Tough opposition awaits in return to NFL Div 1

Meath face a daunting task to make an impression in NFL Div 1. Looking back at each of their opponents form in 2018 it is clear that Andy McEntee's side will have to be at the peak of their powers to maintain their status.

DONEGAL

An old foe at this stage, Donegal are very familiar to Meath having clashed three times in 2019 with Donegal shading the verdict on all occasions.
Despite beating Meath in round two of NFL Div 2 last year Donegal had to settle for second place following losses to Tipperary and Fermanagh.
However, they won the league final to bring good form into the Ulster championship where wins over Fermanagh and Tyrone set up a final clash with Cavan which they won by 1-24 to 2-16.
In the Super 8s Donegal's only win was achieved in round one against Meath.
They drew with Kerry in their second game, but the loss to Mayo in round three left them out of the All-Ireland picture.

Last time NFL Div 2 (2019) - Meath 0-14, Donegal 1-13.

 

DUBLIN

The all-conquering Dubs weren't as all-conquering as their domination of the GAA world suggests.
They lost three times in the 2019 NFL Div 1, albeit one of those losses was with an understrength side in round one against Monaghan and another was an unlucky one-point reversal against Kerry in Tralee.
The third loss came against Tyrone in Croke Park and that put an end to their league aspirations as they finished fourth of eight.
That disappointment had no ill-effect on Dublin's championship ambitions.
They annihilated Louth in Portlaoise, had 15 points to spare against Kildare in the Leinster semi-final and then beat Meath 1-17 to 0-4 in the provincial final.
Onto the Super 8s and wins over Tyrone, Roscommon and Cork with a scoring difference of plus 37 gave an indication of their status.
In the All-Ireland SFC semi-final they beat Mayo by 10 points.
There were signs of rustiness in the All-Ireland SFC final against Kerry when they salvaged a draw, but they made the most of their second chance to secure the historic five-in-a-row.

Last time out NFL Div 2 (2008) - Meath 2-6, Dublin 0-13.

 

GALWAY

Since edging out Meath for promotion in 2017 Galway have more than held their own in Div 1.
Unbeaten in the league stages with six wins and a draw with Dublin, the Galway men missed out on the league title by four points against Dublin in the final.
Last year was more about consolidation and they did so with wins over Roscommon, Mayo, Monaghan and Cavan.
A three-point victory over London got their Connacht SFC campaign off to a winning start and they hammered Sligo to advance to the final where Roscommon proved too strong.
In round four of the qualifiers Galway met their old foes and neighbours Mayo and following a classic in Limerick they lost by three points to end their season on a negative note.

Last time out NFL Div 2 (2017) - Meath 1-13, Galway 0-15.

 

KERRY

Kerry lost three times in 2019, twice in finals.
Their NFL Div 1 group stage loss to Mayo was a nothing game, but then they followed it a couple of week later with a four-point loss to Mayo in the Div 1 final. The disappointment of that defeat could account for the lacklustre display when only beating Clare by six point in the Munster SFC semi-final and then in the provincial final they were fortunate enough to escape with a 1-19 to 3-10 win over a Cork side that were relegated to Div 3 in the league. However as the summer got hotter so to did Kerry. They beat Mayo by 10 points in round one of the Super 8s, played a pulsating draw with Donegal in round two and then hammered Meath by 10 points in Navan to ensure their semi-final spot. Tyrone pushed the Kingdom all the way in the last four, but Kerry eventually emerged victorious where they almost broke Dublin hearts in the final, drawing 1-16 each. Having competed so impressively first time out Kerry struggled to raise their game again and lost out in the All-Ireland SFC final replay, but they proved they are back.

Last time out NFL Div 2 (2002 semi-final) - Meath 0-8, Kerry 0-11.

MAYO

Oh Mayo, poor old Mayo. Every year promises a new dawn and last year was no different.
Five wins from their seven NFL Div 1 games saw them finish second and secure a final clash with Kerry where they proved too strong and claimed the crown with a 3-11 to 2-10 victory over the Kingdom.
Roll on the championship.
Connacht provided the first glimpse of disappointment when they followed their easy win over New York with a narrow loss in the semi-final to Roscommon.
Mayo bounced back with a three-point win over Galway in round four of the qualifiers to advance to the Super 8s where wins over Meath and Donegal were enough to set up an All-Ireland semi-final with Dublin where this time there was no hard luck story as the champions romped to a 10-point victory.

Last time out NFL Div 2 (2003) - Meath 1-16, Mayo 0-12.

 

MONAGHAN

A penultimate round victory over Cavan proved crucial as Monaghan survived in NFL Div 1 last year.
That victory was one of only two wins the Farney men enjoyed, the other was an opening round victory over Dublin that promised so much.
However, it turned out to be a difficult year for Malachy O'Rourke.

Defeat by revenge-driven Cavan in the first day out in Ulster compounded the miserable league campaign and in round one of the qualifiers Fermanagh pinned their Ulster neighbours to their collars before Monaghan survived with four points to spare.
There was no such let-off in round two as Armagh dumped their Ulster rivals out of the All-Ireland reckoning in June by 2-17 to 1-12. 

Last time out NFL Div 2 (2014) - Monaghan 0-20, Meath 0-8.

 

TYRONE

After reaching the All-Ireland SFC final in 2018, Tyrone were once again a force to be reckoned with last year.
They reached the Ulster SFC semi-final with victories over Derry and Antrim, but lost out by four points to Donegal.
A four-point win over Longford sent them into round three of the qualifiers and they were hugely impressive when beating Kildare by 10 points.
A comprehensive win over Cavan secured their place in the Super 8s where wins over Roscommon and Cork ensured a place in the All-Ireland SFC semi-finals.
However, for the second year in -a-row Dublin were too strong for Mickey Harte's side.
In the NFL Div 1 Tyrone finished third behind Mayo and Dublin with four wins and two draws and a loss.

Last time out NFL Div 2 (2016) - Meath 1-11, Tyrone 1-17.