Meath's hunger is sharper

Of tomorrow's league final pairings, Meath will, naturally, take the field in a much more content frame of mind.

Derry's predicament, forced as they are to prepare for this game just a week before facing Cavan in the Ulster championship, is unfair and indicative of poor planning between the Ulster Council and the GAC.

Inevitably, the attitude of the Derry players will be shaped to a large extent by this fixtures congestion. Whatever approach they adopt, they face a dilemma. Winning the league and emerging from the game unscathed would give them a surge of confidence and ensure that they are in a positive mind-frame for the Cavan game.

However, to win at the expense of injuries to key players, leading to a subsequent loss against Cavan, would be nothing short of disastrous for Eamon Coleman's side.

That Meath have made it to the final without appearing to undergo any great hardship has to be an ominous sign. Against Kerry in the semi-final Sean Boylan was prepared to blood new players, such as Paddy Shankey and Anthony Moyles, but it was only after he reintegrated his core players, such as John McDermott and Mark O'Reilly, that the team really began to uncoil.

Meath, like Derry, favour a two-pronged attack and it will be fascinating to observe tomorrow how each side utilises the space up front. Repeatedly, Meath's wing forwards resist the temptation to streak forward - indeed, one of Meath's key strengths lies in their deployment of their wing forwards as frontline defenders.

Trevor Giles is central to the Meath effort. As we discovered in Kerry in the semi-final it is impossible to totally close him down and in any case he is not a one-man show - different players raise their game on different days. John McDermott looked lacking in match practice the last day and an hour with Anthony Tohill will be perfect for him.

Allied to their usual physical prowess, Derry seem to have unearthed a new sharpness, with attacking wing backs and forwards like Dermot Dougan and Enda Muldoon, who consistently punish defences. And Tohill has discovered a renewed zest.

But Derry are likely to have one eye on the championship tomorrow. Meath will come to Croke Park with their thoughts firmly on picking up more silverware. I believe they will do so.