Little room for error as Jubilee Cup race hits round two

Kiltale were the one team that laid down a serious marker in the opening round of the SHC and they will hope to back up their fine win over Kildalkey when they take on Kilmessan in round two. With only the top team automatically qualifying for the Jubilee Cup final and the second and third placed teams assured of a semi-final spot, there is very little room for error and that should ensure high quality fare next weekend.

Ratoath v Na Fianna

The champions did not make the greatest start to their SHC campaign but no real damage was done by their draw with a hungry Kilmessan side two weeks ago in Trim. There is a fair argument to be made that Ratoath are not up to championship speed yet.

The club put a lot of focus on the FL Div 1 and as a result, it is fair to say that Ratoath hurlers are probably lacking a little bit of sharpness. However, with the talent that Andy Dermody has at his disposal, that is not something that will concern the Westmeath native too much.

Na Fianna had a massive performance against Trim in round one at Rathmolyon. The hunger in that camp to prove the doubters wrong and break into the perceived top five is massive and that showed in their opening round contest. They came up short but will take a lot of confidence from that game ahead of their clash with the champions at Dunganny on Friday, 7.30pm.

Ratoath will have to have their wits about them and they're probably not going to saunter to victory but that is the nature of the new structure and Dermody’s side will be very aware of that. They still should have enough in reserve to see off what will be a strong challenge from Pierce Treacy’s men. Prediction: Ratoath.

Kilmessan v Kiltale

This should be the most anticipated contest in round two. It really is a battle of youth versus experience. Kilmessan are a coming force and the draw that they deservedly secured against Ratoath in round one will give them huge confidence.

Kilmessan have been boosted by a talented generation coming through from strong u-21 panels and they still have a good balance of experience sprinkled in there with the likes of Kyle Donnelly and full-back Shane Brennan who was immense against the champions in round one.

Last year's beaten finalists Kiltale set their stall out with what was a very strong performance against Kildalkey in round one. The final scoreline didn’t really reflect how dominant the hugely experienced Kiltale side were in that opening round clash.

The hunger within the Kiltale side to make up for last year's final defeat is ravenous. They came so close to lifting the Jubilee Cup and that desire to reach the peak of Meath hurling again will still be burning hot within John Donoghue’s experienced squad.

This clash could go right down to the wire and whoever comes out on top will put themselves in a really strong position. If they carry their round one form into this game, Kiltale may just edge it in Trim on Saturday, 7pm. Prediction: Kiltale.

Kildalkey v Trim

These two teams have high expectations but neither will be that happy with the way they started the championship.

Trim needed a late flurry of points to pull away from Na Fianna in round one. Trim were rattled in that clash by the men in black and amber and despite getting the victory, will want to show signs of improvement this weekend.

Despite only losing by five points, Kildalkey were no match for Kiltale in round one and were dealt a blow early on when Brian O’Halloran picked up a nasty injury. The Meath footballer is a key player for the 2023 champions and if he is injured, even in the short term, it is a massive blow for Mikey Cole’s men.

For Trim, there was an element of rustiness to their poor opening round showing. However, Declan Murray will be concerned by the fact that his side hit 20 wides in that contest and were often second-best in 50-50 battles.

They certainly felt the loss of James Murray who was serving his suspension for a red card in last year's championship and his return to the set-up will certainly boost the Reds.

As worrying as that performance against Na Fianna was, Trim are probably still in a better place right now than their opponents and will likely make it two wins from two in Dunganny on Sunday, 4pm. Prediction: Trim.