Meath aiming to end title drought

All-Ireland trophies have been conspicuous by their absence from Meath this year. The quest for the Sam Maguire ended in a messy defeat to Kildare and few other teams from this part of the world have made an impact at national level. There is a chance for the county's u-21 hurlers to change what has been a dispiriting trend this summer when they take on Kerry in Saturday's All-Ireland u-21 A HC final at Semple Stadium, Thurles, 5.0, and the old venue is bound to be buzzing. Few could have predicted at the start of the year that a group of young Meath hurlers would be left standing still seeking success on the national front while so many others have fallen by the wayside. Yet here they are ready to take on the Munster side in the so called 'home of hurling' after convincing wins over Wicklow, Kildare and Roscommon. Some might see it as not one of the most important All-Ireland titles on offer. Don't say that to manager Kevin Dowd or his management team of Kit Ennis, Vinny Maguire, Tom Kirwan and Noel Keating. They have put in a lot of hours over the past few months preparing the panel and so far the players have responded in the right manner with their three wins. "This is a big day for the players, a big day for their clubs as well," said Dowd as if to emphasise the point. Dowd could ask his brother and 1996 Meath All-Ireland SFC winning captain Tommy for advice on how to win an All-Ireland, but he also has his own extensive reservoir of experience as a player in the green and gold to draw on. Last weekend was probably not the most relaxing for Dowd who is in his third year as u-21 manager. Up to eight of his "top men" who will be expected to take part in next Saturday's All-Ireland showdown were in club action. The last thing he wanted to hear last Monday morning was a call from a player saying he had tweaked a hamstring or injured his shoulder and would be out of contention. He will have some comfort in the fact that this year he has a strong panel to draw from - and he may need all the resources available to him if the Kingdom is to be toppled. Kerry have only had one game to play to book their place in the final, dismissing the challenge of Fermanagh in the last four. Meath have had a more demanding route to Thurles and this fact could stand to them. While they easily accounted for Wicklow, the game against Kildare turned out to be quite a demanding contest, In their semi-final encounter with Roscommon the Royal County might have been expected to win with ease. They managed to finally close out the game on a comfortable-looking 3-17 to 1-9 scoreline yet the end result failed to tell the full story. For most of that game Roscommon had plenty of possession and could easily have added a goal or two to their account but for a series of top-drawer saves from Meath's netminder Shane McGann. While there were some excellent individual performances from members of the Meath backline as a unit the defence was exposed a number of times. The Meath selectors are all too aware of that and will be looking to find a way to shut out Kerry, a team that remains largely an unknown quantity because of their lack of a meaningful track record at this level. They could be brilliant or they could be average. The Meath selectors would prefer to prepare for Saturday with the former scenario in mind. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. On the positive side Meath have the forwards to punch holes in any opposition backline in this grade. The huge win over Wicklow, the 4-13 notched up against Kildare and the tally in the Roscommon game is an indication of their potential. Neil Heffernan is very much on song, having scored a bagful of goals in this competition already. As someone who played senior hurling for Meath on many occasions Dowd is acutely aware that there was a time when the Royal county could take on a team from Kerry and be very confident of emerging victorious. Not any more. He says that there is plenty of evidence of a lot of good work taking place in under-age circles in the Kingdom. It's not all about football. If there is one lesson Dowd has learned from his term in charge of an inter-county team it is that young players have to be cajoled and encouraged rather than be told that they must do this or that. You have to give and take as a coach, he believes. His approach has left the Meath u-21 hurlers on the cusp of claiming All-Ireland gold. The big prize is within reach. MEATH'S PATH TO THE FINAL FIRST ROUND Meath 6-26, Wicklow 1-6. LEINSTER FINAL Meath 4-13, Kildare 1-16. ALL-IRELAND SEMI-FINAL Meath 3-17, Roscommon 1-9.