Talented Kildalkey hungry to reclaim crown

The Meath SHC may not be the most competitive championship, but the road to Jubilee Cup glory can be a slippery daunting journey full of obstacles and barriers, writes Tom Gannon.

Just ask last year's champions, Ratoath. It took them 61 years to reach the peak of Meath hurling again but they finally got over the line in a thrilling finale encounter with Trim last October.

What better place to kick off a Meath SHC preview than with the current holders? When a team finally gets over the line after a few years of heartbreak, it can often be a catalyst for more success.

As the old saying goes, 'once you win one....' which will inspire some confidence in Ratoath but things haven't exactly gone to plan for them since lifting the Jubilee Cup.

Mike Cole has left the helm and while Andy Dermody is more than qualified for the job, one of the most difficult roles in all of sports management is to take over a successful side and keep that show on the road.

Another factor in last year's success was the freedom that the Ratoath dual players had in the final few weeks before the final to focus on hurling.

In previous years, where the hurlers tended to fall at the final or penultimate hurdles, the footballers were equally as successful so those crunch weeks were hectic for the lads who were involved in both.

The appointment of Paul Galvin alone suggests that the footballers are hungry for success this year so that balancing act for the dual stars could come back into the equation in 2025.

The side that were beaten in last year's final, Trim, are always going to be there or thereabouts at the business end and they are the second most successful hurling team in the county for a reason, but similar to Ratoath they have had less than the ideal preparation for this year's championship.

They too have a new manager in place after David McGuinness stepped down. McGuinness was only in charge for a year but he managed to lead Trim back to an SHC final and his departure was a bit of a shock. Tipperary's Paul Kelly takes over the reins at a successful team that seems to be running short of steam.

The thing that Trim does have in their favour is that they were drawn into the more favourable of the two groups but they will have to come up against a sleeping giant on the cusp of awakening, Kilmessan.

There is certainly more fear about Kilmessan this year than there has been for quite some time. They made good strides last year, and while they were beaten well by Ratoath in the semi-final, that experience will be crucial to them in 2025.

Their u-21 side were very impressive last year and out of that team came the most exciting young hurler in the county at the moment.

Take Jack Regan out of the equation, and Lorcan Byrne was Johnny Greville's best player in 2025. He had a very consistent year for the Royals in what was a very inconsistent Christy Ring Cup campaign.

Byrne and his inter-county teammates, Kris Gorman and Kyle Donnelly will be at the forefront of Kilmessan's bid to get back to the peak of Meath hurling.

Kilmessan have a great chance this year to really make further strides on what has been the perceived 'big four' for the last few years and they will rattle cages. The first job for them will be to compete for top spot in Group B with Trim and they have the capabilities to secure an automatic semi-final place.

When push comes to shove, this championship might come down to two teams. Kiltale and Kildalkey could very well be the front runners in this year's Meath SHC and funnily enough they have been drawn in the same group as the champions.

Kildalkey, who were the champions in 2023, fell victim to the uncompetitive nature of the 2024 Meath SHC. They played Trim in round one, Kilmessan in round two, and weren't tested again until they met the men in red again in the semi-final.

This year will be very different for Kildalkey, and even though they have been drawn in the much stronger Group A, the fixtures have fallen right for them, in that they will have their tougher games towards the back end of the group stage which should mean that they are much better prepared for the knockout stages.

The 2023 champions will be hungry to make amends for last year. At full flight, they are probably the most exciting hurling team to watch in the county and with the talent that they have at their disposal in the likes of Brian O'Halloran, Nicky Potterton, Paddy Conneely, Brin Kelly, Brendan McKeon etc... they are going to be hard stopped.

There is one more team though who may be just as hungry as Kildalkey, and that is Kiltale. Two words, Jack Regan. The best hurler in the county was understandably below par for his side in 2024 having spent most of the year travelling, but his performances for Meath this year showed that he is 100% back to his very best.

Add into the equation the likes of the Ryan twins Ross and Ronan, Adam Murphy, and Iarla Hughes. Kiltale also have serious talent amongst their ranks.

As far as the rest are concerned, it's very hard to see anyone else competing for glory. Na Fianna are probably the best of the rest in Group B and they might have enough to qualify for a quarter-final but that will be the ceiling for them.

Longwood are unfortunate to be drawn into the group of death, Group A, but they will have a fantastic chance of retaining their Senior B crown.