O'Byrne Cup final still down for Portlaoise

Portlaoise remains the favoured venue for the O'Byrne Cup final between Meath and Westmeath although the fixture may yet be switched.

The game was originally fixed for O'Moore Park in Portlaoise - and that remains the situation - however it is understood that if weather conditions should deteriorate in the coming days the final may well be switched to another venue perhaps Cusack Park, Mullingar. 

Meath manager Andy McEntee stated yesterday that he was not impressed with his team having to play in Portlaoise at 4pm on Sunday after the All-Ireland Club IFC semi-final between An Ghaeltacht (Kerry) and Moy (Tyrone). 

He added that not fielding a team for the game was "an option" Meath were considering - and, at the time of writing, that remains the position. McEntee felt there was an issue over "player safety" in playing an inter-county game on a pitch this time of the year immediately after another match. 

"We've got seven games in the space of nine weeks in the National League alone never mind a game this weekend," he said. "I'm not complaining about the National League, everyone loves the National League but what I'm saying is we've got to do our best, there is a duty of care on our behalf to protect the players.

"It's not necessarily the distance (to Portlaoise) that's a problem, although it's not ideal bringing both Meath and Westmeath down to Portloaise, doesn't make logistical sense but that's not the deal-breaker. One of the things is that the game is at 4pm Sunday and the other thing is we're playing on a pitch that has already been played on"