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Meath Vs Westmeath - Leinster SFC Quarter Final

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Impressive win from Westmeath yesterday. 5 goals in the first 30 minutes ended the game before half time. Ray Connellan back for them is huge, kicked 5 points from midfield yesterday, he missed the whole league this year. He really got the better of Flynn and Menton in the 2025 league match. Maybe Mcbride is a good match up for him or else you trust Jack Flynn or Menton to try again. Expecting to see Robbie go with the exact same team that played Cork.

Sheridan2010louth (Meath) - Posts: 317 - 13/04/2026 11:10:21    2666103

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Replying To Sheridan2010louth:  "Impressive win from Westmeath yesterday. 5 goals in the first 30 minutes ended the game before half time. Ray Connellan back for them is huge, kicked 5 points from midfield yesterday, he missed the whole league this year. He really got the better of Flynn and Menton in the 2025 league match. Maybe Mcbride is a good match up for him or else you trust Jack Flynn or Menton to try again. Expecting to see Robbie go with the exact same team that played Cork."
Expect it will be a tough game - they'll probably come out flying and we might be a little bit off the pace after the 3 week break. Will be interesting to see if there are any tweaks in our approach having done our analysis.

gwanyagudthing (Meath) - Posts: 134 - 13/04/2026 12:35:02    2666132

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Bookies have us at 1/4 which is a huge statement of their confidence in a Meath win.

Very hard to read into how good Wmeath were vs. how poor Longford were. But they still put up a big score and will certainly be looking for a cut off Meath and have absolutely nothing to lose.

I don't think match sharpness will be an issue, we came through a tough Division operating at a higher level and got the extra game in the final. If anything the break is a benefit to rest up players and get extra minutes into the returning team.

The management team, you will expect, would have been doing their homework and can get to planning around Wmeath danger men this week.

I would assume the same League final team will play and I am anticipating a very tough game. Hoping we can curtail momentum by stopping goals and 2 ptrs.

Royalio11 (Meath) - Posts: 836 - 13/04/2026 18:32:00    2666238

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Certainly a very tricky game, we were very lucky to beat them in Mullingar last year. Hopefully we come out on top, bookies have them at 11/2, seems crazy.

AthboyCelt (Meath) - Posts: 151 - 13/04/2026 19:45:12    2666248

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I'm very interested to see the team and squad named. It's such a shame Costello isn't available for selection. I am genuinely curious as to what would Brennan deem a first 15. If Adam O'Neill is fit I think we go McBride, menton and Flynn to start. O'Neill brings a versatile cover on the bench.

cathal hickey, Ronan Ryan and Conlon could slot in and it wouldn't put a huge dent in the team which is a good sign.

Banty on paper is more proven and probably a little more potent than lynch but lynch has earned his spot so id expect him to keep it for now at least. So I don't expect any changes to the first 15.

As far as the opposition. They have a few things going for them, location, form, timing, big underdogs, meath coming off a league final win and a 3 week break I think they are all levelers. Just like armagh we may be required to fight for this one.

royalcounty1 (Meath) - Posts: 67 - 13/04/2026 22:19:59    2666267

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Crazy odds by bookies this will be tight we really have to watch out for early goals they will try to get a lead on us I think. The 7 day turnaround will be harder on them as game wears on. I think we might grind them down if we're level or near it with 15 mins to go. We need to be ones to get an early goal and make them chase the game

dickie10 (UK) - Posts: 918 - 13/04/2026 23:21:12    2666278

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Replying To AthboyCelt:  "Certainly a very tricky game, we were very lucky to beat them in Mullingar last year. Hopefully we come out on top, bookies have them at 11/2, seems crazy."
Agree, bookies make it a 7 point handicap - I think it's less than that. Westmeath are a bit like Cork in that they have a midfield and forwards that can hurt us. I suspect that we might have the better conditioning and bench which should see us through as long as we keep it tight for the first 50/55 minutes.

gwanyagudthing (Meath) - Posts: 134 - 14/04/2026 08:53:08    2666300

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Replying To Royalio11:  "Bookies have us at 1/4 which is a huge statement of their confidence in a Meath win.

Very hard to read into how good Wmeath were vs. how poor Longford were. But they still put up a big score and will certainly be looking for a cut off Meath and have absolutely nothing to lose.

I don't think match sharpness will be an issue, we came through a tough Division operating at a higher level and got the extra game in the final. If anything the break is a benefit to rest up players and get extra minutes into the returning team.

The management team, you will expect, would have been doing their homework and can get to planning around Wmeath danger men this week.

I would assume the same League final team will play and I am anticipating a very tough game. Hoping we can curtail momentum by stopping goals and 2 ptrs."
1/8 in powers

southmeathgael (Meath) - Posts: 1067 - 14/04/2026 09:43:16    2666307

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Replying To southmeathgael:  "1/8 in powers"
Absolute madness. I'm not sure how they come up with these odds sometimes.

We're dealing with expectation now so the players mentality is going to be tested. The lads who always perform like Keogan and Menton you can trust, the guys I'd be worried about is the younger lads.

I think it's a big game for Flynn against a top player in Connellan. He's had a great league but now as the pressure is cranked up, how does he perform?

A lot of talk will be around Loughlin and can he do damage against our full back line. But if Flynn/Menton/McBride get control of midfield we'll cut off the supply and won't have to worry about that. If we lose midfield and they get early ball in, we've seen our fullback line is suspect.

NYRoyal (USA) - Posts: 95 - 14/04/2026 12:45:43    2666348

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Absolutely a tricky game, but I think Westmeath have taken themselves out of the shadow that they might have otherwise be coming in with, and they have our full attention. Don't think complacency will be an issue.

We know what Westmeath are, their level is low division 2/high division 3. At their best, they're a good team, but like a lot of division 3 teams, the consistency isn't there. They ran up a massive score on Longford, and were very impressive winners, the challenge for them is to do it again. And we just about beat them in Mullingar last year too, so we know it'll be tough.

But if we're going anywhere anytime soon, we should be able to get over this one by 6/7 points.

Cabbagepatch1667 (Meath) - Posts: 129 - 14/04/2026 13:26:54    2666357

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Westmeath will turn up with nothing to loose on Sunday they have 3 or 4 players that would get onto any side . They will run at Meath any chance they get and that is when we are vulnerable.
In saying that they are a div 3 team that lost to Laois and Wexford and struggled to beat Sligo in the league so if we are thinking of winning leinster and want to compete in div1 next year we should be winning this by 6+ points .
Id expect westmeath to be very competitive and expect them to cause us problems but our Panel is a lot stronger that theirs .

Royalmc (Meath) - Posts: 21 - 14/04/2026 14:07:56    2666370

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Replying To NYRoyal:  "Absolute madness. I'm not sure how they come up with these odds sometimes.

We're dealing with expectation now so the players mentality is going to be tested. The lads who always perform like Keogan and Menton you can trust, the guys I'd be worried about is the younger lads.

I think it's a big game for Flynn against a top player in Connellan. He's had a great league but now as the pressure is cranked up, how does he perform?

A lot of talk will be around Loughlin and can he do damage against our full back line. But if Flynn/Menton/McBride get control of midfield we'll cut off the supply and won't have to worry about that. If we lose midfield and they get early ball in, we've seen our fullback line is suspect."
I think it will be interesting to see who picks up Luke Loughlin and how he is marked. At times, he can drift in and out of positions, floating around. Looking back in the past, sometimes when forwards did that to meath, they kind of got ample space at times, Sam Mulroy in the Leinster final, especially in the second half, Ethan Jordan for Tyrone, kind of similar. Is Rafferty meant to go with him everywhere he goes, bit like Brendan McCole last year, or does he just pick him up closer to the goal?

Faithfulmeath (Meath) - Posts: 57 - 14/04/2026 14:10:30    2666371

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Replying To Faithfulmeath:  "I think it will be interesting to see who picks up Luke Loughlin and how he is marked. At times, he can drift in and out of positions, floating around. Looking back in the past, sometimes when forwards did that to meath, they kind of got ample space at times, Sam Mulroy in the Leinster final, especially in the second half, Ethan Jordan for Tyrone, kind of similar. Is Rafferty meant to go with him everywhere he goes, bit like Brendan McCole last year, or does he just pick him up closer to the goal?"
Yes we need to get the pressure right on the "floater" like you say. Jordan got so much space against us but you seen against a team like Armagh on Sunday, you don't get that space and he couldn't get the scores he got against us.

Thats why we allow bang average teams hang around in games or let teams back in games because sometimes there's something amiss in the defensive system whether it's concentration or whatever. If we get this defensive frailty cleared up that's when we'll be a serious, serious contender.

In saying that, agree with the posters here, we've really got to believe we're 6/7 points better than a Westmeath team who didn't get out of division 3. Yes, they will be buoyed from a high scoring win but you've got to think RB will have our lads under no illusions that this will be a serious challenge.

NYRoyal (USA) - Posts: 95 - 14/04/2026 14:59:34    2666394

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Replying To Faithfulmeath:  "I think it will be interesting to see who picks up Luke Loughlin and how he is marked. At times, he can drift in and out of positions, floating around. Looking back in the past, sometimes when forwards did that to meath, they kind of got ample space at times, Sam Mulroy in the Leinster final, especially in the second half, Ethan Jordan for Tyrone, kind of similar. Is Rafferty meant to go with him everywhere he goes, bit like Brendan McCole last year, or does he just pick him up closer to the goal?"
He came off against Longford with a knock, 50 50 chance he doesn't play. They seem to get as much scores from their midfield and wing backs than they do with their forwards. I think the big question is how do westmeath slow down the meath attack, there is just so much quality and options in our attack, not many if any teams have had answer for it in 2026.

Sheridan2010louth (Meath) - Posts: 317 - 14/04/2026 16:10:50    2666413

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Replying To Sheridan2010louth:  "He came off against Longford with a knock, 50 50 chance he doesn't play. They seem to get as much scores from their midfield and wing backs than they do with their forwards. I think the big question is how do westmeath slow down the meath attack, there is just so much quality and options in our attack, not many if any teams have had answer for it in 2026."
I agree, Westmeath are good around the middle 8, Wallace and Whittaker are excellent. Meath currently isn't over-reliant on any single player, which I think is one of their greatest strengths. That's not to say we don't have any marquee players; Morris and Costello can create moments out of nothing, quickly followed by Joc and Kinsella.

Who would you view as the three most important players for a successful championship?

Faithfulmeath (Meath) - Posts: 57 - 14/04/2026 17:55:31    2666435

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Replying To Faithfulmeath:  "I agree, Westmeath are good around the middle 8, Wallace and Whittaker are excellent. Meath currently isn't over-reliant on any single player, which I think is one of their greatest strengths. That's not to say we don't have any marquee players; Morris and Costello can create moments out of nothing, quickly followed by Joc and Kinsella.

Who would you view as the three most important players for a successful championship?"
Tough task to name 3 as we have so many important players. I'd go Morris, Kinsella and Frayne. Morris is probably a top 5 forward in the country so you'd have to say him. Would be massive if he could get through the championship without any injuries

If there were all star awards for the league Kinsella would be an all star. I must admit having watched Kinsella as a Meath minor and Meath u20 I never thought he would be this good, so delighted to be wrong and thrilled at what a player he has become.

Frayne is so important too, such an intelligent footballer, I've heard coaches and players say he's a serious leader and like an on field coach. I think he's the perfect captain for this team.

Sheridan2010louth (Meath) - Posts: 317 - 14/04/2026 23:39:35    2666471

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Replying To Faithfulmeath:  "I agree, Westmeath are good around the middle 8, Wallace and Whittaker are excellent. Meath currently isn't over-reliant on any single player, which I think is one of their greatest strengths. That's not to say we don't have any marquee players; Morris and Costello can create moments out of nothing, quickly followed by Joc and Kinsella.

Who would you view as the three most important players for a successful championship?"
In terms of being hard to replace, I'd go for Coffey, Kinsella & Morris.

gwanyagudthing (Meath) - Posts: 134 - 15/04/2026 07:13:21    2666479

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Anyone having trouble with ordering tickets for this match? Ticketmaster not allowing orders to go through.

winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 971 - 15/04/2026 11:01:42    2666512

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Replying To gwanyagudthing:  "In terms of being hard to replace, I'd go for Coffey, Kinsella & Morris."
It's a good take, I think Coffey is still underrated. He is absolutely excellent, covering a mountain of ground. I think we have far greater depth in midfield now than maybe early June last year, thanks to players playing better and injuries.

Defensively, I think it might be an issue if we pick up one or two injuries in the backs, especially the fullback line; we might be forced to take players from other positions. Besides Ronan Ryan and Keoghan, who's next in on full back line? Adam o neill? muldoon?

Faithfulmeath (Meath) - Posts: 57 - 15/04/2026 13:34:00    2666558

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Replying To Faithfulmeath:  "I agree, Westmeath are good around the middle 8, Wallace and Whittaker are excellent. Meath currently isn't over-reliant on any single player, which I think is one of their greatest strengths. That's not to say we don't have any marquee players; Morris and Costello can create moments out of nothing, quickly followed by Joc and Kinsella.

Who would you view as the three most important players for a successful championship?"
I think you can't exclude a goalkeeper in modern game as one of most important players to would put Brennan on that list. Probably would then consider a midfielder and in Meath's case that would be Jack Flynn for his all round game. For Meath Kinsella who is a playmaker, his winning of breaking ball and scoring would be the third.

winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 971 - 15/04/2026 14:05:33    2666567

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