Kildare could pose too many questions

Fresh from their exploits in the All-Ireland Club IHC, Kilmessan players will be turning their attention to helping out their county when the NHL Div 3 gets underway on Sunday at Pairc Tailteann, 2.30. Meath play host to Kildare in the opening round of the NHL Div 3 and the Kilmessan men are expected to make themselves available for selection as the home team go in search of a winning start. Players such as Stephen Clynch, Ger O"Neill, Joey Keena, Martin Horan, David Donnelly and Nicky Horan have spent much of the past year playing and training for the club as Kilmessan followed up their victory in the Jubilee Cup with a sustained run in the All-Ireland Club IHC. The protracted battle with Galway side Cappataggle that went to extra-time was just the latest energy-sapping game for the Meath champions and it remains to be seen what effect, both mentally and physically, it will have on the players. From the Meath perspective the Kilmessan contingent would be crucial as they provide the backbone of the team, contributing invaluable experience and skill to the cause, a fact acknowledged by manager T J Reilly. He can only hope that their hunger for victory is still as strong as ever. He says it is vital that Meath get off to a winning start on Sunday and recognises that his team"s hopes of making an impact in the league this year could be greatly boosted or undermined in the next two weeks as they play Kildare and Mayo in quick succession. 'This is a fairly big game for us. We didn"t have all the hurlers together the past couple of weeks, the lads who have come in have given great commitment. If we can get over Kildare we could have a good run in the league,' he told the Meath Chronicle. ' We have three tough games, not saying that every game is not tough, but Kildare and Mayo are teams who have given us a lot of trouble in the past. 'There"s also a trip to Derry and they have always caused us plenty of problems in the past.' The view that Meath need to start with a win or at least a high-tempo display is echoed by one of the team"s most experienced performers, David Crimmins. Managed by former Kilkenny star Andy Comerford, Kildare have already proved too strong for Meath in the opening round of the Kehoe Shield at Pairc Tailteann a few weeks ago. The Lilywhites won by 1-12 by 0-12 on that occasion and they are unlikely to be daunted by a return to the same venue. Comerford"s charges trounced Louth 4-16 to 1-2 in the Kehoe Shield final on Sunday. They have forwards such as Stephen Lyons and Oisin Lynch who are well capable of taking the chances that come their way while Tony Murphy is another who can cause difficulties for the Royal County backline. Meath welcome back Conor Burke and Paul Fagan from injury however, it remains to be seen if they are fit enough for the rigours of battle. Brian Coughlan and Mike Cole are out of contention with both players carrying knocks. Cole is unlikely to be fit even for the Mayo game. In the defeats to Kildare and Down so far, Meath have been less than impressive, but considering that they were without the Kilmessan contingent it is understandable they should struggle. When Clynch & Co are absent Meath have shown to lack a real strength in depth. Reilly and his selectors have sought to unearth some new talent as well as calling on performers from the past to kick-start their inter-county career. Dave Kirby has come back onto the scene and made an impact while Crimmins and Niall Hackett are players with the type of experience that will be vital in the coming weeks. Kevin O"Rourke and Jimmy Boyle are others who, according to sources, have done well in the defeats against Kildare and Down. Introducing new talent is all part of Reilly"s plan to lay down a platform for the future. 'We"re involved in a rebuilding job and we"re looking at a number of u-21 players as well and hopefully by the end of this year we will have a number of u-21s, if not on the team ,at least on the panel. 'There are a number of players on the panel coming to the end of their tether,' added Reilly. The immediate concern is the game against Kildare, a team that shattered Meath"s Ring Cup ambitions in 2007. They look strong enough to stop Meath from starting their 2009 NHL campaign with a win.