FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION of the Tailteann Cup draw, this was the tie that had many reaching for the red marker. Potential champions could be emerging from the battle.
Along with last year’s finalists Cavan, Meath and Down are clear frontrunners for the second tier championship. And in Group 2, they’re both two wins from two with Down holding the slender advantage on scoring difference. Waterford and Tipperary are the other participants of that group, but neither have been a match for the top two sides.
Meath won their first two rounds by a combined 20 points while Down took out the same teams by 29 points. The two unbeaten sides will meet in Parnell Park this Saturday afternoon in what will be their first real test of the tournament. The winner will claim supremacy in Group 2 while also progressing to the quarter-finals. The loser will have to take the longer road through the preliminary quarter-finals where New York will join in.
Opposing managers Colm O’Rourke and Conor Laverty certainly didn’t anticipate competing in the Tailteann Cup this year. That’s particularly true for Down who stunned Donegal in the Ulster quarter-final, and were on the verge of a provincial final. Conceding four goals to Armagh and losing by 10 points is a bigger margin of defeat than they would have wanted in the semi-final, but last year’s All-Ireland quarter-finalists were always going to difficult to beat.
They were in last year’s Tailteann Cup where they were defeated by eventual finalists Cavan. But for a moment, they were staying in the top tier in 2023.
Meath’s journey to this point follows an unfortunate pattern: mixed league form followed by a shock defeat to Offaly in the Leinster championship. They’ve found criticism hard to shake off, as former manager Andy McEntee can certainly attest to. He stepped down last year after six seasons at the helm. Despite leading the county to promotion from Division 2 in 2019, he was heavily chastised for falling short in mounting a challenge for Dublin in Leinster.
Closing in on Tailteann Cup success could help ease some of that heat for Meath.
The inaugural edition of the second tier championship was greeted favourably last year, and the final between Westmeath and Cavan was an exhibition of quality football to allay fears that teams might not apply themselves in the competition. Colm O’Rourke recently assured the press that Meath also respect the merit of the Tailteann Cup, while also giving a bristling retort to Donál Óg Cusack’s dismissive remarks towards the competition.
The fact that Meath v Down will be included on GAAGO’s schedule of games this weekend further underlines the reputable status of this championship.
That said though, Down and Meath would prefer not to be in this position and have a shared ambition to capture the Tailteann Cup and return to the Sam Maguire competition next year.
These are unusual circumstances for both O’Rourke and Down boss Laverty given the scale of achievements they have both enjoyed in their careers. The Royals manager was a key forward for Meath, earning five Leinster SFC titles and two All-Ireland victories in his career. He also played against Down in the 1991 All-Ireland final where the Ulster team prevailed. They emerged again as conquerors of the football championship in 1994.
The landscape of the game has undergone much change in the intervening decades, but Saturday’s challenge will certainly bring on war flashbacks for O’Rourke, and indeed the Meath faithful who can recall those heady times in the 90s.
Laverty has also experienced the top end of the game as both a coach and a player. He was part of the Down squad who reached the 2010 All-Ireland final, coming on as substitute late in the second half of their defeat to Cork. More recently, Laverty was part of the Kilcoo club who captured the All-Ireland club crown in 2022.
He’s also in his third year as the Down U20 manager, and has been double jobbing between those roles. That was once a common dynamic in Gaelic Football, but given the demands on managers today, the numbers volunteering to divide their time between coaching two inter-county sides are in decline. Laverty appears to be coping well, though, having guided the U20s to their second Ulster crown in three years last month.
There’s another familiar face from that Down class of 2010 in the current senior management team. Marty Clarke was the marquee forward on that 2010 team, ending that season with an All-Star for his efforts. Clarke is also a former AFL player to further bolster the weight of credentials in the backroom unit.
GAA figures of such renown would feel more comfortable in the highest level but a ticket to the Sam Maguire show must be earned, and Meath and Down will be each other’s first big test in reaching that goal.
Meath are a Division 2 side, while Down operate in the flight beneath them after being relegated last year. Before suffering the drop in 2022, they played out a draw against Meath, with both sides scoring 2-6 each. In 2021, they were both in Division 2 North when the National Leagues were amended on account the Covid-19 pandemic. Meath won out that battle between the counties by 2-15 to 0-14. Prior to that, their most recent league meeting was in 2018 when again Meath were victorious by a nine-point margin.
A name that appears often for Meath is Moynalvey forward Cillian O’Sullivan. A member of the Meath minor team who reached the 2012 All-Ireland final, O’Sullivan is a jet engine with ball in hand, and a consistent scorer. He took over as captain last year from Shane McEntee — son of Andy — who was also part of that minor team in 2012. O’Sullivan has been scoreless in the Tailteann Cup so far, but remains a vital leader for O’Rourke’s charges.
Aaron Lynch has been prolific in their last two outings for Meath, chalking up a combined 1-8 against Tipperary and Waterford.
Down have firepower in their ranks too, with Ryan Johnston among their Kilcoo contingent. Pat Havern scored a penalty in their win over Donegal as part of a 1-3 haul, and helped himself to seven points last weekend against Tipperary.
Fire will meet fire in Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon, and one side will put their hand up as real contenders for the Tailteann Cup in 2023.
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