New boss hails panel’s commitment

FOLLOWING Sunday’s facile opening-round win against Wicklow in the O’Byrne Cup, new Meath boss Andy McEntee lauded the commitment of the players on the extended squad but said that county footballer of the year Shane O’Rourke wasn’t part of future plans.

‘Shane is just not in a position, physically. His hip is giving him too much trouble, the amount of time involved, the work involved. It appears that he just wouldn’t be up to it,’ McEntee said.

‘We have got 100% response from players, though. There has been one or two lads that we spoke to and who weren’t able because of work commitments, but the buy-in has been fantastic from everyone we asked to commit.

‘There are a lot of guys there who have totally committed themselves for the last number of weeks in the knowledge that they are possibly not going to make the league panel, but you wouldn’t think it looking at them. They have been fantastic.

‘We will have a totally different team out on Wednesday night against DIT. It will be a different starting 15. We are working off a panel of 51 players at the moment - we have enough to make a totally different squad.

‘When this competition is over and before the league starts, we will have to cut it down a little bit and that is not an easy one.’

Reflecting on the job so far, McEntee said the time involved was enormous.

‘There is a huge amount of time involved and a big commitment from everyone, not just from me but a lot of people. There is a big team around the team and it’s just making sure that everyone is organised, and that takes up a lot of time - even more so than with Ballyboden. Being with Ballyboden was very time-consuming, but this is a step up again.’

Regarding the display against the Garden County, McEntee said: ‘You are looking for certain things for this time of year and the effort and the tempo and physicality - all those sort of things. It was certainly good in the opening half, but it all died a little bit in the second half. That is a mental thing rather than a physical thing and hopefully we can work on that.

‘There are some good forwards out there who are very accurate and with good movement, but you have to put in the graft as well. I thought defensively we look solid. I don’t think there were any goal chances for Wicklow. A combination of a lot of things. That is the way I like to play -a little more direct.

‘The workrate was good, as was the intensity and their appetite for work, and that is one of the things that is non-negotiable.’