Sunday’s clash between old foes Meath and Dublin promises to be not only an intriguing battle on the pitch, but also a defining afternoon in the careers of the respective managers.
Both Eamonn O’Brien and Pat Gilroy are in their second season at the helm, but are seemingly dealing with squads in different stages of their development following strange championship campaigns in 2009.
Both enjoyed a measure of success in their debut season. O’Brien, following a tame defeat to Dublin in the opening round of the Leinster championship, steered his side through to the All-Ireland semi-final, albeit with the help of a fairly favourable draw.
Meath are further down to road in terms of development. The majority of their side have been regulars for the last number of seasons
Dublin, having seen off the Royals, clinched their now almost customary Leinster title. A new-found optimism swept the county and most pundits made the Dubs favourites to defeat an out-of-sorts – until that point at least – Kerry side in the All-Ireland quarter-final. We are all familiar with what happened next – Hill 16 saw their heroes produce a collapse that the French would be proud of. Game over after 15 minutes. New manager, same old story. Back to the drawing board.
The 2010 league campaign saw Gilroy introduce a raft of new faces and the results were very encouraging. Dublin narrowly missed out on a league final appearance and recorded wins over Kerry, Mayo and Tyrone amongst others.
The somewhat controversial omission of Jason Sherlock from the championship panel raised some eyebrows, but in truth it was probably time for Dublin to look elsewhere. Those who remember the aforementioned hammering at the hands of Kerry last summer will recall that Sherlock was taken off early in the first half. It seems Gilroy made up his mind at that point that the sensation of the 1995 All-Ireland win had little more to offer the Dublin cause.
“Worst in living memory”
Off the back of their good league form, Dublin entered the Leinster Championship with a new-look side and were expected to get past Wexford without too many problems. However, their performance for the first 50 minutes was the worst in living memory from a Dublin championship selection and it was only in extra-time, with the help of some old hands, that Dublin pulled clear of their opponents.
Given that Dublin are seeking to introduce new personnel and a new system under Gilroy, Meath are the ones who would seem to be further down to road in terms of development. The majority of the side have been regulars for the last number of seasons, and that has certainly manifested itself in their 2010 championship performances to date.
Direct football and impressive scoring has been the order of the year so far with big totals posted in the two games with Laois and the opening round clash with Offaly. Meath would certainly appear to be reaping the benefits of getting a settled side together, where everyone is familiar with their role within the team.
One thing which is also worth noting about this Meath team is that they are a very imposing set of players. Most of the 15 who started last Saturday’s replay against Laois are well over six foot. Size is something the top sides usually have in abundance, and Meath certainly aren’t lacking in that department.
50-50 ball game
Given the usually tight nature of these games, no matter what the perceived weaknesses of one side or the other, it is difficult to say who the favourites are.
Dublin will scarcely be as bad as they were for long periods against Wexford, and while Meath have looked impressive at times, the quality of their opponents thus far is open to question. It is a watershed game for both managers. Meath’s need to clinch their first Leinster title since 2001, and a perception (rightly or wrongly) that Dublin are there for the taking, arguably puts more pressure on Eamonn O’Brien.
Despite two semi-final appearances in the last three years, Meath have never looked like troubling the top sides – they were well beaten in both those games. But another run through the qualifiers isn’t what they need – both players and fans alike as desperate for a Leinster title.
Dublin have had their fill of provincial honours, but that isn’t to say they don’t want more, and the new faces who retain their places on Sunday will be keen to make amends for the Wexford performance.
It should be a compelling encounter between two sides who, for slightly different reasons, have a lot to prove.
– David Sheehan
