Leinster final spot beckons for Royals
LADIES LEINSTER SFC PREVIEW Shootout with Kildare to determine who advances
Meath Ladies have the opportunity to join their male counterparts and book their Leinster SFC final spot with a victory over Kildare in Newbridge this Sunday, writes Tom Gannon.
Meath manager Shane McCormack has had some ups and downs against his native Liliwhites over the last 12 months. Meath were comfortable winners over Kildare 12 months ago in the Leinster Championship. However, this year in the National League, Kildare stunned Meath in Abbotstown with a 2-7 to 1-5 win.
Kildare have made serious strides over the last 12 months and during a fruitful NFL campaign, showed that they can be competitive at the highest level. They also defeated Dublin in round two of the NFL but the current Leinster champions turned that form around last weekend with an emphatic win against Pat Sullivan's side.
It's hard to know what to read the form of the Liliwhites heading into this contest. They seem to be quite a fickle outfit. The Royals, on the other hand, after a disastrous couple of games midway through the league, appeared to have turned a corner and they will certainly be favourites on Sunday.
Meath finished out their league with a good win over a talented Armagh outfit and there was certainly a lot of positives for McCormack to take away from their defeat to Dublin in round-one.
A strong Dublin defence held firm against Meath that day but for the Royals, it wasn't for lack of trying that they failed to break the Dubs down. Meath have serious talent up front and the likes of Emma Duggan, Vikki Wall, Ciara Smyth and Marion Farrelly will surely have more success against a relatively weaker Kildare defence.
Kildare's attacking options are a threat to Meath's defence and if the likes of Alannah Prizeman, Roisin Byrne and Aoife Rattigan are dangerous.
However if Meath can keep it tight at the back, especially in the early stages and build a bit of momentum, they should be able to book their ticket to Croke Park the following Sunday for another crack at the Dubs and make it a day to remember.