By Rory Houston
The meeting of rivals Louth and Meath is always intense and this weekend’s Allianz Football League clash in Pairc Tailteann has so much riding on it.
The Royals were hoping to make the leap back to the top flight of the league this year, but four defeats in succession means they must beat Louth to make sure they avoid the drop from Division 2.
Sean Boylan’s announcement that he was leaving his director of football role this week was another blow to the county.
After such weak showings in the league, a relegation would add to the concerns about Seamus McEnaney’s leadership of the Royals at the beginning of his second year in charge.
It is interesting that the Meath boss believes the players looks as sharp and committed in training as they should be, and in doing so, admitting he hasn’t got his approach spot-on.
On the pitch, Meath have looked a different side to the picture the manager painted. They have lacked grit and a determination to win games and as a result find themselves in trouble at the bottom of the division.
Meath have plenty of talented players but it is that fight and hunger that will win them matches, and if McEnaney can‘t instil it through team or tactic changes, it will be a short summer.
The Royal style of football in full-flight is a joy to watch, but they need to be able to produce a more complete performance, and starting this weekend would at least take some heat off in the build-up to the Championship.
This is the type of game that Peter Fitzpatrick craves. He will have Louth raring to go on Sunday and a drop to Division 3 would not be disastrous.
They have shown their own qualities with draws on the road against Galway and Derry to give themselves this opportunity of avoiding relegation, but it might just prove too much when Meath need to produce one big performance.
Verdict: Meath
