OPTIMISM TO THE TEST THIS WEEKEND

DONAL KEOGHAN at 31, Ronan Jones as captain, Matthew Costello, who went off at halftime in Longford, and Jack O’Connor, who came on as a sub in that game, are regarded as Meath’s elder statesmen.

The rest are kids. And they come with pedigree — a minor

All-Ireland title in 2021, three Leinster minor crowns since 2018, catching the eye. There is a lot to like about Adam O’Neill, who has matured into a really good full-back after his rookie year last term. Eoghan Frayne, who won a county title with Sumerhill last year, and got Maynooth to the Sigerson

Cup semifinal before getting named on the

THE ANSWER is yes — and we may only begin to discover this as the summer goes on.

This season has so far been a curse.

Jordan Morris missed the entire League after undergoing knee surgery. Handed his chance on Sunday, he scored four points from play.

Then there is Ronan Ryan,

Sigerson team of the year, scored 1-5 against Longford in his first Championship start.

Arrive

But like so many young players, consistency has yet to arrive. One-time AFL player Cian McBride was given six starts in this year’s League but failed to deliver. Then on Sunday, after being dropped, he came off the first-choice full-back last year. Injury has hampered his season, too, limiting him to four minutes on Sunday.

Campaign

Padraig Harmon, last season’s centre-back, has not featured this year and neither has Conor Gray, their young midfielder, who got a Tailteann Cup All Star last campaign.

Then there is Jack Flynn, man bench and looked incredible.

Then there is James Conlon.

On Sunday, he scored 1-6 from play, yet that was against Longford, a Division 4 team.

Conlon, indeed this crop of Meath players, have yet to deliver against any side as good as Dublin.

That’s when we will learn more about them. of the match and scorer of four points against Down in last year’s Tailteann Cup decider.

He too can do a job in midfield or as a half-forward. Officially he is concentrating on his studies, hence why he is no longer on the panel.

O’Rourke needs to get him back, keep Ryan and Morris fit, get consistency into McBride, and hope Gray and Harmon get healthy.

If all this happens, they have a team worth looking at.

GREEN GIANTS: Meath players Eoghan Frayne, Ronan Ryan and Ross Ryan at the end of Sunday’s win against Longford OPTIONS: Jordan Morris has yet to come back into the reckoning; Conor Gray and Jack Flynn DERRY DID. Five years ago they were a Division 4 team. Monaghan were in Division 3 before fighting their way up to the top-flight, where they stayed for 10 years. Along the way, they reached two All-Ireland semifinals and won two Ulster titles. So why can’t Meath become a top-five team again? They have the players, O’Rourke handing out 16 debuts last year. Wingback Sean Coffey, O’Neill, keeper Sean Brennan and Frayne have huge potential. Will Dublin be worried? Not this Sunday. But a year from now? Perhaps.