Content O'Rourke turns attentions to Fermanagh test

Often losing dressing rooms can be downbeat places. Frustration can be an overriding emotion as disappointment sweeps the air.

However in Ashbourne tonight there was an sense of optimism around the Meath camp as their relatively young and inexperienced side pushed a vastly more seasoned Longford outfit to the pin of their collars in an entertaining O'Byrne Cup semi-final.

Post match the players were understandably disappointed not to get the win under their belt. For many it was their first taste of action in the green and gold, for most it was a rare start and they felt frustrated at an opportunity lost.

However manager Colm O'Rourke was quite buoyant after the game, as happy as he could be after a loss and please with the performance from what many regard as fringe players.

"I'm very happy with the effort of the players. We brought in a lot of new players tonight and that is what the O'Byrne Cup is supposed to be about," the manager told the Meath Chronicle.

"We wanted to see fellas put their hand up for a place on the team, or at least a place on the panel, for the game against Fermanagh and I think there was a lot of lads here tonight who advertised their best form and certainly took a big step forward.

"We had two good goal chances near the end and it would have been nice to have got the victory. Nothing beats winning to give a bit of confidence to a lot of those young players.

"They will have plenty of other opportunities. We have an extended panel and we wanted to have a look at them all. We promised them all they would get a full game, some people might say it was the semi-final of an O'Byrne Cup, but there will be bigger days ahead.

"We really played well in the first 25 minutes and there was a lot of very good scores. We had eight points by that stage and I thought we might run up a big score, but we lost momentum coming up to half-time and they got a goal and the whole thing shifted a bit.

"Our lads got a bit tired, some of them wouldn't have played that much football, particularly those who have only come in recently and whose club were out of the championship early on. It was a big ask for them to come in and play at that level.

"Nothing beats putting players out against a team that probably had more experienced players than we had.

"It was a first opportunity for quite a few of those fellas. Niall Murphy and Brian O'Reilly in the back line were playing for the first time at senior level, but it was good exposure for them.

"They will get more chances. We have games among ourselves at training too and they are very competitive. Lads are going well in those, training and these type of games will decide who gets on the panel for the Fermanagh game."

One bit of disappointing news to emerge after the game was that Conor Grey picked up an injury in the win over Louth and is likely to miss the opening game of NFL Div 2, while Harry O'Higgins is also out for a while with a knee injury.

"The only problem we had from last week was that Conor Grey tweaked a hamstring again and that is a bit of a setback for us," confirmed the manager.

"That was his first game back since his shoulder injury last August. We had minded him and were very careful with him, but then he goes and tweaks a hamstring which sets his rehabilitation back a little bit.

"We were hoping that he might have played tonight with the view of being ready for the Fermanagh game, but he is doubtful now. Harry O'Higgins is gone for quite a while with a big problem with his knee."

With 25 players used against Louth and 22 used against Longford O'Rourke is happy with how preparations are going ahead of the start of the league.

Tomorrow Meath will play Galway in a behind-closed-door challenge in Navan and then a lot of the players will return to college action during the week which will limit the amount of time O'Rourke and his coaching team will have the players for the next week.

"I think we had 15 players playing either Sigerson Cup or Freshers football last week and it'll be the same this week," said O'Rourke.

"We will have very small numbers training on Tuesday, probably only 14 or 15, then Thursday night we can't really train them after they have played hard matches on Tuesday or Wednesday.

"From tomorrow, after the challenge match against Galway, we'll be looking at the following Saturday before we will be able to do anything again.

"Then we will probably play another in-house game rather than another challenge. The fellas that are playing college have enough football, we have enough injury problems with our main squad we don't want to risk any more.

"The in-house games are full blooded anyway and they give everybody a chance, we could play 35 or 40 lads in that game.

"The players have pushed themselves very hard in training. The commitment has been fantastic. The attitude is really good and we are really happy overall."

With so many new players tried out O'Rourke is delighted with the impact the development squad that is working away and he joked that while the door remains open for new players to force their way into contention it is also open for players to go out too.

"It's an open door to come in and also an open door to go out I suppose. We have a development squad working away underneath the main squad and the five lads who came into the team from that squad did well," explained the manager.

"Sean Coffey made the big jump from that squad last year and Mick Murphy made a big jump too but got injured last year, he is very much in contention this year. It just shows that that development squad does work."

O'Rourke was also delighted with the performance of Diarmuid Moriarty against Longford and he has also welcomed the dilemma he faces when it comes to picking a goalkeeper for the game against Fermanagh.

"That is as big a problem now, trying to chose between them (Sean Brennan, Harry Hogan and Billy Hogan). I'd say most counties would be happy to have any of the three goalkeepers we have. It's a good position to be in.

"When most people sit down to pick a team at least the goalkeeper is definite, but now we have a choice between three.

"He (Diarmuid Moriarty) scored five points for UCD in their Sigerson Cup match as well. He has got bigger and stronger and more confident since last year.

"Sometimes it takes a player a year or two, but he looks as if the years experience with us last year has brought him on a tonne and the Sigerson Cup has been good for him," concluded the contented manager.