Royals’ talisman Reilly up against familiar foes
THERE are local derbies and then there is the Wee County versus the Royal County.
No two counties are as intertwined as Louth and Meath, and regardless of the gap that has existed between them at any time over the years there is rarely a case of ‘foregone conclusion’ when they lock horns in the championship.
And with Louth’s surge from division four to division two league football over the past two years it can be argued that there is little or nothing separating these fierce rivals going into Sunday’s encounter.
One player with plenty of experience of that rivalry is Meath captain and St Colmcille’s club man Graham Reilly who lives on the fringes.
‘I’d be 10 minutes from Drogheda, so I’d know a lot of the players,’ Reilly said. Obviously Colin Kelly and Colm Nally used to manage the Colmcille’s, Colm just recently, he was the manager when we won the intermediate and got to the All-Ireland final. He’s a selector now with Louth and Colin managed us three years ago as well. So obviously I know them too quite well.
‘Louth are going to rise their game even more than they did when overcoming Wicklow. For them it was just getting the job done against Wicklow, that’s what I think anyway. Wicklow obviously did push them, but for Louth, Meath have always been on the horizon. So we have had two weeks to get ready for Louth and they have a game under their belt, that will stand to them. It’s going to be a tough test.’
Having played under the Louth boss Reilly knows that there will be no stone left unturned.
‘Colin is very organised and even with St Colmcille’s he brought a professionalism to us. He got us to, I think, the quarter-final that year. We were unlucky not to go further. He’s obviously brought Louth up to another level, he’s after getting back to back promotions with them. Himself and Colm Nally, who is part of his backroom team, the two of them are very intelligent men when it comes to football.
‘They know me well enough, but it’s up to me to show them something that I haven’t shown them before or something like that.’
It’s a new era for Meath football, with Andy McEntee in his first year in charge, but the Meath captain doesn’t feel that his team need to make a statement when they take on Louth.
‘I’d say Andy would take a one-point win over Louth, I don’t think it’s about statements, it’s all about getting performances right and our attitude and our workrate. We have to tackle hard and we need run as fast as we can for as long as we can. That’s basically what Andy is trying to get out of this team, the best out of every single player that’s on the panel.
‘I think this year is one of the strongest panels that we’ve had in recent years, as far as I can see anyway, lads are putting their hands up and lads are stronger and fitter. We’re going to be in a right place. But championship is different to league, there’s going to be a different tempo, a different pace.
‘Obviously with Andy coming in this year it was always going to be different. He gave me the honour of being captain this year, which I took on board. Obviously with St Colmcille’s getting to the All-Ireland final I haven’t been around as much because we were playing until the last weekend of February.
‘The league campaign was up and down for us. We were competitive when we worked hard and that’s what he’s trying to get into our heads - when we work hard we’re a match for anybody. But when there’s any sort of level below that, we’re just average.
‘I suppose the last three years we’ve finished third in the league and we haven’t just got up to Division 1 yet. I think we’re ready for Division 1. I thought this year we were ready for Division 1.
‘Look, we’re trying to make a breakthrough. There’s no point talking about Dublin yet because we’ve two big steps before then. Louth and then Kildare or Laois, they will be tough games for us. They will get us prepared for Dublin.
‘Every county in Leinster wants to be preparing for Dublin. I know Carlow beat Wexford, nobody is going to give Carlow a chance but they’re going to want to get prepared as much as they can as well. Dublin, every team in the country fears Dublin, not just teams in Leinster.
‘Look, we won’t be looking any further than Louth, it’s going to be a huge test for us.’