Meath set for Sunday's Kerry test in Navan

Thirteen years have elapsed since Meath exited the Leinster SHC when they lost to Laois on Sunday 16th May 2004 at O'Moore Park. The only remaining link to the starting 15 that day is Kilmessan's Steven Clynch who could line out at full-forward on Sunday next against Kerry when Meath return to top tier championship hurling at Pairc Táilteann, 3pm.

That 2004 defeat marked the start of a serious downward spiral for a Meath team that only two years earlier had played in the NHL Div 1 with former Offaly man Michael Duignan at the helm. 

The descent through the second and third tier championships of the Christy Ring Cup and the Nicky Rackard Cup was eventually reversed by the appointment of former Hurling Board chairman TJ Reilly to the helm for the 2009 campaign.

Meath won the Nicky Rackard Cup that year and began the slow ascent towards the top tier again.

Since the appointment of Martin Ennis for 2015, as a replacement for Cillian Farrell, the Christy Ring Cup (2016) and the NHL Div 2B title (2017) have been added to the roll of honour.

The reward for Ennis and his management team of John Andrews, Mick McCullagh and Pat Clancy, is a return to the Leinster SHC through the round robin series with the first assignment on the horizon next Sunday against Kerry at Páirc Táilteann.

The following week it will be the turn of Laois to make the journey to Navan while the third round tie will see Meath travel to Mullingar for a joust with neighbours Westmeath on Sunday 14th May. 

Going into next Sunday's game Meath will be without Christy Ring Cup-winning captain James Toher and Mickey Burke, the players are no longer in the panel due to their football commitments.

Looking at results from this year's NHL as a type of form guide would suggest that Meath really have no chance of making progress in the Leinster SHC
The formbook suggests that they will be quickly sent back down to the second tier again and will be competing in the Christy Ring Cup in 2018?

Looking closer at that formbook would suggest that Laois and Kerry will qualify from the round robin and that Westmeath will finish in third place - preserving their status with a win over Meath in the final round. 

That's the formbook out of the way!

The reality has every prospect of a different outcome - it's what sustains teams like Meath, and the lesser lights of the hurling world which appear to be accommodated reluctantly by the hierarchy.

The prevailing attitude appears to be aimed at getting the minnows out of the way as quickly as possible.

There will be a lot of pressure on the Meath players going into this series of games - a type of unconscious pressure that is not related to their ability, but more to the short-term future for Meath hurling.

It's vital, for the future of hurling in the Royal County, that Meath survive in the Leinster SHC this year, that's the first goal, avoiding a quick return to the Christy Ring Cup.

After a 13-year journey back to this stage, the rules decree a type of three strikes and you could be out scenario.

The status of Meath hurling will be enhanced by a campaign that secures Leinster SHC survival, that will be regarded as a successful campaign for the legislators locally.

However, survival is not on the radar for the management team and the players, qualification for the next stage is the target.

The current panel of Meath players have a strong belief in their own ability.
They will not fear Kerry or Laois or Westmeath.

They have every reason to adopt a confident demeanour as they complete their preparations this week for the first test following a solid league campaign.

There was also some good performances in the Walsh Cup where they defeated a Kildare team that later negotiated Westmeath in the NHL Div 2A. Looking at the NHL for pointers is a useful exercise also.

Kerry and Laois both struggled in Div 1B with the Munster men making the drop after losing a relegation play-off at O'Moore Park that went to extra-time.

That completed a poor campaign for Kerry who have a new manager on board this year in the form of Fintan O’Connor who took over from Ciarán Carey.

Tipperary-based O'Connor was appointed for a two-year term and is a member of the Ballybacon-Grange club.

He has former Tipperary goalkeeper Brendan Cummins as coach and has a good hurling pedigree that included a spell as coach/selector with the Waterford senior hurling team under Derek McGrath.

He has been coach / selector at Waterford Institute of Technology for the past three years during which time they reached two Fitzgibbon Cup finals, winning in 2014.

O'Connor began his Kerry tenure with four games in the Munster Hurling League before the NHL Div 1B began.

While Kerry lost their four games in the Munster League against Cork, Clare, Limerick and Waterford, they started the NHL Div 1A with an opening round 3-14 to 0-19 victory against Laois, but it all went downhill from there.

Kerry recorded that victory against Laois in Tralee in the first round despite trailing by nine points at half-time. 

They failed to win again and lost the play-off (4-20 to 1-30) against a Laois team that had to play with 14 men for most of the game following an early red card. 

Padraig Boyle scored two of the Kerry goals in that game while Shane Nolan was their chief marksman from frees.

The return to action of Michael and Brendan O’Leary and Mikey Boyle will also be a major boost for the Munster side.

Between the Munster League and the NHL Div 1A this year, Kerry have lost nine out of 10 games.

Contrast that to Meath's form, at a lower grade, the Royals have won seven out of nine in Walsh Cup and NHL Div 2B, losing to Offaly and IT Carlow. 

Winning can become a habit and while it won't be easy on Sunday against Kerry, the Royal County can claim a famous victory and get back to some serious business in the Leinster SHC.

RESULTS FOCUS FOR

Meath, Westmeath, Kerry, Laois

DIVISION 1B
Round 1: Kerry 3-14 Laois 0-19.
Round 2: Laois 1-26 Offaly 1-20; Limerick 6-21 Kerry 3-8.
Round 3: Galway 3-31 Laois 1-11; Wexford 3-18 Kerry 0-12.
Round 4: Limerick 6-33 Laois 1-19; Galway 1-22 Kerry 0-12.
Round 5: Offaly 1-21 Kerry 2-16; Wexford 2-24 Laois 2-20

Relegation play-off: Laois 1-30 Kerry 4-20 (aet)

DIVISION 2A
Round 1: Carlow 1-13 Westmeath 1-11.
Round 2:  Kildare 1-16 Westmeath 0-14.
Round 3:  Westmeath 3-29 Armagh 0-16
Round 4: Westmeath 2-20 London 2-7
Round 5: Westmeath 0-20 Antrim 1-15; 

 

DIVISION 2B
Round 1:  Meath 4-21 Down 1-10
Round 2:  Meath 2-19 Derry 0-16.
Round 3: Meath 2-16 Roscommon 1-16.
Round 4: Meath 2-18 Mayo 0-15.
Round 5:  Meath 3-23 Wicklow 1-16
Final: Meath 4-24 Wicklow 2-15.

TEAM PHOTO

The last Meath team to play in the Leinster SHC in 2004.

All photos John Quirke / www.quirke.ie