JUST STEP UP TO THE MARK
O’reilly knows it will be tough again for Meath but says team must give their all
THE range of Dublin’s victories over Meath in the past decade has gone from three points in 2012 to 21 last year.
There were a pair of 16-point Royal losses in there too and another by seven.
With that, and particularly last year’s humiliation in mind, would former Meath defender Mark O’reilly settle for a defeat of less than 10 points as a sort of stepping stone? Not a chance.
“You have to go out, no matter what way things look, to try and win a game,” O’reilly (inset) insisted. “There’d be no point in going out. That’d be my thinking and I’m sure the lads going out at the weekend would have a similar attitude.
“As long as they’re putting in as best an effort as they can, prepare as best they can and have a cut, that’s as much as you can expect from anybody.
But, ultimately you want to win, absolutely you do. If that doesn’t happen you have to just be honest with yourself that you’ve given it everything you can.”
The Croke Park capacity may be set at 18,000 for tomorrow’s Leinster semi-final doubleheader but it’s been a while now since Dublin and Meath games filled the place in any event.
Although the gulf has grown, O’reilly is reluctant to criticise the players that have been at the coalface.
He feels instead that they’re giving their all in an era that’s proved incredibly difficult for every team in the province that is trying to challenge
Dublin. He added: “I wouldn’t fault any of the players’ effort in the games. It’s just when you go down 10/12 points against a team like that, it’s very hard for the heads not to go down.
“Everything becomes difficult. You know the game is gone, it’s very difficult to keep it going at the same intensity levels. Dublin don’t stop when they’re 10 or 12 up, they’re looking for more and more. It’s just the way they operate.”
If the gap is to be narrowed considerably tomorrow, a Meath attack that has managed just 0-4 and 0-9 in their last two Championship meetings with
Dublin will have to find some punch.
There may be a chink of light with the injuries and defections that Dublin have had to deal with.
“Meath have a good few injuries themselves so it’s a huge ask,” said O’reilly. “Something would have to change in terms of that forward line to be able to produce the goods. Dublin are still very strong at the back despite missing a few guys.
“They ain’t just going to go away but certainly with Covid, shorter seasons and that, it’s as good a chance as any that the other teams throughout Ireland will have against them.
“If it’s not Meath, I think other teams will have a chance this year, absolutely.”