Meath capable of turning over talented Armagh

Tom Gannon

Shane McCormack's Meath kick off their All Ireland series campaign with a trip to the Athletic Grounds to face Armagh on Saturday. Coming off the back of a very disappointing display against Dublin, Meath will have to step up their efforts considerably if they are going to trouble what is a very sharp up-and-coming Armagh side.

You hate to see anyone in the game get a significant injury that puts them out of action for a long period. However, you wouldn't blame Meath supporters for feeling a sense of renewed hope with the news of Aimee Mackin's ACL injury considering what the 2020 Ladies Player of the Year did to the Meath defence when the sides met in the league.

The Shane O'Neill's GAC star contributed 1-4 to Armagh's tally of 2-12 in their 10-point drubbing of the Royals back in February. She was also a huge factor in why many people fancied Armagh as genuine All-Ireland contenders for this year.

That being said Aimee Mackin wasn't the only Orchard County player tearing it up in Donaghmore Ashbourne GAA back in February. There were several threats within the Armagh side going forward that Meath struggled with.

Armagh's other corner forward Kelly Mallon matched Mackin's tally on the day and Caroline O'Halloran also proved to be a thorn in the side of Meath's defence. This Saturday, Meath will also have to cope better with runners coming from deep and in particular cornerback Grace Ferguson, who seemed to have free reign in the previous meeting.

That meeting was the start of a three-game spell in which Meath failed to deliver any sort of performance. However, barring a poor performance against Dublin, Meath appears to have improved vastly since. A win over Cork in the final league game as well as good performances in wins over Kildare and Laois had given Meath supporters a lot of confidence.

Sure, Meath's last three victories have come against perceived weaker sides but it was the manner in which Meath played on those occasions, particularly against the Liliwhites, which had many believing that Meath could potentially once again reach the heights of 2021 and 2022.

Then came the trip to Croke Park for the Leinster final, which of course given the confidence levels going into the game was very disappointing. However, on reflection, you can put a line through that game due to some contributory factors. The week previous to that game, McCormack fielded a weakened Meath side, which on reflection probably wasn't the best way to prepare for the Croke Park standoff.

There were also numerous Meath starters having their first Croke Park outing against a worldly and sharp Dublin outfit and many of those will look back on that day as being an important learning experience.

When Meath takes to the field this Saturday, they will have had a four-week break since their last outing, which is an extra week than what was afforded to Armagh. The benefit of that extra week would have been particularly crucial for the Royals to get the disappointment of the Dublin loss out of their system and switch their focus to the Ulster champions.

One thing that will be crucial to Meath's chances is their energy going forward. We have seen Meath sit back against the likes of Armagh, Kerry, Galway, and Dublin this year and isolate and rely on the likes of Emma Duggan and Marion Farrelly to provide the goods. That tactic simply won't work against top sides who will find a way through the defence regardless.

If Meath bring the game to Armagh and inject pace into their attack just, like they did with Kildare, couple that with the likes of Niamh Gallogly coming from deep, Meath could most definitely put it up to the girls in orange. Armagh are probably worthy favorites but Meath do have the capabilities to come away from the Athletic grounds with a result and if they have aspirations of going far in the All-Ireland series, they need to win these sort of games.