Navan ready to avoid mistakes in Towns' Cup

EVERYBODY wants to knock the reigning champions off their perch and Navan will be looking to avoid any banana skins when they set off on the defence of their Provincial Towns' Cup crown on Sunday.

After getting a bye in the opening round, Brad Harris and his boys could hardly have asked for an easier assignment then against Gorey, at home.

Playing in their own pitch in this competition is an event in itself for Navan as they had to travel for every round last season, except for the first round against Enniscorthy.

Life on the road proved beneficial as Navan put in a series of solid displays to make it to the final and victory over Skerries.

Navan and Gorey were drawn in the Towns' Cup two years ago and the Meath side expectedly romped to a resounding 44-12 victory.

That result would suggest that the only pitfall Navan will have to watch out for this time around is complacency. The likely scenario is that after some initial resistance Div 2 side Gorey will find Navan just too hot to handle.

That has been the trend between teams from the top division and the second tier and it would be a major surprise if the Wexford side stays within five our six points of their rivals.

Despite all that, coach Harris is taking a cautious approach to the game. "We all know what cup games are like, on paper we should win well, reality can be different. All we can do is turn up and play to the best of our ability," he stated. 

Mathematically, Navan still have a chance of winning the Leinster League Div 1 title. Realistically the force is with Cill Dara and unless they slip up big time in the last two games, to Ashbourne and Portlaoise, they will go into the AIL play-offs.

Over the past two seasons Navan have added a number of young players to a central group of more experienced performers. This combination of youth and experience should ensure that they will once again go a long way in this year's Towns Cup, perhaps even to the final.

Full-back Karl Manning is one of the players who has surfaced this season and his pacy runs from deep are among the team's most potent weapons. Kieran Matson is performing well at scrum-half. Thomas Clarke and Sylvanus Iro have added bite to the forward division.

Navan could also be boosted by the availability of Bernard Smyth who is on a fast-track back to fitness. The combined power of Navan should see them advance to the next round with plenty to spare.