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I really like this Meath side and think they are on the right path however if you don't have security in your own kickout then you are going nowhere against the Dubs, we can talk all day about individual defenders, blanket defence, man-on-man, athleticism, goals in the Meath forward line, it'll all be irrelevant unless Meath can secure 90% of their own ball and pressure Cluxtons as well.
In that regard I think Meath will put up a very decent fight but eventually they just won't starve the Dubs of enough ball and the Dubs will do what they do.
The hope I would give Meath is that Dublin looked very sloppy to me against Laois before they got the first goal (I know they had a couple goal chances before the one they converted in the first half). Meath are a much better side than Laois and I would back them to build a lead given that same first 20 minutes that Laois had against the Dubs (Laois also missed quite a few chances). However Dublin tend to figure things out pretty quick even if they're having an off day so as I said, possession is the biggest thing - if Meath get a few points up then the big thing then is securing your own ball. It takes the pressure off hugely and no doubt about it, Dublin will go after your kickout.
JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1432 - 16/11/2020 11:12:54
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Replying To sam1884: "You're a Div 2 county about to suffer a 15 point plus defeat next Saturday. We'd all like to see a strong Meath like a strong Cork, Galway and more Ulster counties for the good of football. Meath are in the top 12 but sadly a long way from being a "force". There is no evidence Meath will close the gap on the top 3 or 4 anytime soon and will more likely sit around 6th to 12th in the country but I do like the positive narrative from Meath people." Have you the lotto numbers ?? Btw. Looks like there will be no divisions next year due to Covid.
royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 16/11/2020 11:15:18
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Replying To jimbodub: "I think we saw the best of Con in his natural position last year, he's no doubt putting in a big shift at the moment but he's simply not in position to be having the impact he had last year
He was unreal as a primary target man, a beast. listen he's not played much ball at all this year
Hopefully we might see something more alright
But yeah I do find someone with Basquels level of talent not even involved a bit frustrating, sure what do I know..
But watching Dublin butchering goal chances like they did last night is becoming common now" Are you worried about the execution at the minute jimbo? Or is this not pretty standard for the Dubs as you's move through Leinster and iron out the kinks for the AI series?
JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1432 - 16/11/2020 11:16:22
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Replying To sam1884: "You're a Div 2 county about to suffer a 15 point plus defeat next Saturday. We'd all like to see a strong Meath like a strong Cork, Galway and more Ulster counties for the good of football. Meath are in the top 12 but sadly a long way from being a "force". There is no evidence Meath will close the gap on the top 3 or 4 anytime soon and will more likely sit around 6th to 12th in the country but I do like the positive narrative from Meath people." On a side note. What county do you support ??
royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 16/11/2020 11:17:10
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Replying To Fionn: "Sorry, Ollie...
The ref was so bloody wrong that day....
Didnt even ask the umpires for their view - just told him to raise the green flag...
10yrs on and the hurt is still there for Louth fans and players.
Definitely not a Leinster title I would still be going on about and celebrating, if I was a Meath fan... ;o)
It was the aftermath of this game, I think, that was the end of fans allowed onto the pitch to celebrate a victory.
I am sure to be corrected if I am wrong on that." Ahh sure Dublin saved us when they won their first celebrating the cluxton free that wasn't a free to rob the poor Kerry players and fans. So that made it ok for us. :)
royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 16/11/2020 11:18:56
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Replying To Fionn: "Trump speak - I love it Jimbo...
Defo RD could be guilty of that from time to time - no offence RD... ;o)" It was actually orurke who said it. I was repeating it.
royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 16/11/2020 11:19:42
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I'd bring in James Conlon early too. He has pace a plenty and can get the scores or lay off.
royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 16/11/2020 11:24:10
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did u ever think that meath would be 9/1 in a leinster final v the dubs!!!
Stmunnsriver (Wexford) - Posts: 3126 - 16/11/2020 11:31:15
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Replying To JoeSoap: "Are you worried about the execution at the minute jimbo? Or is this not pretty standard for the Dubs as you's move through Leinster and iron out the kinks for the AI series?" Its a common trait
Even with all the success
Dublin butcher a sizeable % of goal chances and get away with it thanks to their point scoring accuracy
They scored 2 last night
Should have had 5-6. Guilty of some poor handling last night and Fenton while playing very well should get a boot up the hole for drop kicking his easy chance.. inexcusable
That should have been hit hard and low
jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20763 - 16/11/2020 11:34:23
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Replying To royaldunne: "Ahh sure Dublin saved us when they won their first celebrating the cluxton free that wasn't a free to rob the poor Kerry players and fans. So that made it ok for us. :)" How are the nerves RD....?
lol
Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 5282 - 16/11/2020 11:40:38
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Replying To Stmunnsriver: "did u ever think that meath would be 9/1 in a leinster final v the dubs!!!" 16/1 last year. So no surprise there. Actually think it's a bit short of a price.
royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 16/11/2020 11:45:41
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Replying To Fionn: "How are the nerves RD....?
lol" Perfect fionn absolutely perfect.
However looking at next years league should the be divisions 3 provincial champions in div 2 wouldn't do anyone's nerves any good :)
royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 16/11/2020 11:48:14
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It's been a long time since I cursed at the TV watching a match
But both Fenton and Scully ballsing up brilliant moves in the 1st half got a rise out of me.. lol
Scully receives a sublimely weighted cross field pass right into his run, mishandles it, ball gets away from him and then takes the wrong option
Dublin have a great forward unit, highly effective and their shot accuracy percentages are very good, in fact record setting, but they don't have an out and out goal finisher and it's common to see them fluff chances.
jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20763 - 16/11/2020 11:49:18
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Replying To royaldunne: "16/1 last year. So no surprise there. Actually think it's a bit short of a price." Not for an upcoming force that is Meath...
As you said - very unlucky in most of their Div 1 games. Held their own in most of those matches.
Scoring for fun - and very few injuries to use as an excuse this time. ;o)
Maybe another holiday will be paid for again RD... lol
Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 5282 - 16/11/2020 11:51:49
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Replying To JoeSoap: "I really like this Meath side and think they are on the right path however if you don't have security in your own kickout then you are going nowhere against the Dubs, we can talk all day about individual defenders, blanket defence, man-on-man, athleticism, goals in the Meath forward line, it'll all be irrelevant unless Meath can secure 90% of their own ball and pressure Cluxtons as well.
In that regard I think Meath will put up a very decent fight but eventually they just won't starve the Dubs of enough ball and the Dubs will do what they do.
The hope I would give Meath is that Dublin looked very sloppy to me against Laois before they got the first goal (I know they had a couple goal chances before the one they converted in the first half). Meath are a much better side than Laois and I would back them to build a lead given that same first 20 minutes that Laois had against the Dubs (Laois also missed quite a few chances). However Dublin tend to figure things out pretty quick even if they're having an off day so as I said, possession is the biggest thing - if Meath get a few points up then the big thing then is securing your own ball. It takes the pressure off hugely and no doubt about it, Dublin will go after your kickout." Kickouts are definitely an issue for us, going short has cost us a lot of scores and then when we go long, it tends to be the 50/50 welly down the field rather than picking someone out unmarked, which Cluxton can do with phenomenal accuracy.
I actually thought Laois done well against Dublin around the middle in the first half but like us last year, they completely failed to make it count on the scoreboard and the heads dropped as soon as Dublin put on the burners.
We have a big task ahead of us and it may end in disaster (certainly that's what will be expected), but I have a lot of time for Andy McEntee and the players and I'd love to see them doing well.
Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 16/11/2020 11:53:13
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Replying To jimbodub: "It's been a long time since I cursed at the TV watching a match
But both Fenton and Scully ballsing up brilliant moves in the 1st half got a rise out of me.. lol
Scully receives a sublimely weighted cross field pass right into his run, mishandles it, ball gets away from him and then takes the wrong option
Dublin have a great forward unit, highly effective and their shot accuracy percentages are very good, in fact record setting, but they don't have an out and out goal finisher and it's common to see them fluff chances." But at least we are going in with something to improve on.
Imagine going in to it having scored 12 goals in 2 games and being cock a hoop about our goal scoring prowess....
Hopefully it is a blessing in disguise that we are not taking all our goal chances yet..!
Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 5282 - 16/11/2020 11:56:32
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Replying To Fionn: "But at least we are going in with something to improve on.
Imagine going in to it having scored 12 goals in 2 games and being cock a hoop about our goal scoring prowess....
Hopefully it is a blessing in disguise that we are not taking all our goal chances yet..!" I'm just being picky after a 22pt win
Haha
jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20763 - 16/11/2020 12:02:12
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Replying To Htaem: "Kickouts are definitely an issue for us, going short has cost us a lot of scores and then when we go long, it tends to be the 50/50 welly down the field rather than picking someone out unmarked, which Cluxton can do with phenomenal accuracy.
I actually thought Laois done well against Dublin around the middle in the first half but like us last year, they completely failed to make it count on the scoreboard and the heads dropped as soon as Dublin put on the burners.
We have a big task ahead of us and it may end in disaster (certainly that's what will be expected), but I have a lot of time for Andy McEntee and the players and I'd love to see them doing well." Yeah I would agree with that, Laois got some joy on their own kickout but were quite wasteful and made poor decisions with the ball. I'd expect playing at a higher level the Meath lads will be a bit smarter once you get your hands on the ball.
I think if there is any doubt it's better to lump it long for a 50/50 than risk a short one getting intercepted, personally. The momentum swings that can occur in games when a short kickout goes wrong is huge and the Dubs are good enough without anyone helping them!
I hope it's a good competitive match as I said I really like this Meath side, lots of very good footballers in my view and a strong Meath is great for the GAA.
JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1432 - 16/11/2020 12:04:06
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Replying To Young_gael: "Thanks all for the well wishes and again its not my intention to row with anyone or drag down discussions. I have no hard feelings for anyone here and respect for all. We are all the GAA family and everyone's opinion is important. Ill do better in the future lads.
Back to the football; Im proud of this Meath team. Andy Mc has done a good job in developing this squad of players over the last few years. There are easily 25/30 lads now who can be relied upon to slot into a game day team and do a job, and these guys are talented all-rounders, some still teenagers. We are now in a position to be finishing games with a stronger team than we are starting them with and thats no mean feat.
I thought the game yesterday was a funny old game tbh. Dead atmosphere. Very strange. I rewatched parts of it this morning and I have to be honest I thought Kildare were very off; they were directly at fault for all of the goals. They kicked too many wides. They looked unfit and turgid in my eyes, and as the game went on they started slowing up and losing all the breaks, maybe it was due to the speed of Meath's first 2 goals (within 5 minutes of the start of the 2nd half) that had them demoralised, they were playing in very strange positions. They were very bad at trying to work up goal chances. I just felt like they were poor and I think theyre better than a 5 goal hiding from Meath, add in the fact that JOC is their manager and its very surprising they didnt do more.
Positives for Meath;
goals galore. Meath are playing very direct football and theyre clearly targeting goal opportunities.
The strength of the bench.
Fitness; they were solidly the fitter team yesterday and were much sharper to breaks and much quicker at reacting to the game in front of them. The experience of division one caused this.
Confidence; theyll be very satisifed with the manner of the win. Kildare are a valued opposition in Meath and theyre a tough nut to crack on the day as spirited local rivals. Putting 5 goals on them will greatly inspire the team and county, even if it was a relatively poor game, and this Meath team is solidly the best performing Meath team in at least 10 years, again, even if they are still a team on the periphery of the top 4 or 8.
Now for the Leinster final. If I were McEntee id try to empower the players to see this game as a free for all. Its a one-off match now. Getting to the Leinster final was the aim, and they've done it. They havent shot out the lights but 12 goals in two games is eyebrow raising in any code. This game should be an opportunity to throw off any shackles they may have and just go out and seize the day. The Dubs are the one with something to lose here. Theyre expected to win this game with an arm behind their backs and saunter into the all Ireland series, much like Kerry were. Like Cork, if Meath can channel their inner strength and motivation in the right way, then who knows? Theyll be watching footage of Matt Kerrigan, David Beggy and Mick Lyons and Trevor Giles for the week. 87,88,91,96,01, hell maybe even 2010 will come into the conversation and the need to be better than that day. Theyll be hungry to atone for 2019 as well. They'll be hearing about the progress of Graham and theyll be slowly building up emotional energy that the dubs simply wont be. If Meath are to have a prayer, theyll need magic.
Maybe im lost in the madness of covid, but what a thought." Good post, I certainly agree with all the positives you listed, especially regarding the depth of the panel.
I think in recent years we had found it much more difficult to manage injuries (and we had quite a few of them as well), and while it's never ideal to have players missing, it is mitigated to extent when you have a strong/committed panel of players.
Also goals will be crucial against Dublin, we haven't scored one first against them since 2010, in our 5 championship meetings since then we either haven't scored one or they've got one first and it drives them on. Even in the league this year, we gave away a very cheap goal from a bad kickout and it kept Dublin at arms length throughout the game, which they won by 4 points.
We will have to do the basic things very well to be in with a chance, ie defend well (no careless lapses) and win our own kickouts but I'd like to see us take chances up front. I think if we try and play keep ball to create openings Dublin will swallow us up and turn us over long before any openings appear.
We need to be fast, accurate and decisive up front, much easier said than done of course be we have some very good forwards who are capable of getting scores, so fingers crossed.
Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 16/11/2020 12:14:15
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Replying To JoeSoap: "Yeah I would agree with that, Laois got some joy on their own kickout but were quite wasteful and made poor decisions with the ball. I'd expect playing at a higher level the Meath lads will be a bit smarter once you get your hands on the ball.
I think if there is any doubt it's better to lump it long for a 50/50 than risk a short one getting intercepted, personally. The momentum swings that can occur in games when a short kickout goes wrong is huge and the Dubs are good enough without anyone helping them!
I hope it's a good competitive match as I said I really like this Meath side, lots of very good footballers in my view and a strong Meath is great for the GAA." Thanks JoeSoap, I appreciate it and if Dublin are to fall this year it will likely be a team wearing green and gold, but it may not be us, Donegal have been brilliant so far in the championship and will be very hard to beat.
Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 16/11/2020 12:20:59
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