Kiltale can take another step forward

While there is no SHC silverware handed out at this time of the year Na Fianna can reflect on the past few months with considerable satisfaction - and not a little pride. At the outset of the championship few would have given Na Fianna much of a chance of making it to the knock-out phase especially at the expense of Dunboyne, yet that is how it transpired. In the head-to-head between the two teams at Pairc Tailteann, Na Fianna displayed a swashbuckling self-confidence to come back not once, but twice before pushing on to win. It was the sign of a team that really believed. Mike Cole has brought all his experience to the table and turned the team into a sturdy, resolute unit that even the big guns have found difficult to put down. In their early rounds of the championship Na Fianna came up against Drumree and Gaeil Colmcille. They registered a win in each game and provided themselves with a platform to push on to greater things. A significant feature of the win over Dunboyne (1-15 to 0-15) was the fact that six players got on the scoreboard, exploding the view that they are a one-man team and rely solely on the talent of Barry Slevin for scores. That's not to say that they don't rely hugely on Slevin's skilful contributions. They do, but over the summer Na Fianna have sought to broaden their threat by creating chances which others such as Sean Griffin, David Kirby, Eoin Reilly can feed off. They have done that with some accomplishment and now stand on the cusp of taking a huge step forward. Even in the games they have lost there is firm evidence of Na Fianna's durability and sheer peskiness. They only lost to Trim by a point (0-15 to 0-16) and pushed Navan O'Mahonys right to the wire eventually conceding the game at the death, and by a mere two points (1-8 to 1-10). Na Fianna can also reflect on a Leinster Hurling League final replay victory over Laois side Shanahoe in what has been a good year, so far. Despite all that Kiltale go into this game on the back of a pretty impressive campaign with the highlight the unexpected win over Kildalkey. That evening Kiltale harried and hussled their more fancied opponents to distraction, never giving them the time and space on which they thrive. Kiltale will not have to look too far for motivation. They will want to prove that they are not the nearly men of Meath hurling, getting to a certain level before folding when it matters most. We can point to a statistic that Kiltale must be sick and tired hearing by now. Namely they that when they lost to Kilmessan in last year's semi-final it was the third successive year that they made it to the last four only to lose out. The biggest challenge facing Paul Regan's (pictured) men is overcoming the mental block that comes with that stark fact. Kiltale have the armoury to defeat Na Fianna and perhaps push on to bury their semi-final hoodoo. They have talented young players to look to like James Kelly, Willie Mahady, Mark O'Sullivan and Peter Durnin who have garnered plenty of experience by now. Kiltale need to start winning the big games, start translating promise into the 'right' result on the scoreboard to shake off the nearly men tag that threatens to undermine and diminish what they achieved up to now. They have enough about them to win this game and make it into yet another semi-final.