Beggy: Things are looking up for us in Meath and about time

Carlow Meath Tonight, O’moore Park, 5pm

v DAVID BEGGY believes Meath are finally developing a new

DNA to deal with the demands of the modern game.

Winning promotion to Division 1 in the spring was, in the two-time All-ireland winner’s view, the best thing that’s happened to the Royals in well over a decade.

“A great starting point,” declared Beggy. “We’re finally at a point where we can move on.”

Maybe there’s a certain symmetry at play. Beggy’s Championship debut came almost out of nowhere against Carlow in 1986. He scored 1-2 but Sean Boylan’s side limped over the line.

“I was just a kid,” he said. “We just got out by the skin of our teeth and went on to win the Leinster Championship, and that was the start of it for us.”

Back to back All-irelands followed in quick succession.

As it happens, Carlow provide the opposition tomorrow. The Barrowsiders are missing Brendan Murphy through suspension, and influential mentors Turlough O’connor and Steven Poacher.

“We’re 1/8 with the bookies, that’s a little too emphatic for me with a team that has struggled for so long,” cautioned Beggy.

“It’s a potential banana skin. But you’ve got to have confidence in them.”

A shaky Championship opener against Offaly a couple of weeks back won’t deter

Beggy now. Meath supporters are beginning to believe again.

“It wasn’t great, but Championship football is a different animal.” stated the Navan man.

“There was an expectation that it would be easier. But we dug out what I’d call a really good first round win because we showed a lot of character.

“We were lucky to get out, but that kind of win keeps the team much more focused.”

The Navan man pinpoints Andy Mcentee’s decision to bring in Colm Nally as team coach this year as being a transformative moment.

“It’s been very obvious, the huge influence on the training pitch that he’s had,” Beggy stressed. “It has given Andy (right) more freedom to manage. It’s the most important move Meath have made in years. We were experts at knock-out and since the backdoor came in, we struggled to cope.

“The frustration is that we kind of threw our style out the window when Sean was finished and tried to change our DNA. And our football DNA is all about kicking ball. We have been very slow to to cope with the new type of game, but we’re starting to come on now.”