A watershed for Meath football

MATTIE Kerrigan sees next Sunday's Leinster senior football final as something of a watershed for Meath football, a match similar in all respects to the one Kerry's youthful team faced up to in last Sunday's Munster final.

The former Meath All Ireland hero, currently tipped to be at the helm in Offaly by the autumn, reckons that Meath desperately need to break Dublin's winning sequence. "It's so important for them this time. If they win it would put them in the prime position for the next four to five years in Leinster football and would certainly send a few shivers down the spines of every one else in the country," says Kerrigan.

The current Meath team's strengths are largely based on an input of youth and it is oozing with ambition. Reassurance at this level is as important for them at this stage as it was for Kerry against Cork last Sunday. A significant victory is urgently required to boost morale and inspire self belief.

The general consensus within the county is that all ominous threats to the well being and confidence levels of a potentially excellent side can be erased with victory over the All Ireland champions.

Ominous psychological threats of this kind were not as serious to the side's morale in previous years, according to Kerrigan.

"The urgency for the team was not as great last year or the year before because Meath were obviously at a stage where some of the older players were on the way out. But now, the feeling is that they would want to win it this time."

Kerrigan, who was quite expert at finding weaknesses in defences during his own illustrious playing career, has certain reservations about the maturity of the current Meath cover.

"I thought the defence was a little open against Laois but hopefully they have had enough time to tighten up on that.

"The midfield didn't look as strong as they would have to be to win a Leinster championship although I thought McDermott played well eventually," he says.

"Laois had many scoring opportunities. I think the goal in the very first minute threw them. I never saw a team in Croke Park before going for goals from such an early stage. They got four or five goal opportunities and two or three of them were gilt edged. Had they taken their points, which I presume Dublin will be doing, it could have gone right down to the wire."

Kerrigan sees huge match winning potential in the newly formed Meath attack.

"They are good," he says. "Trevor Giles, Tommy Dowd and Graham Geraghty are all top class players in the half forward line. Brendan Reilly played very well at full forward against Laois and you would have to be looking for another big performance from him.

"Young Kelly played superbly against Carlow and, against Laois, he got four kicks of the ball and managed three points. I have been very impressed by him and Barry O'Callaghan, another under 21 player, has been doing well despite a lack of good consistent ball going into him."

Rather than rope in with general opinion and view Dublin as a team who have been far from impressive so far, Kerrigan pin points their strengths and emphasises.

"When they were under pressure against key Louth players like Paul Curran, Brian Stynes and Charlie Redmond, significantly, came to their rescue. I know Charlie got a bit of stick over his alleged acting, or whatever. These things happen but at the end of the day, when Dublin needed a couple of good frees kicked, or that last point which was a superb effort, he came up trumps. I don't think he has been playing particularly well but he is a man for the big occasion," says Kerrigan.