FOLLOWING their comprehensive win in the All Ireland football semi final on Sunday, Meath have requested that their All Ireland under 21 semi final with Cavan, scheduled for next Sunday, be postpone. Seven members of the Meath senior squad are involved in the under 21 panel.
Meath have concerns about their layers playing two such important matches on consecutive Sundays and are also concerned about the prospect of their players getting injured three weeks before their All Ireland clash with Mayo, on September 15th.
The seven players involved in the under 21 panel include right corner back Mark O'Reilly, full backarren Fay, left half back Paddy Reynolds, right half forward Trevor Giles and left corner forward Barry Callaghan, all of whom were in the starting line up against Tyrone. The other members of the under 21 team on the senior panel are Stephen O'Rourke (midfield) and Ollie Murphy (full forward).
If the GAA's Games Administration Committee agree to a postponement, the Meath Cavan match would have to be put back to late September. The final of the competition, for which Kerry have already qualified, would then have to go back to October.
The GAC refused a request by Wexford for a postponement of their under 21 hurling semi final against Antrim last weekend. Wexford appealed on the grounds that members of their under 21 side were also involved with the senior team. The match went ahead, however, and Wexford "rested" their senior players, Gary Laffan and Rory McCarthy, but still beat Antrim, 3-14 to 1-6. On the same basis, it is unlikely that Meath's request will succeed.
Meath's All Ireland opponents Mayo received a boost last weekend when midfielder David Brady retuned to club action. Brady was forced out of the semi final against Kerry because of injury. Manager John Maughan was forced to make two changes in the run up to the semi final one a very late one indeed but reports from the county suggest that Brady will be back in the side at midfield for the final and that Anthony McGarry (left corner back) will also be recalled.
Meanwhile, the depression which has cent red over the perceived fall in Gaelic football standards for some time now has shown definite g of lifting as a result of the two All Ireland semi finals.
First Mayo and Kerry produced ala match of some quality in their semi final. Then, on Sunday, a really powerful performance by a rejuvenated Meath team swept Tyrone, aside in another high quality match.
This was no ordinary occasion 59,742 spectators turned Croke Park into a sea of colour. A big proportion of that number witnessed a splendid minor match end in a welter of excitement and no little heart break for Donegal and a significant breakthrough for Laois.
Starting at break neck speed, the senior match saw Tyrone run up a free point lead by the eighth minute. From then to half time, fortunes swayed this way and that but a brilliant goal by Meath, which featured Barry Callaghan, Brendan Reilly, Trevor Giles and finally Graham Geraghty, spoke of some slackness in the Tyrone defence flag which was, inevitably to be their undoing.
It wasn't until the final 20 minutes, however, that Meath supporters could be confident of victory. In the end, Meath manager Sean Boylan could afford the luxury of calling Graham Geraghty back to the bench, presumably to spare him for another day.
In any event, we have arrived at a rare All Ireland pairing, the first time these two counties have met at this stage since the great days of Mayo football in 1951.
Yesterday, Boylan was quick to recall that defeat and to suggest that the time had come to restore the balance. On that occasion, Mayo won by 2-8 to 0-9 before a crowd of close on 80,000.
Boylan was quick also to comment on the Mayo side which had beaten Kerry the previous Sunday. His description of them as "awesome" may be taken as hyperbole, but a fascinating match is certainly in prospect.
Meath resume training tonight, but after what was an amazingly energetic match on Sunday the players will he hoping for a less intense schedule for at least a couple of days.
One of the things which surprised many people about the Meath performance on Sunday was the display of high fielding by Jimmy McGuinness and John McDermott at midfield. In this respect Pascal Canavan and Jody Gormley were totally overshadowed and Tyrone simply had no answer. Meath have produced a perfect complementary partnership.
. Tyrone full forward and scoring mainstay Peter Canavan attended hospital yesterday for an X-ray on his ankle which was injured during Sunday's game. Canavan, who gave a subdued performance and was clearly injured for much of the game, received the injury while scoring the first of his two points, early in the first half.
It was also confirmed yesterday that Canavan had a painkilling injection for a rib injury before Sunday's game.
. Mick O'Dwyer is likely to be named as the new manager of the Kildare senior football team at a county board meeting tonight. O'Dwyer's name will be put before club delegates and the nomination is likely to be approved.
The county hoard decided to approach seven candidates, including former Westmeath manager, Matty Kerrigan, after Dermot Earley stood down following Kildare's defeat by Laois in the opening round of the Leinster championship. Earley replaced O'Dwyer for a two year term in 1994, after O'Dwyer had served as Kildare manager for four years.
