Dunshaughlin rekindle memories of past Leinster glories

Well before a ball was kicked in this year's Meath IFC Dunshaughlin were the favourites. Raging, red-hot, unbackable favourites. They duly delivered too winning the Mattie McDonnell Cup in fine style a few weeks ago, defeating Duleek/Bellewstown by a comprehensive 0-17 to 0-7. Often finals are tight, nervy affairs. Not this one. It was difficult not to be impressed with the way Dunshaughlin went about their business, not just in the final but in the lead up to it as well.

We've seen it so often in the past how teams have been picked out to win a championship. 'Certainties' the so-called experts say, only for the tag to weight the players down like a lorry load of concrete. It takes a team with a certain confidence and panache to deal with the expectation. The pressure can build and ultimately become overpowering.

Dunshaughlin wore their favourite status lightly - a reality that suggests a team with the mental and physical capabilities to make a significant impact in the Leinster Club IFC with their campaign getting underway this Saturday, 1.30pm against Kildare side Ballyteague.

Dunshaughlin have, of course, a fine tradition when it comes to adventures on the provincial front. They were the last Meath team to win a Leinster Club SFC crown. That was back in what was a truly golden spell for the club when they won the Keegan Cup in 2000, 2001 and 2002. They added a Leinster Club crown to their impressive haul of honours in 2002 when Eamonn Barry's troops defeated Mattock Rangers in the final at Pairc Tailteann. Since the the competition has proved to be a barren landscape for Meath teams.

Of course the club has experienced fluctuating fortunes since then including a demotion to the intermediate ranks last year. It proved a short stay and with good reason - Richie Kealy's team were by some distance better than anybody else in the IFC. They proved that by marching through their campaign undefeated.

That augurs well for them as they set sail on a new journey against Ballyteague. There is no doubt Dunshaughlin have what it takes to go all the way and win a Leinster title. A bold, perhaps even misguided, statement considering we don't know much, very little in fact, about the true quality of opponents like Ballyteague.

What we do know is that with players like Adam McDermott, Ciaran McCarrick, Conor Gray, Mathew Costello, Ruairi Kinsella and Luke Mitchell, the Meath side have the basis of a very formidable unit indeed. When they got moving on one of their characteristic forward surges Dunshaughlin are very difficult to stop. They would have tested most senior teams in Meath this year so it's surely reasonable to assume they can impose themselves on Ballyteague and emerge with a win. Dunshaughlin are a physically powerful team but are polished too in the way they move he ball.

Ballyteague have had their good days sure. They are a club with a rich tradition but they have some way to go to match Dunshaughlin's achievements on the provincial stage. They had a golden spell back in the 1970s when they reached junior, intermediate and senior finals in successive years. They fell short in the senior decider. They are one of those teams who are capable of winning the intermediate championship but struggle to stay in the top flight.

They defeated Castledermot to claim this year's Kildare IFC final and have, according to sources, highly regarded players such as Jimmy Hyland and Gerry Melia. They are clearly a force to be reckoned, a resurgent force too, but Dunshaughlin have the power, the skill and undoubtedly the hunger to kick start their campaign with a win.