PREVIEW - Crunch time in the SFC

Tom Gannon previews the action for round two of the Meath SFC

This weekend, the focus turns back to football and there is a jam-packed schedule of SFC action across four days as round two gets underway.

The 2021 and 2023 IFC champions, Trim and Rathkenny, will kick off proceedings at Dunganny on Thursday evening. Rathkenny pulled off a huge shock when they stunned SFC champions Dunshaughlin last time out. Joey Farrelly's side sent shockwaves across the county with that win, but was it too good to be true? Trim will be a big test for Rathkenny. The Reds are strong in the middle third and have the talent in the full forward line to cause hassle for Rathkenny's defenders. It is hard to see Rathkenny repeating their round one exploits, so Trim are fancied to seal the victory.

The other game in Group C takes centre stage on Friday evening and having lost their opening round clash against Rathkenny. Kevin Kealy will be keen to see a huge response from Dunshaughlin as they take on newly promoted Meath Hill. There will be a lot of eyes on Dunshaughlin in Pairc Tailteann on Friday. A very comprehensive victory for Dunshaughlin and memories of the round one disaster will be forgotten. Anything less than that and serious questions will be asked about the champion's credentials in their title defence.

There is a bumper day of SFC action across the day on Saturday as four games will be contested in round two. A double header in Pairc Tailteann will see all four teams in Group D go to battle. Having made a winning start to their campaign, Wolfe Tones will be hoping to keep the momentum going when they take on Donaghmore/Ashbourne. Last year's finalists were one of the only fancied teams to perform well in their first-round tie. Their talented forwards, such as Caolan Ward and Saran O Fionnagain, are sure to cause a lot of issues for Donaghmore/Ashbourne, who performed a bit below expectations in their round one draw with Na Fianna.

Having rescued a draw at the death against Donaghmore/Ashbourne Na Fianna will be fancied to go one better against Simonstown, who were one of the big disappointments from round one in their heavy loss to Wolfe Tones.

Two giant killers, Gaeil Colmcille and Skryne will do battle in Dunganny on Saturday. Neither of these sides were expected to win their opening round clash but now a victory for either team in this contest would go a long way to securing a quarter-final spot. Gaeil Colmcille are a tenacious dogged side that will grind you down if you let them but with Mick O'Dowd at the helm, Skryne will have a tactical plan in place to deal with the tough Gaeil Colmcille side.

Ballinabrackey will be hoping to bounce back from their opening round defeat when they take on St Colmcille's in Walterstown. This contest is a case of a team that looked to have improved this year versus a team that appears to be going in the opposite direction. Ballinabrackey's half-back line consisting of Richie, Sean and Mark Coffey is very strong and they will be looking to guide their side to victory over the Seasiders.

In the same group as the Bracks and Cilles, Ratoath and Seneschalstown kick off a double header at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday. Under the guidance of Paul Galvin, Ratoath look to be a team that has plenty of improvement in them and they can make further strides with a victory over Seneschalstown, who will more than likely be targeting their final round group game against Ballinabrackey to try and seal a quarter-final spot.

The final piece of SFC action over the weekend will be between St Peter's and Summerhill. It's do or die for these two giants in a group that was blown wide open by the results of round one. St Peter's were tactically outdone by a wily Skryne side in a close encounter at Pairc Tailteann. Summerhill's loss to Gaeil Colmcille was also tight but they performed way below par. In a repeat of last year's quarter-final, expect St Peter's to make a full recovery and leave 2023 champions on the precipice of elimination.

SFC PREDICTIONS

Trim v Rathkenny; Prediction - Trim.

Dunshaughlin v Meath Hill; Prediction - Dunshaughlin.

Wolfe Tones v Donaghmore/Ashbourne; Prediction - Wolfe Tones.

Gaeil Colmcille v Skryne; Prediction - Skryne

Ballinabrackey v St Colmcilles; Prediction - Ballinabrackey

Na Fianna v Simonstown; Prediction - Na Fianna.

Ratoath v Seneschalstown; Prediction - Ratoath

St Peter's V Summerhill; Prediction - St Peter's