Delayed action replay looms

When news broke that Carlow had ended Louth's provincial aspirations in Portlaoise on Sunday, the conspiracy theorists kicked into overdrive, predicting a repeat of last year's Leinster SFC final would emerge from the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers draw, and that is exactly what transpired. A day shy of 11 months since Joe Sheridan's infamous goal into the Davin Stand end at Croke Park earned Meath a contentious Leinster SFC title at the expense of Louth it was ironic that the two counties were paired together in Sunday's draw for an eagerly awaited re-match at Cavan's Breffni Park on Saturday 25th June, 7.0. Following that controversial Leinster SFC final win for Meath, many people called for the game to be replayed and while the Delaney Cup won't be at stake on 25th June, they now have their wish with both counties eager to set the record straight and claim the bragging rights that will be on offer. "This is the biggest draw possible. It is fair to say that this is an even bigger game than the Kildare game for Meath. This is the type of draw the players would have wanted and we are all looking forward to it," said Meath manager Seamus McEnaney. "There is no fear that Meath will be lackadaisical about this game. There is a lot riding on this game for Meath and we are looking forward to the build up and the actual game itself. For all of us and the Meath supporters this is an even bigger game than the Kildare game. "Drawing Louth is massive, it doesn't get any bigger for Meath. Even if we had drawn Monaghan there is no way it would attract 20,000 people to it, so we are all looking ahead now," concluded McEnaney. The venue for Saturday week's game has caused some debate with Breffni Park, Cavan unlikely to please the Louth supporters, most of whom will have to travel further than the Meath fans for what is meant to be a 'home' game for the Wee county. Parnell Park, Pairc Esler Newry or the Athletic Grounds in Armagh were thought to be Louth's venues of choice as a replacement for Drogheda which is incapable of hosting such a major All-Ireland SFC qualifier at their 4500 capacity grounds. However, the CCCC has opted to fix the match for the Cavan venue as part of a double-header which will also feature Cavan against Longford at 5.0. Louth manager Peter Fitzpatrick believes that drawing Meath in the qualifiers has made it easier for his charges to get over their disappointing loss to Carlow. "It (the draw) has certainly made it easier to put the loss to Carlow behind us. There is no denying it has taken people's minds off Carlow. This is a good fixture for us, but it is also a good fixture for Meath. They need something to kick-start their season too," said the Louth manager and Fine Gael TD. Meath's preparations have been hit with a hamstring injury likely to rule Navan O'Mahonys' Stephen Bray out of contention. St Patrick's Athletic goalkeeper and former Meath player Gary Rogers has assisted the coaching team with goalkeeping training in recent weeks. He was part of the set-up involved with the Meath panel for the Kildare game. The All-Ireland SFC qualifier between Meath and Louth will be shown live on RTE, 7.0.