Dublin vs Meath preview article

 Division one Round 6 Meath  look to expose Dublin's potential frailties, as the inter county season resumes. 

By Steven Kelly

Meath and Dublin is the standout tie as the national football league resumes this weekend. The current covid 19 has hit society hard and unfortunately the inter county scene has been  limited since March.  Dublin will play host to a Meath side who are in desperate need of some points, as they have already been relegated to division 2 for the 2021 season. The game will be played in Parnell Park, which will be the Dubs first home game there since 2015. Meath and Dublin games have historically been ding dong affairs , with the sides going to 4 games way back in 1991. However with Dublin dominating the provincial and All Ireland crowns for the last number of years, the gap between Meath and Dublin has certainly widened substantially. The royals were beaten by 1-17 to 0-4 points on their recent trip to the capital. That Leinster final showed if anything the clinicalness of the Dubs, while the lack of strength in the Meath full forward line was  there for all to see.  The royals boss Andy McEntee stating ‘’We defended well, we just couldn't take our chances.’’ It's fair to say this sums up where both teams are at in terms of their development. 

Meath will be hoping that  players like Bryan Menton , Cillian O’ Sullivan and Shane Gallagher can play to their potential in order to be as competitive as they can in this game. Meath can take huge heart from the performances in the 2019 championship. In a group with Kerry, Mayo and Donegal, they were well in each of the games. Only in the last 15 minutes of the games did fatigue seem to take hold. Potentially, this Meath team are capable of taking a huge scalp.

The Dublin side have been hit with recent retirements including Jack McCafferey and marquee forward Diarmuid Connolly. Form prior to covid is what they will be hoping can be an element heading into this game. The Dubs have no doubt got the skill with the likes of Con O’ Callaghan, Ciaran Kilkenny and Dean Rock up front, but one would question if the hunger remains in the side? After the teams one point win over Donegal way back in February, GAA pundit Colm O’ Rourke expressed his opinions on the strength in depth of the boys in blue.’’ Sure they only have half a team out, nobody has a chance.’’ In a realistic sense Meath will be seen as huge outsiders to catch Dublin on the hop, but Dublin in league games have been guilty of lacking a spark. In the 2019 league campaign Dublin were beaten in 3 league outings. Manager Dessie Farrell will be hoping the break from play will instill the huger in the engine for his side. This Dublin side tend not to lack motivation. James McCarthy admitted during the initial lockdown that '' he found training solo particularly tough, as you aren't working on your combination plays.''

Some key points to note will be that the game will be played behind closed doors and the impact if any this may have on both teams. It seems crazy to think that the Dubs will go from normally 40 to 50 thousand attendances for  league games  in Croke Park in February, to an empty Parnell Park in October. Will Meath relish this situation? Will the Dubs be up to those high levels of pace and power we have come to expect? One thing to expect is that the sure sight of a Dublin jersey for the Meath men will make them or break them. Graham Geraghty, a former Meath footballer, had many great battles with the Dubs over the years. He describes his view on playing Dublin. ‘’Those games were so tough. If you were near the pitch at all you could hear the crunch in the tackle. The games mightn’t have been brilliant to look at but the intensity and rivalry was fantastic.’’ Meath and Dublin games however have been foregone conclusions in the last number of years,  with Meaths last win over the Dubs all the way back in 2010. All neutrals will be hoping for a close game this Saturday and one which may get the hearts racing again. God knows we need it.