Plenty of intrigue as make or break time looms large

TOM GANNON

THE Saturday of any professional golf tournament, be it the Masters, the Open or any regular-season event, is often described as moving day. Some golfers come from off the pace and make their charge, while others may fall away and wilt out of the competition. At least in the context of the group stage, the moving round is an apt way of describing the second round of the Meath SFC. All the groups are still in the melting pot and we are set up for an interesting few days of footballing action.

Group A

Donaghmore/Ashbourne v Ballinabrackey

The two losers of round one meet in a clash that can be described as a last-chance saloon game for both sides. Usually under those sorts of conditions, you can expect a free-flowing gung ho sort of approach from both sides. However given how negative Ballinabrackey set up in their opening-round clash, it is fair to assume that they will likely take a similar approach in the hope that they can catch Donaghmore /Ashbourne on the hop. This tactic almost paid off in round one as Ballinabrackey's opponents, Summerhill needed two injury-time scores to seal the deal. Given that Donaghmore/Ashbourne don't have the same killer instinct as Summerhill, there is no real incentive for Ballinabrackey to alter tactics heading into round two. Donaghmore /Ashbourne on the other hand, will likely have to adjust to suit the type of tactics that they are likely to encounter. In round one, we saw an expansive Donaghmore / Ashbourne exploit weaknesses in Dunashaughlin's defence and were it not for two fantastic points from Matthew Costello and Aaron Murphy, Donaghmore/ Ashbourne would be heading into this clash with two points on the board. That positive mindset is unlikely to get them too far against a resilient Ballinabrackey with talented forwards that can punish on the break. That being said, it's also hard to see how Donaghmore Ashbourne can beat Ballinabrackey at their own game. Expect a fairly dull encounter here, one that Ballinabrackey may come out on top of. Verdict - Ballinabrackey

Summerhill v Dunshaughlin

This encounter has the potential to be one of the greatest Meath championship clashes that we have seen for quite some time. The 2023 champions versus the team that many believe will dominate in years to come. David Attenborough would relish this clash of the alpha male being challenged by the younger fitter member of the herd. How this contest plays out will give us a much clearer picture of the destination of the Keegan Cup come October. Summerhill showed signs of weakness as they fell into the trap of Ballinabrackey's negative tactics in round one. However, they did manage to get themselves out of that predicament and got the win late on with two injury-time scores. Similarly, Dunshaughlin needed some late heroics themselves from Matthew Costello and Aaron Murphy to get over the line against Donaghmore/Ashbourne. Given the competitive nature of the group, neither side can rely on a round three win to get them over the line which makes this contest all the more fascinating. Conor Gillespie's charges will surely take the approach of trying to exploit Dunshaughlin's defence and therefore you will see a far more expansive Summerhill. However, Dunshaughlin have become experts at grinding out results, especially in a free-flowing environment. If you score 2-20, they will score 2-21. Verdict - Dunshaughlin.

Group B

Curraha v Gaeil Colmcille

Similar to the Group A clash between Ballinabrackey and Donaghmore/Ashbourne, this fixture in Group B sees two teams that are off the back of defeats in round one go to battle. While one team suffered a significantly heavier defeat than the other, both sides probably failed to live up to expectations in their respective championship openers. Neither Curraha nor Gaeil Colmcille showed us what they are capable of in round one and you can clearly see an opportunity here for redemption. Having missed the opening round due to a slight niggle, the assumed return of James McEntee for round two will be a big bonus for Curraha. However, another Curraha star, Conor Moriarty, missed round one due to work commitments abroad and you have to imagine that he will miss round two on the same basis. Gaeil Colmcille have a core group of players that have served them quite well over the years but they don't have the scoring power that St Peter's Dunboyne had in their demolition of Curraha in round one. Given the combined tally of these two sides in round one of 0-17, it is safe to assume that this will likely be a low-scoring affair. Curraha's round one performance was probably more underwhelming than that of their round two opponents and for that reason, Gaeil Colmcille are preferred, only slightly though. Verdict - Gaeil Colmcille.

Wolfe Tones v St Peter’s

Are we traveling down that road again? Is this St Peter's year? It feels like it has been their year every year since their last title in 2018. However, they always tend to fade away before that statement can build up any real substance. The Dunboyne-based outfit put in a fairly strong performance in their opening round demolition of Curraha. What is refreshing about this year's bunch is that they seem to be no longer over-reliant on Donal Lenihan, who was subbed off at halftime having only contributed 0-1. In years gone by, St Peter's would always look to Lenihan as their main outlet for scores, however, new stars have risen to the surface, and in particular, Jack Kinlough was more than happy to take over the mantle as St Peter's dangerman in round one. While it wasn't an all-time performance, Wolfe Tones showed their cunningness in getting over the line against Gaeil Colmcille in round two with Cian Ward's stint between the sticks in the opening exchanges garnering more headlines than the overall game itself. This is a crunch game and neither have booked their QF place yet. With Andy McEntee back involved with his native St Peter's, maybe they have turned a corner and it would be foolish to go against them until we see evidence to the contrary. Verdict - St Peter's.

Group C

Seneschalstown GFC v Simonstown

In years to come, much will be expected of this young talented but still maturing Senechalstown side. They have shown signs of brilliance in patches across various clashes over the last 12 months but are still very clearly early in the development stage. They will be somewhat disappointed with the opening round eight-point loss to St Colmcille’s. This group has been described as having no real top-class title contenders and before their opening-round loss, Seneschalstown would have been quietly fancying themselves to come out of this Group. Cathal Finnegan was a huge loss to Seneschalstown in round one and if he returns to action in round two it will be a massive bonus to Stephen Kernan's side. Simonstown put a turbulent league campaign behind them with a good win over Na Fianna. Padraig McKeever produced the all-important goal which saw the Navan-based side come out on top by three points. The question arising after that victory centers around how much stock should we invest in that win. The overriding feeling is that maybe Na Fianna are going through a tough period and hence Simonstown probably needed to show a bit more to encourage their chances of making a quarter-final. Add into the equation that Seneschalstown now have a point to prove after their loss and all of a sudden it is difficult to see Simonstown going two from two. Verdict - Seneschalstown.

Na Fianna CLG v St. Colmcille's

St Colmcille’s will be delighted with their opening-round win over Seneschalstown. St Colmcillie’s have a dangerous front end and their two talismen, Ben Brennan and James Conlon racked up a combined tally of 2-8. That opening round win sets St Colmcille's up lovely as they face into what many would describe as a much easier task in round two.

Despite getting to within three points of Simonstown, the Enfield men currently look like they are low in confidence.

They are without the services of the very influential Ethan Devine and are over-reliant on Shane Walsh to produce the magic touch required and as talented as Walsh is at this level, there is only so much one man can do.

At this early juncture, you would be somewhat worried for Tom Gray's side.

In a round that is filled with intriguing battles across the Meath SFC, this is certainly not one of them. Expect St Colmcilles to comfortably see off Na Fianna. Verdict - St Colmcille’s.

Group D

Ratoath v Trim

Good lord, what do you say about Ratoath's opening-round loss to Skryne? The shock of the round and maybe the shock of the last decade as last year's finalists fell to a two-point defeat to a side that they defeated by 23 points less than 12 months previous. That being said, the Ratoath side that took to the field was seriously depleted. Over the last four or five years, Ratoath has had Dathi McGowan, Jack Flynn, Eamon Wallace, Joey Wallace, Conor McGill and Bryan McMahon all feature for Meath at one point or another. Yet only three of these featured in the loss in round one and not one of them played for more than 30 minutes. The addition of Glenn O'Reilly who transferred from Na Fianna in Dublin earlier in the year and the impressive championship debut of cornerback Eoin Drysdale were the only two positives on a dire day for the one-time powerhouses of Meath football. In round one Trim had to dig deep to get a win over newly promoted Rathkenny. Trim came back in that contest from being six points down at half-time and needed strong performances from Ciaran Caufield and Tom Carmody to dig them out of a hole. There wasn't enough in that Trim performance to suggest that they can improve further on their quarter-final appearances in the last two Meath SFCs. While the Skryne result makes Ratoath look vulnerable, the return of Eamon Wallace and Jack Flynn should improve Ratoath enough to the point that they will be comfortable winners in this one. Verdict - Ratoath.

Rathkenny v Skryne

Skryne became only the fourth club in the last five years to defeat Ratoath in championship action and they did it less than 12 months on from a relegation final appearance. What a difference a year makes! Mick O'Dowd has done a phenomenal job in getting Skryne back from being one of the worst senior outfits to a position where they can really start to believe they can be competitive at this level. Many people would underestimated Skryne's league form heading into this championship and on all evidence so far, they were wrong to do so.

They finished top of the A FL Div One on points difference, and in their defence, they bumped up against a very gritty Ballinabrackey side in the semi-final. Regardless though, Skryne showed with their victory over Ratoath that everyone has to take notice of the improvements that they have made over the last 12 months.

While Skryne will be bouncing in training after their big win, Rathkenny will more than likely hurting after they let a considerable lead slip in their opening-round clash with Trim.

If the likes of Darragh Campion and Harry Rooney are half as good as they were against Ratoath they will sparkle. It's hard to see anything other than a quarter-final ticket for Micko's blue army. Verdict - Skryne.

INTERMEDIATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Group A

Blackhall Gaels v Bective

Blackhall Gaels utilised the windy conditions to their advantage as they got the better of Nobber in round one of the Meath IFC. Whether or not that form stacks up in the wider scale of the championship remains to be seen but Blackhall Gaels have certainly set themselves up nicely heading into a second-round clash with Bective. Bective didn't embarrass themselves when they faced a talented Meeth Hill side but at the same time, they did suffer an eight-point loss. On the evidence we have seen so far, Blackhall Gaels may have too much in hand here. Verdict - Blackhall Gaels

Meath Hill v Nobber

Given the expectations around this Meath Hill side, some would have expected them to win their opening-round fixture by a slightly wider margin than they did. However, they were comfortable as two goals courtesy of James Slevin and Andy Monaghan allowed the 'Hill' to ease themselves nicely into the IFC and achieve objective number one i.e. two points on the board.

They now face a Nobber side who despite being decent in patches were generally comfortably disposed of by Blackhall Gaels. Fairly straightforward here, this should be a comfortable victory for Meath Hill. Verdict - Meath Hill.

Group B

Castletown v Duleek-Bellewstown

The progress of the 2022 All Ireland Junior semi-finalists were just touched off in round one when they were beaten by Ballivor by the slender margin of a single point. In the contrast, a good performance from Darren Heeney along with a solid impact sub in the form of the very promising Eamon Armstrong saw last year's beaten finalists Duleek-Bellewstown get two points on the board in their championship opener. Duleek Bellewstown might just do enough to get over the line here and secure a QF spot. Verdict - Duleek Bellewstown.

Longwood v Ballivor GFC

Longwood were forced to rue their missed chances as they fell to a slender defeat at the hands of Duleek Bellewstown in their opening-round contest. No doubt Longwood will be disappointed with the result of that round one clash however there were plenty of positives for them to take away. Ballivor did manage to get a win in their opener, but they are facing a stiffer task here. A repeat of their first-round effort might be good enough to get Longwood off the mark in the IFC. Verdict - Longwood

Group C

Moynalvey v St Patrick's

St Patrick's will most certainly be hurting after they were torn apart by Oldcastle in their championship opener. St Patrick's have to somehow pick themselves up and face another tough battle with the side who have down into this grade from senior, Moynalvey. Caoimhin King's side got off to a flying start in their return to the Intermediate grade. A superb performance from the likes of Vinny Walsh and David McLoughlin saw them get the better of Drumbaragh. A repeat of that performance would see them well capable of putting an end to any IFC title ambitions that St Patrick's fans are still clinging onto. Verdict - Moynalvey.

Oldcastle v Drumbaragh

Had it not been for Skryne's exploits, Oldcastle's efforts against St Patrick's could very well have gone down as the best performance across the various Meath championships. Jason Scully and co. were absolutely exceptional and fully deserving of the wide-margin victory. It was a real statement of intent by the Oldcastle men who have catapulted themselves into genuine title contenders. Unfortunately for Drumbaragh, they will more than likely become victims of Oldcastle's success and any slight hope they had of getting out of this very tough group will likely be completely extinguished by Brian Donohoe’s charges. Verdict - Oldcastle.

Group D

Navan O'Mahonys v St Michael's

One of the few shocks of the opening round had to be Navan O'Mahonys defeat at the hands of Walterstown. At halftime, everything was going to script as the men in blue and white led by five points. However, a chaotic second half saw the strong favourites crumble. All is not lost though for O'Mahonys. They bear some resemblance to Ratoath in the SFC in the fact that they are in what can be perceived as one of the weaker groups and retribution is on offer when they face off against a St Michael's who fell on the sword of newly promoted Kilbride. Any sort of positive response from O'Mahonys should be enough to see them over the line here. Verdict - Navan O'Mahonys.

Kilbride GFC v Walterstown

Walterstown are on a massive high after slaying Navan O'Mahonys who were among a select few fancied to go all the way in the Meath IFC before a ball was kicked.

Debutant Olly Maloney must still feel like he is walking on air after his hat-trick was crucial to Walterstown's success on the day. They now face a Kilbride team that is also on a high after they marked their return to Intermediate for the first time in 50 years with a win over St Michael's. In the wider context of this clash though, Walterstown's exploits far outweigh that of Kilbride and on the evidence of round one, Andy McGuinness's side should be able to see off the young Kilbride outfit. Verdict - Walterstown.

JUNIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Group A

St Ultans v Moylagh / Slane v Syddan

Group A in the Meath JFC sees St Ultan's take on Moylagh and title contenders Slane take on Syddan. St Ultan's would have taken massive confidence from their win over Syddan in round one and they should have enough for a Moylagh who are probably a little bit out of their depth in this group. Meanwhile, Slane will hope to back up their impressive opening-round showing and consolidate their title hopes when they face a Syddan side who failed to impress in their first-round clash. Verdict - St Ultan's and Slane.

Group B

Ballinlough v Dunderry / St Vincent's v St Brigid's

Ballinlough will be looking to bounce back after they were soundly beaten by St Vincent's in round one. They take on the side who were relegated from the IFC, Dunderry. Dunderry did manage to get two points on the board in round one but they probably will need to improve further if they are going to challenge what will now be a hungry Ballinlough side. St Vincent's were incredibly impressive in round one and really laid down a marker in the championship. They are more than capable of comfortably beating St Brigid's side who seem to be struggling. Verdict - Ballinlough and St Vincent's.

Group C

Fresh off the back of their convincing victory over Kilmainham, Dunsany face a slighter tougher task in taking on last year's finalists Clann na nGael. A fresher Clann na nGael will be eager to their campaign off to a winning start. Verdict - Clann na nGael.

JBFC

St Mary's v Cortown. Verdict - Cortown

Drumconrath v Eastern Gaels.

Verdict - Drumconrath

Carnaross v Boardsmill.

Verdict - Carnaross.