Dubs likely to have too much for Meath

IT’S a bit early for Dublin footballers to be thinking of five-in-a-row in the Leinster football championship or for Meath to aspire towards reaching a final for the first time in eight years.

However, while there can be little doubt that the Dubs will again be favourites in Croke Park tomorrow, their supporters and the public at large will need to be convinced that manager Pat Gilroy’s re-structuring of the team will make them more competitive when it matters most, in another two months.

The statistic showing that eight of the players who started against Tyrone in the All-Ireland quarter-final last year is revealing, but it is somewhat misleading as the selection of the championship 15 has been an evolving process. Three of the newcomers lined out in the flood-lit opening League game (also against Tyrone), while the team which started against Kerry in the sixth round was almost identical to the combination the management have chosen.