Encouraging start by Meath clubs in Leinster... but let's not get carried away
Winning games in provincial championships is rarely easy which is why the victories chalked up by Rathkenny and Kilbride in their respective competitions yesterday is encouraging.
They both achieved their wins in very different ways too. Rathkenny secured a very impressive 1-14 to 0-4 win over Wexford side Naomh Eanna in the Leinster Club IFC at Pairc Tailteann.
Kilbride had to fight much harder. They had to rely on a last-gasp David O'Leary point from a penalty to secure a 0-13 to 0-12 win over Amsterdam in the Leinster Club JFC at Ashbourne.
The Rathkenny win, however, should not be taken too seriously. Naomh Eanna, it seems, were missing eight of their side who appeared for them in the Wexford IFC final.
Keith Curtis was in fine form for Rathkenny who fired over nine points, five frees while Sean O'Hare scored their goal.
Adam Malone and O'Leary bagged 10 points between them for Kilbride who are a club once more on the move. Going places.
The hope in Meath is that one or other of the clubs in the various provincial championships can achieve something noteworthy.
Such triumphs would tend to give a pretty accurate gauge of the health of football in the county. Maybe that's true, maybe not, but it's a reasonable assumption.
After all having a strong county team doesn't necessarily mean the game is strong in a county. When Meath were winning All-Ireland SFC titles in the 1980s and '90s club teams from the place didn't exactly accumulate a haul of provincial or national titles.
One thing for sure is that the provincial competitions are great events, invariably producing good quality football games. The novel Kibride v Amstersdam match was certainly one of those, gripping clashes you couldn't take your eye off.
Summerhill are in action today but the Leinister SFC has proved to be a wasteland at senior level for Meath teams over the years - not a good sign for those harbouring hopes of the county side doing something significant.
Meath were drawn to play Longford in next year's Leinster SFC yesterday. Win that and the Royals face Dublin. Is that a prospect we should fear or relish right now?
* Full match reports, photographs and more from all the games in the next issue of the Meath Chronicle.