National Forum

Tyrone V Meath Nfl Rd 1.

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Have waited many years to return to where we belong. No game in division one is going to be easy, and this one certainly won't be, Meaths primary goal this year is to remain in division one, the objective is made more difficult with only having 3 home games v Galway mayo and donegal. 8 Pts will see us safe even 6 could. While it is only first game of campaign and we have some significant absentees , I feel it is one of the away games we can win. Tight tough encounter Meath by a point.
Hon the royal.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 16/01/2020 13:44:20    2260196

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I expect Tyrone to really struggle in the league this year despite kicking big scores in McKenna Cup.
Mattie Donnelly and Cathal McShane are huge losses. In my opinion, two out of Tyrone, Monaghan and Meath will go down. Two points are a must for Tyrone here if we want to stay in the division. However, I'd be surprised if Meath can come up to Omagh and win.

OGarmaile (Tyrone) - Posts: 248 - 16/01/2020 14:22:21    2260206

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Replying To royaldunne:  "Have waited many years to return to where we belong. No game in division one is going to be easy, and this one certainly won't be, Meaths primary goal this year is to remain in division one, the objective is made more difficult with only having 3 home games v Galway mayo and donegal. 8 Pts will see us safe even 6 could. While it is only first game of campaign and we have some significant absentees , I feel it is one of the away games we can win. Tight tough encounter Meath by a point.
Hon the royal."
I'd like to see you stay up.

It's rare for a team to go down on 5 points.

You're home fixtures are all winnable.

I think you're favourites for the drop but you've certainly got a fighting chance at avoiding it.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4210 - 16/01/2020 14:36:50    2260213

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Replying To royaldunne:  "Have waited many years to return to where we belong. No game in division one is going to be easy, and this one certainly won't be, Meaths primary goal this year is to remain in division one, the objective is made more difficult with only having 3 home games v Galway mayo and donegal. 8 Pts will see us safe even 6 could. While it is only first game of campaign and we have some significant absentees , I feel it is one of the away games we can win. Tight tough encounter Meath by a point.
Hon the royal."
6 points is usually enough royaldunne although Cork went down with 6 points about 4/5 years ago so it's possible.

Win your home games and you should be fine once you don't get a hammering.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 16/01/2020 14:37:20    2260214

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It would give hope to teams outside Div 1 if Meath can compete and stay up. However it's unlikely to happen, Dublin, Kerry, Mayo, Donegal will easily beat Meath. Galway, Tyrone and Monaghan are winnable and whilst it's possible to win one of those games I can't see them winning two of them. For me Meath to go down with a total of 2 points, hard league ahead for them.

sam1884 (UK) - Posts: 999 - 16/01/2020 15:27:21    2260233

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Replying To royaldunne:  "Have waited many years to return to where we belong. No game in division one is going to be easy, and this one certainly won't be, Meaths primary goal this year is to remain in division one, the objective is made more difficult with only having 3 home games v Galway mayo and donegal. 8 Pts will see us safe even 6 could. While it is only first game of campaign and we have some significant absentees , I feel it is one of the away games we can win. Tight tough encounter Meath by a point.
Hon the royal."
Meath have put it up to Tyrone in both league and championship over the last ten years but Tyrone usually come out narrowly in front. For Tyrone to stay in Division 1 that is the result they will need on 26th. Tyrone by 2 points.

Byanthon (Tyrone) - Posts: 1780 - 16/01/2020 15:50:41    2260243

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It's a bit early in the year for giving u a kick RD.
But I do think ye will struggle and go down genuinely.

OhtobeARossie (Roscommon) - Posts: 1764 - 16/01/2020 16:25:37    2260256

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Replying To royaldunne:  "Have waited many years to return to where we belong. No game in division one is going to be easy, and this one certainly won't be, Meaths primary goal this year is to remain in division one, the objective is made more difficult with only having 3 home games v Galway mayo and donegal. 8 Pts will see us safe even 6 could. While it is only first game of campaign and we have some significant absentees , I feel it is one of the away games we can win. Tight tough encounter Meath by a point.
Hon the royal."
First things first. 8 points might not just see you safe, it could get you to a final. Monaghan survived on 4 last year. Think Meath will get relegated but will learn invaluable lessons. This is the real Div One, not with pretenders like Cavan or Roscommon. Meath and losers of Monaghan or Tyrone in Round 2 to go down. Then Meath to keep Dublin to within 6 points in Championship.

FootblockREF (Monaghan) - Posts: 563 - 16/01/2020 16:47:10    2260262

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Why do Meath belong there? Their overall Championship and League performances since the last time they were in Division 1 would suggest anything but an entitlement to be in Division 1?

Glad to see them back in the top tier all the same but please don't talk in a wax lyrical way of this Math team or teams of the past few seasons. They were where they were because that's the level they operated at. Would love to see them use this year as a platform to have more games against top sides to assist them in getting to that level, and they could well stay up but if not, take it on the chin and move on.

LongfordSham (Longford) - Posts: 106 - 16/01/2020 17:24:46    2260269

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Replying To sam1884:  "It would give hope to teams outside Div 1 if Meath can compete and stay up. However it's unlikely to happen, Dublin, Kerry, Mayo, Donegal will easily beat Meath. Galway, Tyrone and Monaghan are winnable and whilst it's possible to win one of those games I can't see them winning two of them. For me Meath to go down with a total of 2 points, hard league ahead for them."
I don't believe Mayo or Donegal will easily beat us, we had three hard games with Donegal last year, should have won the first game but for a goalkeeping error, had a right battle in the league final and went toe to toe with them in the Super 8's save for a fade out in the last 10 mins, same with Mayo. Whilst we are missing a few regulars with injury this might not necessarily be a bad thing as there are a few decent young players that have been tried in the O'Byrne Cup that are mad for a chance at this level. We have traditionally always performed against Tyrone, irrespective of venue, and I think the same will happen again, a result will be hard for but I won't be surprised at all if we actually get something from Omagh.

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 16/01/2020 17:52:55    2260273

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Replying To Richieq:  "I don't believe Mayo or Donegal will easily beat us, we had three hard games with Donegal last year, should have won the first game but for a goalkeeping error, had a right battle in the league final and went toe to toe with them in the Super 8's save for a fade out in the last 10 mins, same with Mayo. Whilst we are missing a few regulars with injury this might not necessarily be a bad thing as there are a few decent young players that have been tried in the O'Byrne Cup that are mad for a chance at this level. We have traditionally always performed against Tyrone, irrespective of venue, and I think the same will happen again, a result will be hard for but I won't be surprised at all if we actually get something from Omagh."
Tyrone have their usual home disadvantage. They often play better away from home. It was close last year and with a couple of notable absentees, I'd agree that Meath has a great chance here.

essmac (Tyrone) - Posts: 1141 - 16/01/2020 19:07:25    2260294

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Replying To Whammo86:  "I'd like to see you stay up.

It's rare for a team to go down on 5 points.

You're home fixtures are all winnable.

I think you're favourites for the drop but you've certainly got a fighting chance at avoiding it."
I'd agree with that.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 16/01/2020 20:07:07    2260306

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Replying To KingdomBoy1:  "6 points is usually enough royaldunne although Cork went down with 6 points about 4/5 years ago so it's possible.

Win your home games and you should be fine once you don't get a hammering."
Hopefully, we play Monaghan in clones on last day, I'd hope that it wouldn't be a must win, but I fear it maybe

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 16/01/2020 20:08:39    2260307

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Replying To OhtobeARossie:  "It's a bit early in the year for giving u a kick RD.
But I do think ye will struggle and go down genuinely."
Win the 3 home games and against banty in the last? All slagging aside I think we have a fair shot of remaining.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 16/01/2020 20:09:46    2260308

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Replying To essmac:  "Tyrone have their usual home disadvantage. They often play better away from home. It was close last year and with a couple of notable absentees, I'd agree that Meath has a great chance here."
While Tyrone are missing players, the loss of harnan and particularly Newman to Meath is a major blow, we will be dependent on now 19 yo Shane walsh to get most of the scores, big ask for the young chap.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 16/01/2020 20:16:21    2260310

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I do not see the team being be negatively effected by the loss of any players as their replacement will easily be as good, or better. Lots of players in the county as good as most of the county team (the problem being is their are no Mc Dermots/Dowds/Gerathys/Murphys I could go on) the matches against Monaghan/Tyrone/Donegal/ Kerry/ Galway/Mayo -the results could go any way and I will not predict. Dublin will be difficult to beat as usual. So the jury is out as most matches in the league are lost by no more than 2 points. Home matches do decide a lot of results.

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 17/01/2020 01:08:49    2260370

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I was impressed by Meath last time we played in Navan but a lot of that was down to us taking out foot off the gas. Meath had a few decent showings in the Super 8s but their performance against Dublin in Leinster was appalling. Division 1 could be a chastening experience.

OGarmaile (Tyrone) - Posts: 248 - 17/01/2020 11:05:24    2260411

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Replying To OGarmaile:  "I was impressed by Meath last time we played in Navan but a lot of that was down to us taking out foot off the gas. Meath had a few decent showings in the Super 8s but their performance against Dublin in Leinster was appalling. Division 1 could be a chastening experience."
The game v Dublin was what I'd call a freak, from midfield up no one performed even the subs, I seen shots missed that day that I'd put over. In politics it would be called a outlier. They didn't perform. Perhaps it was nerves, who knows. But before or since there has been no repeated so again I'd just put that to a one off.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 17/01/2020 17:17:12    2260491

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Meath's greatest advantage is history, however it's also their greatest disadvantage. Im as proud a supporter as they come any given day, but the last decade has assured me that Meath football cannot rest on its laurels whatsoever anymore. For 60/70 years Meath teams could usually just turn up and win most games if the chips fell right, this is far from the case now and has been for a few cycles of players, eg: 10 years or so, possibly 20 years if a few good years aren't considered.

Promotion last year was earned by attacking the league at full fitness and with a full strength squad, catching essentially everyone bar Donegal with sucker punches early on. The championship and progression to S8 was personified by wins over Carlow, Offaly, Laois, and Clare, with respect, not top sides. The performance against Dublin had admirable heart but they were miles and miles off the pace. They did ok in the S8's but again fell short in the business end of games. This team or 90% of them had a breakout last year out of the blue, nobody saw it coming. In the previous few seasons they lost championship matches against Longford, and Westmeath, and last season should have been beaten in the Leinster championship by Offaly. These are the facts. We also have a lengthy injury list going into 2020.

Going back to my original point, the players are there in Meath. Always were. They are decent, natural players. History is still (largely) on their side against most opposition. The issues are that since the early noughties Meath sides did NOT tactically advance and change accordingly with the times, they also had too much recycling of players and management, and for years the lads coming out of underage squads werent trained and werent tested in line with the rest of the country. The attitude of "we are Meath" is as poisonous to the county as it is good, as older gaels in particular simply think things will just work out and if they dont the manager/squad must be the problem and hence the wheel keeps turning. I would also say that the cultural changes in Meath/Kildare are huge and for people who don't live here, its hard to sum up just how different the county is now comparable to my childhood. The players and attitudes coming out of the youth and support isn't the same at all, and this is a very real factor going forward. Its a different county. Theres 200,000 people here, a quarter more than in 1995 and most of them don't know the game or want to know it, these people are now 2nd generation approaching 3rd generation.

All in all, as a Meath supporter, this is a tidy young team. There's good players there and they have a top quality management. They played some great ball last season. As I said, the players are always going to be there. However I have to be frank as a supporter of the game at large, and I think this year will be very difficult. The injuries are extensive, and the issues of last season up front and at midfield will likely continue. Are we a top 8 side? I sadly don't think we are. I hope Im wrong but I can see a fall to Earth coming over the horizon. The fixtures are targetable; ie the games in Navan and the derby effect v. Monaghan but its a stretch. The damage done very gradually over many years has had a seep effect on the county team, they're not the same animal anymore. More work is needed on the ground and with underage/development teams before we see a genuine reversal in fortunes. That being said, great being back in Division One, and up the royals.

Young_gael (Meath) - Posts: 587 - 17/01/2020 17:27:38    2260495

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Replying To Richieq:  "I don't believe Mayo or Donegal will easily beat us, we had three hard games with Donegal last year, should have won the first game but for a goalkeeping error, had a right battle in the league final and went toe to toe with them in the Super 8's save for a fade out in the last 10 mins, same with Mayo. Whilst we are missing a few regulars with injury this might not necessarily be a bad thing as there are a few decent young players that have been tried in the O'Byrne Cup that are mad for a chance at this level. We have traditionally always performed against Tyrone, irrespective of venue, and I think the same will happen again, a result will be hard for but I won't be surprised at all if we actually get something from Omagh."
I think the 2020 national league is going to be a different experience and is likely partly the reason Donegal dropped out of the McKenna Cup. With the new competition structures in place teams will even in Div 1 not want to be relegated as to fall closer to that B Championship nightmare. I thought Meath looked out of their depth in the super 8's but for opposing teams taking the foot of the peddle. With Donegal and Mayo much better prepared at this time of the year I think Meath could be in for some hidings. I don't see them winning in Omagh, Galway will be tight but I think Meath will fall the wrong side. I expect Monaghan to struggle and my prediction is both Meath and Monaghan will be gone by the last game.

sam1884 (UK) - Posts: 999 - 17/01/2020 19:25:38    2260517

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