Royals can achieve rare victory in the Kingdom

Nobody said it was going to be easy - but then moving up to another level, to a higher plane, is rarely achieved without coming across a few bumps along the road; setbacks and disappointments softened by the occasional high point.

Meath were always facing a battle against the odds by making the step up from Div 2B (which they won last year) to 2A this season - and that reality was underlined in the way they shipped a heavy (3-22 to 1-16) defeat to Carlow at Cullen Park the other week.

It was a pounding that won't do much for morale ahead of Sunday's clash with Kerry at Austin Stack Park on Sunday, 1pm, but against that there is the plain, encouraging fact for the Royals that they have already one victory in the bag - the 2-20 to 3-14 win over Kildare on opening day at Pairc Tailteann, Nicky Potterton hitting 2-1.

That triumph augurs well for this team because the win was achieved in less than auspicious circumstances. The previous week Kildare had, with some comfort, defeated Meath in the Kehoe Cup. There was another reason why the league win over the Lilywhites was so encouraging.

This is very much a new Meath outfit Seoirse Bulfin and his management team are fashioning. Up to 17 players have departed the panel from last year. Every year you would expect a certain amount of withdrawals through retirements, injuries and players going on globe-trotting travels but Meath's hemorrhaging of players this year was exceptional.

For instance of the team that lined out against Kildare in the league had nine changes from the side that played Derry in the Christy Ring Cup final last summer. That's not a transition, that's a revolution. Such a turnover would severely challenge the patience and skills of any manager but in that win over the Lilywhites there were indications a team, and a formidable-looking team at that, was beginning to be moulded.

Carlow was always likely to be prove a step too far. They have been operating at a higher level to Meath for years now and are the Joe McDonagh Cup champions - but the game against Kerry should be a more accurate barometer of just how well this team is evolving.

There are certainly reasons for Bulfin's Boys to be optimistic as they head down to the deep south. The new-look half-back line, for instance, of Niall McLarnon, Simon Ennis and Ethan Devine, is developing into a formidable, efficient unit. Against that Meath have shipped 6-36 in the two games so far while scoring 3-36. That's a concern.

Young players such as Tom Shine, Daire Shine, Kris Gorman and James Murray can only benefit from regular outings, especially against relatively crack teams such as Carlow - and experience will be invaluable when it comes to the more crucial Joe McDonagh Cup campaign. Although Murray looks set for a spell on the sidelines having picked up a knock in the loss to Carlow.

The league will be restructured for next year so relegation is not a real issue but that doesn't mean Bulfin and his players will be content to ship pummelings in the league while providing young players with a platform to pick up invaluable experience. Victories are also important in sustaining and building up a strong espirit de corps.

Kerry too experienced a hefty defeat by Carlow (0-19 to 3-23) while they also lost to Down (1-19 to 2-23) so they are in a greater need for a win - and their own levels of self-confidence cannot be to buoyant just now. They are a team at Meath's level but trips the Kingdom rarely yield much joy for the Royals over the years.

This time around, however, conditions look ripe for a rare victory.