Tailteann Cup Group Two, round three
Meath v Down (Saturday, Parnell Park, 1pm, live on GAAGO)
TWO of the top contenders to win the Tailteann Cup square off on Saturday as Down face Meath, and Niall McParland says that the lure of a quarter-final spot for the winner means that both sides will be giving it their all.
The two counties have kicked Waterford and Tipperary to the curb to book at worst a home game in the preliminary quarter-finals and with the pressure off, this will be as good of a test to see where Down are at, as they are going to get.
“Meath are a Division Two team, so they’ve been playing at that higher standard all year,” said the Down centre half back.
“It’s going to be difficult, but the fact that the winner gets a week off and a home game in the quarter-final is a massive draw and gives both teams reason to be going at full pelt.”
According to the bookmakers, Down and Meath are – after Cavan – the second and third favourite teams to win the competition, and Saturday is an opportunity for the Mourne men to lay down a marker, as they go in search of Tailteann glory, which McParland says would be ‘huge’ for the county.
“When we set out at the start of the season, we wanted to play in Sam Maguire, but we didn’t achieve that, so we’re exactly where we’re meant to be,” he said.
“Now that we’re in the Tailteann Cup, it’s a brilliant competition for us, as a developing team. We haven’t won anything in 29 years, so in no way are we saying that we’re above this competition.
“It’s going to be a massive task to go and win it. We’re going to have at least four tough games between now and the end of the season, if we’re to win it. But if we could get over the line and do it, it would be huge for the development of this team.”
As McParland described, Down are a developing team in manager Conor Laverty’s first year in charge, and he believes that having the opportunity to rotate the starting 15 against Waterford and Tipperary – games which Down won by margins of 11 and 18 points – did them the world of good.
“It has been a positive start for us, and probably after the Armagh game it was the perfect chance for us to reset,” said the Glenn clubman.
“It was the perfect opportunity to get gametime to boys who hadn’t got much football, so we saw a few new faces and were able to blood the U20 boys back in.
“So, some new boys got minutes under their belts, while some of the older boys like myself got a bit of a rest. It worked out perfectly, with two good results to boot, and we’re in a positive spot at the minute.”
McParland mentioned the injection of fresh faces into the panel, which is certainly the case for Down, as Laverty has handed out 13 championship debuts in their four games, meaning competition for places is extremely high.
“I saw a stat that said we have used 45 different players throughout the season in total,” said McParland.
“So, like any team, we’re trying to find consistency and trying to find a pattern in our play. It has been a learning curve and we’re a developing team at the moment – we’re far from the finished article.
“But it’s great to have all these players, because there are quality footballers in Down, which you see with how competitive the club season is.
“The more lads who are getting game time, the happier the squad is, and everybody within the squad has a goal of playing this weekend. I wouldn’t like to be picking the team! You have 30 boys there who are really pushing to get into the team, which creates a great environment for training.”
