Meath look shaky on shifting Leinster sands

Leinster SFC Semi-final/Laois v Meath: In July 2002 these counties met in the qualifiers and Laois were trimmed in a monumentally awful match. You could have named your odds on Meath being such remote prospects for a rematch within two years. Of the four Leinster semi-finalists, tomorrow's pairing, Wexford and Westmeath, Seán Boylan's team are reckoned to have the slenderest chance of reaching the final.

Within Meath the mood is resolutely downbeat and the supporters travel in the hope of being surprised.

The team is about as strong as circumstances allow. Injury rules out Shane McKeigue (groin) and Stephen MacGabhann (foot) but their replacements Hank Traynor and Joe Sheridan were going to be selected anyway, even if the former pair, certainly MacGabhann, who was impressive against Wicklow, might not have been the ones to make way.

Séamus Kenny's selection at wing forward is something of a surprise - not that Niall Kelly's demotion was unforeseen but because Kenny is normally a defender, which suggests he might play deep as an extra man.

Part of the despondency that has settled on the county is based on a sequence of unspectacular challenge matches, including a 10-point defeat to Mayo at a pitch opening in Ratoath. But as one Meath veteran put it: "You couldn't read too much into that. The older fellas aren't going to be killing themselves in challenge matches at this stage."

There is a feeling among the players that tomorrow represents a great opportunity. Conscious that it is, with due respect to next week's semi-final, effectively the provincial final, Meath know that a win would throw open their season.

Laois, though, have travelled a long way in the past year.

Having shattered the glass ceiling by winning Leinster, they now have their All-Ireland prospects discussed without irony. And Mick O'Dwyer is tweaking the team as he goes, with a remodelled half-forward line taking the field tomorrow.

Beano McDonald moves to centre forward to improve the quality of attacking orchestration. Beside him, Ross Munnelly has blossomed into a footballer of noticeable class and Pádraig Clancy is back for his first full match since the spring.

That selection owes more to the desire not to break up the in-form centrefield partnership of Kevin Fitzpatrick and Noel Garvan but Clancy will be an extra target and can switch in and out of the middle as required.

Meath have possibilities in attack with a good mix of ball winners and the scoring potential of Joe Sheridan, the most eagerly awaited championship debutant since Jason Sherlock.

But it is the other end of the field that's more likely to work against them. Compared to Laois's quicksilver forwards, Meath's defence looks cumbersome and overall the champions, their confidence greatly enhanced in the past year, have an appropriately superior look.

We can be sure that Meath must resent these shifting sands but it's doubtful that they can do much about them.

LAOIS: F Byron; A Fennelly, C Byrne, J Higgins; D Rooney, T Kelly, P McDonald; N Garvan, K Fitzpatrick; R Munnelly, B McDonald, P Clancy; I Fitzgerald, C Parkinson, C Conway.

MEATH: D Gallagher; N McKeigue, D Fay, M O'Reilly; P Reynolds, T O'Connor, H Traynor; N Crawford, A Moyles; S Kenny, T Giles, C McCarthy; E Kelly, J Sheridan, D Regan.

Referee: P McEnaney (Monaghan).

Tickets are now available on-line for next week's All-Ireland hurling qualifier between Tipperary and Limerick on June 26th at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Tickets ordered from the official GAA website www.gaa.ie before 11 am on Wednesday next will be sent by post.