FORMER Meath captain Kevin Reilly expects the Royals to be bounced out of the Championship by Derry this weekend, and believes the county needs to go back to the drawing board if the glory days of yesteryear are ever to return.
The bookies make Meath slight favourites to win the Qualifying round 2A clash at Owenbeg on Saturday, but their former skipper doesn’t share that confidence.
After watching the Royals’ 10-point humbling at the hands of All-Ireland champions Dublin a fortnight ago, Reilly fears his former team-mates could struggle to bounce back after such a lacklustre performance.
He said: “It’s going to be incredibly tough. Psychologically, you get yourself up for this mammoth task against the Dubs and when you leave with your tail between your legs, it’s tough to take.
“There’s a kind of a grieving process, you wonder what could have been done differently. There’d definitely be a lot of hurt there and motivation will wane a little bit but you’d hope, from a Meath perspective, that they’d turn the corner and get themselves up for it.
“Over the last couple of years we haven’t come away from Derry with many points in the League and, coming off the back of a Championship defeat, I can’t see Meath having any chance unfortunately.”
The Navan O’Mahony’s clubman, who was forced into retirement last year as a result of a long-standing hip problem, refused to lay the blame solely at the door of Meath boss Mick O’Dowd.
Having been on the receiving end of similar defeats to the Dubs at Croke Park during his own playing career, Reilly says something has to change because “the gap seems to be getting wider”.
“Unfortunately we’re getting used to these beatings – they’ve happened once too often,” he continued. “It’s frustrating in that it happens year upon year and nothing much is being done to rectify it.
“I don’t think there’s any one person or one thing to blame. Everybody within Meath GAA has to look at themselves, whether it’s the county board, whether it’s the manager, the players. They all have to take responsibility.
“You have to develop a culture of winning and good practice among all parties. It’s only then you’ll actually see progress – up until now it’s very disjointed.”
Like Meath, Derry also suffered a heavy defeat in their provincial Championship when Tyrone had 11 points to spare at Celtic Park at the end of May.
However, Damian Barton’s men have since had a Qualifier win over Leinster opposition in the form of Louth, and Reilly believes that momentum – no matter how small – could prove crucial on Saturday.
“The key is to get over that first hurdle [in the Qualifiers],” he said.
“If Meath had played good football [against Dublin] or put in a good performance, they could have taken something from it and built towards the next day because Derry are not Dublin.
“Tyrone are a good side and they’re making waves in the Ulster Championship. People are getting excited about them.
“Derry just couldn’t break them down, and Tyrone have a way of making teams look very average. But is that a true reflection on where Derry football is at the minute? I don’t think so.
“Meath are going to be far more open, they play a more traditional game. It’s attractive, but in this day and age it’s a bit leaky. Having been in the full-back line myself I know what it’s all about. You can be left exposed.
“But Meath and Derry are pretty even. If they hit the ground running, get a good start, a bit of confidence, they have a chance. Derry are definitely beatable, but I just can’t see it personally.”
