Royals meet Rebels in this time of peace
THIRTY years ago, for some unknown reason that escaped even those of us who saw action in the front line, Meath and Cork officially went to war. And it wasn’t just handbags or hostilities with a finite amount of steam contained in both camps. It was a five-year war. One that ended up with both teams in no-man’s land and agreeing ‘no more’ — two All-Irelands won by each team, and one game that was level. Not that any of this matters this weekend. Instead, there’s a novelty to Meath and Cork finding each other on a football field. Facing up to one another in a game in Division 2 of the League, and a game which can direct one team towards a promotion run and the other into a relegation dogfight, makes tomorrow’s engagement in Páirc Uí Rinn interesting. But exactly how much interest Meath or Cork will hold for football supporters, or rival teams, in the months to come remains to be seen. Neither has a ghost of a chance of winning an All-Ireland or a Leinster or Munster title in 2017. Instead, it’s another year when both teams will be happy to measure an improvement in inches. Their nine-point routing by Clare had Cork backsides as red as their jerseys two weeks ago. Meath, meanwhile, surprised everyone by charging to a one-point win at the finish over a Galway team that nobody expected to see beaten in Navan. Whoever is to win this important one, however, might be helped that little bit by reminding younger men of old war stories.