Reilly knows hard work just beginning for newly promoted Meath

Graham Reilly has said that Meath have the physical conditioning of a Division 1 team, but that their footballing ability needs to go ‘up through the roof’ to survive there. The Royal County secured promotion as Division 2 table-toppers, by beating Fermanagh, and are back in the top flight for the first time since being relegated from the old Division 1B in 2006.

Former captain Reilly, on the panel since 2007, described it as a massive boost for the county to finally go back up, but is aware of the need for improvement. A whopping 14 of the 22 teams that have been promoted from Division 2, since the league was restructured in 2008, have gone straight back down within two seasons, Cavan and Roscommon the latest.