18:38:32    1612809

At this level, everyone is so well prepared it can come down to one or two things on the day. Mick O'Dowd has talked about this several times.

Dublin rightly favourites but you only have to look at the fortunes of some of the teams they faced in Division 1 this year to see how close it is between top and bottom. Derry and Westmeath already gone, Kildare and Tyrone in the qualifiers, Cork and Kerry tested by Division 4 teams in Munster.

Meath are in tip top shape and you only have to read the article about Jason Ryan's surprise at Meath's strength to see that. Some people might see this game as a foregone conclusion but the reality is it will turn out a lot differently. You can expect a tight game with one or two breaks either way swinging it.

Former_Poster (Meath) - Posts: 394 - 02/07/2014 18:47:15    1612814

royaldunne
County: Meath
Posts: 5975

1612809
The more I think of it, the more I'm convinced this will be one of very few challenges Dublin face this year. Kerry maybe? Cork? Mayo? Monaghan at a push? Or even further push Donegal. I see not other side that could give them game

Good man royal,
What is it about this time of year that all common sense & good judgement goes out the window? Is it the sun, or pollen or is it simply that hope springs eternal?
Whatever it's as much part of the summer GAA experience as dodgy burgers & traffic jams on the way home.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 02/07/2014 18:51:24    1612818

The more I think of it, the more I'm convinced this will be one of very few challenges Dublin face this year. Kerry maybe? Cork? Mayo? Monaghan at a push? Or even further push Donegal. I see not other side that could give them game

______________________

You're thinking about it more than us pal, Dublin only worrying about Meath for now, Thats the biggest challenge we have.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13655 - 02/07/2014 18:54:48    1612821

wayno

You're thinking about it more than us pal, Dublin only worrying about Meath for now, Thats the biggest challenge we have.

.......so.......so you's are worrying then? HAHA SWEET!!! ;-)

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 02/07/2014 19:00:22    1612825

A lot of people are mentioning the fact that we fell asleep in the second half against Dublin and are putting it down to a lack of fitness, I don't agree with that, most of the first half and the 10 minutes at the start of the second half was played at such a high tempo that after 40 minutes meath were 12 points up, naturally when a team is that much ahead they are going to start to relax, and once they did Kildare were allowed to play again which I think shows how good meath did play that it was only when they took the foot off the gas that Kildare were able to get on top. it wouldn't have been realistic to expect meath to keep that high intensity up for the rest of the half when they didn't necessarily need to, when Kildare got within 4 points meath went straight up the field and got a point and then controlled the last few minutes passing the ball around without Kildare getting a touch of it.
MOD knows what he's doing, after the Carlow game when he wasn't happy that we had started so slow in the first half he made sure to drill it into the players that we needed a good start against Kildare and they started the game off at a very high tempo, now he knows that they will need to play for the full 70 minutes so I have no concerns of meath falling asleep against Dublin, I think it will be a close first half with meath throwing everything they have at Dublin in the last 20 minutes of the second half and have no doubts that this will be worked on in training now whether that will be enough to beat Dublin remains to be seen but im quietly confident that meath can win.

meathalltheway (Meath) - Posts: 789 - 02/07/2014 19:34:40    1612851