Meath facing stern test

Meath minor footballers can expect a stern examination in Sunday"s Leinster MFC final agianst Offaly at Croke Park, 2.15. The game will be the traditional curtain-raiser for the eagerly awaited Leinster SFC decider between Dublin and Wexford, 4.0, and it"s almost certain that any of the Dublin supporters who make into the stadium before the minor game ends, will be cheering for Offaly in the predictable demonstration of ABM. There will be a number of key battles that will determine the destination of the title and Meath could be under pressure in the key midfield sector. The Royal County certainly possess plenty of flair and have established that they are prepared to dig in and work hard when necessary. In Offaly, they will be coming up against a team of similar qualities. Against Wexford last week at windswept Wexford Park, the Offaly boys could easily have surrendered the initiative after they only managed a paltry 0-5 to 0-1 lead with the benefit of the elements. However, they showed remarkable determination allied to a fair amount of skill to stifle the Wexford attack for most of the third-quarter which frustrated the home team and also the sizeable contingent of home supporters in the large crowd. Centre-forward Patrick Rigney claimed five of those points, three in the opening half, while Brian O"Connor, Keith Lawlor, Graham Guilfoyle and Anton O"Sullivan completed what was a rather paltry tally, but a feast in comparison to Wexford"s point in each half. Connor and Noel Andrew Graham ruled the roost at midfield and that will be an area where Meath could struggle on Sunday. Skryne"s Daviod Ryan and Ballinabrackey"s Damien Carroll are the most likely starting duo around the middle for the Royal and they could find it difficult to dominate in a physical sense. Offaly appear to be strong in areas where Meath are also strong. Centre-back for Offaly is Brian Geraghty and he will certainly make life difficult for Michael Newman although I would expect the Round Towers player to shade the verdict over the hour. Meath centre-back Tommy Johnson can also expect a busy time against Rigney, but the St Martin"s player is a polished performer and he is unlikely to concede too many frees. Johnson should have the edge. However, if Offaly are winning possession at midfield, it could force the Meath selectors into making some adjustments to the original plan. And that"s an area where Meath could actually come up trumps. Against Dublin in the quarter-final, they had to dig deep, make some changes and work hard for victory. It was the same against Longford, real character was required after a blank third-quarter on the scoreboard, but just when it started to look ominous, the changes started to make a difference. Another important trait, and one that is very admirable and reflects well on the selectors, is the insistence on a disciplined approach. Some of the Longford players tried to goad the Meath players with crude off-the-ball tactics, but they didn"t have too much success. Offaly experienced similar treatment in the closing stages against Wexford last week, but they also maintained a disciplined demeanour. The evidence of the semi-finals suggests that it will be a close contest, but Meath"s experience may stand to them. Extra-time against Dublin at Parnell park and extra-time and a replay against Tyrone at Breffni Park could ultimately pave the way to a Leinster title and onwards to the All-Ireland quarter-finals as provincial champions. Meath (probable): P Curran; S O"Brien, S Curran, C Lenehan; W Carry, T Johnson, D Tobin; D Ryan, D Carroll; D Smyth, M Newman, M Collins; J Regan, A Tormey, M Battersby.