Dowd: Meath will offer as big a challenge in replay

CHAMPIONS Dublin will face as big a challenge in their Leinster SFC replay with Meath as they did in Croke Park at the weekend according to Royals selector Tommy Dowd.

The drawn game will bring the Dubs on, he agrees, but he confidently expects their players to benefit hugely from the experience.

Dowd delighted in the whole occasion, which brought back happy memories of previous Dublin clashes, even if he found it physically and mentally draining.

“It’s a lot easier playing than looking on from the sideline, I can guarantee you that.

“A draw was a fair result. Both teams threw everything they had at it. I think it would have been very disappointing to see one or other of the teams getting beaten. We might have benefited from having a first-round game, but the draw will bring Dublin on a lot. It is going to be just as hard to win the next day.”

What the Meath management and players will take from the draw is a reassurance about their character as much as their ability, according to Dowd. “At least the lads know they can compete at the highest level.

“I think that fear was there — that they couldn’t compete at this level, but they proved that they can. The management have great time for this bunch of players. We know what they are capable of.”

If there had been a doubt about their character, he felt that it shone through in the way they recovered from a slow start when they fell behind by five points early in the first half. However, the situation improved steadily after Joe Sheridan got their opening score, following which it was ‘almost nip and tuck’ all the way to the end.

Said Dowd: “Without being critical of the referee, I thought he was a bit harsh on us. We felt Graham’s (Geraghty) goal was good, but he was done for a push in the back. We also felt he should have got a penalty later.”

Geraghty, not unexpectedly, agreed on both counts, commenting: “I thought the two decisions were a bit harsh. Maybe I was leaning a bit when I went up for the ball, but I did go up with both hands. And, after being tackled from behind, I felt I should have got a penalty.”

These considerations apart, Dowd insists that Meath will take a lot of encouragement from their overall display. They recognise Dublin for being very resilient, for being able to keep going to the very end. “No disrespect to other teams, but you can only really measure yourself against the Dubs. Every team feels the same way. If you can prove yourself against them, you are going to be in with a chance of beating any team.

“Their aim this year is to win the All-Ireland. They are almost tired of winning Leinster. But if we could win a Leinster title it would be a tremendous step forward for Meath football.”

Picking the team for the replay won’t be easy, he agreed, with Brian Farrell (full-forward against Kildare) available because his four weeks suspension is over. And, the huge impact made by late substitute Cian Ward will strengthen his claims for inclusion.

On the field for just 25 minutes, he gave an exhibition of confident and unerring free-taking which Maurice Fitzgerald would have been proud of. As impressive as were his first three scores, (a free from the right wing and two ‘45’s), his levelling score from a sideline kick not far out from the left corner was out of the top drawer.

“He is doing that week in, week out at club level,” added Dowd. “He got his chance on Sunday to prove himself at county level and it was some achievement to get five points against Dublin, no matter how he got them.”

Anthony Moyles, meanwhile, feels that Meath can learn a lot more from the draw, pointing out that they had hoped to counteract a few things in Dublin’s game, but didn’t really succeed. “For the first ten or 15 minutes we were all over the place. We talked in advance about the importance of us getting a good start. We had to change things around a bit before we were able to counteract them.”