Meath minor hurlers bidding for All-Ireland title at Semple Stadium
Meath hurling fans will be heading to Thurles over the next two Saturdays hoping to see the county teams add minor and u-21 All-Ireland titles to the Christy Ring Cup already achieved at Croke Park earlier this year.
The action starts tomorrow at 2pm when Meath will be biding for the the All-Ireland Minor B hurling against Kerry at Semple Stadium.
The Meath Chronicle will be covering the game and will have updates on twitter and, if permitted, live on Meath Chronicle Facebook before and after the game. Check out our Facebook page at arounf 1.50pm.
Kerry will be aming for who their fifth consecutive title so it's a tall order for the Royal County who qualified for the final with wins over Roscommon and Wicklow while Kerry beat Kildare and Down.
The Meath management team and players are quietly confident having had a competitive year in the Leinster senior schools, Leinster League, Leinster Championship and the Celtic Challenge against quality sides like Dublin, Offaly, Antrim, Westmeath, Kildare and Waterford.
But their preparation really started back in 2011 when Peter Durnin from Meath Coaching & Games organised the first 'Meath High Kings' u-13 hurling in the then newly-opened Dunganny Centre of Excellence.
The programme consisted of coaching sessions every Saturday with Peter and his guest coaches - and culminated with a coaching session led by Brian Cody and Martin Fogarty at St Kierans College Kilkenny - aptly described by some of the players at the time as the 'Hogwarts of Hurling'.
It is very fitting then that the the All-Ireland final preparations by the current management team of John Delaney, Paul Reilly and Paddy Kelly included a return trip to St Kieran's College to play the Kilkenny u-17s.
It also included a trip to the GAA National Games Development Centre in Abbottstown for a coaching session with the new National Hurling Development manager Martin Fogarty.
MEATH PANEL
Ethan Devine (Na Fianna), Sean Martin (Na Fianna), Brian Reilly (Kiltale), Brin Kelly (Kildalkey), James McNally (Kildalkey), Aidan Mangan (Kilmessan), Conor Hayes (Kildalkey), Daniel Devine (Na Fianna), Jamie Smith (Killyon), Jamie Leavy (Dunderry), Mikey Cullen (Trim), Conor McNally (Kiltale), David Murtagh (Trim), Mikey Mullen (Killyon), John Mitchell (Dunboyne), Peter Farrell (Trim), Cian Slattery (Na Fianna), Ben McGowan (Ratoath), Gavin O'Keeffe (Dunboyne), Jack Cummins (Kiltale), Brian O'Reilly (Killyon), Evan Fitzgerald (Kildalkey), Jamie Connolly (Longwood), Ronan Byrne (Na Fianna), Adam Murphy (Kiltale), Will Flynn (Na Fianna), Darren Hennessey (Rathmolyon), Brian Dowling (Trim), Aaron Dunne (Killyon), Charlie Ennis (Trim), Jacob Ryan (Killyon), Sean Coffey (Na Fianna), Evan Buckley (Trim), Conor O'Farrell (Donaghmore Ashbourne), Daragh Gilmartin (Dunboyne)
The team for tomorrow is listed below
Charlie Ennis { Trim }
Sean Coffey. { Na Fianna }
Conor McNally. { Kiltale }
Brin Kelly. { Kildalkey }
Jacob Ryan. { Killoyn }
Ben McGowan. { Ratoath }
James McNally. { Kildalkey }
Ronan Byrne. { Na Fianna }
Sean Martin. { Na Fianna }
Will Flynn { Na Fianna }
Jamie Leavy. { Dunderry }
Mikey Mullin. { Killoyn }
Mikey Cullen. { Trim }
Peter Farrell. { Trim }
Daragh Gilmartin { Dunboyne }