Earley: Royal clash an era defining game

DERMOT EARLEY has pinpointed Kildare’s All-Ireland quarter-final clash with Meath as a defining game in the county’s history.

The Lilywhites are contesting their third straight All-Ireland quarter-final but that impressive statistic masks a generally poor tradition at the very top level.

In fact, while opponents Meath have contested two All-Ireland semi-finals in the last three years, it’s taken Kildare a whopping 54 years to do the same.