TEAM NEWS: Three changes as Weir’s troops set for more turbulent times in the Kingdom

JOE MCDONAGH CUP PREVIEW

Meath manager Nick Weir has made three changes from the side that lost to Offaly in round two of the Joe McDonagh cup for Saturday's trip to Tralee to take on Kerry in round three.

Dunboyne's Ger Murphy will come in for the suspended Shane Brennan, while Paddy Potterton and Mickey Burke come into the side with David Reilly and Nicky Potterton dropping to the bench.

Those changes will mean some positional moves from the last game. Murphy comes straight into the full-back line and will wear number two as Sean Geraghty's will take Brennan's number three role.

Paddy Potterton and Burke come into the half-back line with Stephen Morris pushed into midfield and Healy moved to wing forward.

The Meath team to face Kerry in Tralee on Saturday (1pm) is - Charlie Ennis; Ger Murphy, Sean Geraghty, Brendan McKeon; Paddy Potterton, Mickey Burke, James Kelly; Stephen Morris, Padraig O’Hanrahan; Jack Walsh, Mark O’Sullivan, Damien Healy; Mikey Cole, Jack Regan, Eamon O Donnchadha. Subs - Conor Ryan, Justin Coyne, Nicky Potterton, Trevor Healy, Darragh Kelly, Chris Reilly, Jarlath Ennis, Adam O'Connor, Jack Lanigan, Kevin Keena, Luke Horan.

MATCH PREVIEW

If you are badly in search of a morale-boosting victory in the Joe McDonagh Cup one place you don't want to have to try and go to in order to get it is Tralee - and a joust with Kerry. Yet that is exactly what Meath now have to do.

After defeats against Carlow and Offaly Nick Weir's team is certainly in need of a pick-me-up but they are unlikely to get it in the Kingdom. Why?

Well, all we have to do is point to some statistics that only suggest one outcome from Saturday's encounter - a Kerry win. The victims of a surprise defeat to Down the previous week the Kingdom responded devastating fashion by defeating Carlow 3-21 to 0-15 last Saturday. Yes, the same Carlow team who trounced Meath by 4-30 to 0-17 in the first chapter.

Whatever tweaks Kerry made to their selection on Saturday, or style of play, certainly seems to have worked and Meath will need to be on full alert to withstand the onslaught that will, invariably, come their way. They will specifically have to watch out for players such as Shane Conway, one of the best hurlers in the country, Padraig Boyle, Niall Mulcahy all of whom found the net against Carlow.

Meath will have to be a lot more defensively secure than they showed for a spell during the first-half against Offaly when the home side fired home two goals. Reflecting on those goals this week the Meath players and management will no doubt feel they were preventable.

Meath's young midfielder Nicky Potterton caused Offaly some problems with his surging runs while James Kelly delivered some neat passes from defence. Shane Brennan, Damien Healy and Jack Regan were others to show up well at O'Connor Park.

All the Meath players will need to be at their best on Saturday, but Brennan is unlikely to be involved following his red card against Offaly.

The topsy-turvey nature of the results so far in the McDonagh Cup suggests anything can happen. The reality, however, is that Meath will need to show something really special to dethrone the Kingdom in their own patch.

Another defeat for the Royals looks like it's written in the stars.