Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Round Robin (Round 2)

Meath v Laois, Pairc Tailteann, 3pm

Both Meath and Laois won their opening matches of the Round Robin last weekend, so whichever team wins this match will be in a very strong position to qualify for the Leinster Quarter-Finals.

Meath’s high-scoring victory over Kerry last weekend was a hugely laudable result when you consider the Royal County plied their trade in Division 2B of the Allianz Hurling League this year whereas Kerry were in Division 1B.

There was nothing fortunate about the win either. They out-worked Kerry all over the park and a keen cutting edge in attack saw them score a highly impressive 3-20.

The only blot on an otherwise brilliant day for Meath hurling was the hamstring injury sustained by captain Damien Healy which is likely to force him out of Sunday’s match against Laois.

Meath managed well without him against Kerry, but his calming presence at the heart of the defence will be badly missed against a Laois attack that looked sharp in their win over Westmeath.

Playing at home for the second match running is a definitely a big factor in Meath’s favour though, and manager Martin Ennis sees no reason why they shouldn’t dream of qualifying for the knock-out stages.

“It would be absolutely fantastic to get out of the Round Robin, we have set up an opportunity for ourselves to do that now,” Ennis admits.

“We aren't going to take Laois too lightly now either, we know that they are a formidable outfit. Home advantage is good for us and we are really looking forward to that clash.

“I think we belong here anyway, we set our stall out, they are an honest bunch of lads.

“They've worked really hard, they know what they want, they're a very together bunch, the boys. They just push it and drive it all the way. We are just steering the thing, hoping we can do the best we can do for Meath hurling.”

Meath hurling is on the up and up, but Laois will go into this match as favourites regardless.

The Midlanders endured a torrid 2016, but under new manager Eamonn Kelly look to be on the right track again.

Their Allianz League Division 1B relegation/promotion play-off victory over Kerry seems to have been a turning point for the team, and there was plenty to admire about their performance in last weekend’s win over Westmeath.

Forwards like Ross King, Stephen Maher, and Charles Dwyer are all in great form at the moment, and if they get a good supply of ball will be hard stopped.

But even though he’s encouraged by the progress his team are making, Laois manager Kelly isn’t taking anything for granted going into this game.

“I’ve seen Meath a few times, they are a honest outfit and they work very hard, and they’ll be a huge task for us, it’s a huge game for both teams,” said Kelly.

“They have another home game, which is a big thing for them, we’re away in our last two matches.”

Westmeath v Kerry, TEG Cusack Park, 3pm

There’s no margin for error for Westmeath and Kerry on Sunday because whoever loses will be out of contention for a quarter-final spot with one Round Robin match remaining.

Much will depend on how well both teams process their opening round defeats, which may be particularly challenging for Kerry.

They have to play away from home for the second weekend in a row, and last weekend’s surprise defeat to Meath came with a lot of collateral damage.

Pa Kelly broken a finger and Colm Harty suffered a recurrence of a groin problem after coming on as a late sub. Both are out of Sunday’s match, as is star-player Daniel Collins who is sidelined by a long-term hamstring injury.

Kerry are hopeful though that Podge Boyle will be able to feature after missing the Meath match with a calf strain.

Kingdom manager Fintan O'Connor admits his team were poor against Meath and a big improvement is required if they’re to beat Westmeath.

“We were massively disappointed,” said O'Connor. “In the Championship you want to be giving your best but I just felt we never got to the pitch of the game early on. We got a great start I suppose, but then through the concession of a goal and a couple of soft scores Meath got a bit of confidence and went on and played some great hurling after half-time.

“We just had no answer to it. I was very disappointed with the way we played and we just have to be much better for the next match.

“Looking at the video, we just made a lot of mistakes and they played well. Things didn't go our way. We didn't bring enough intensity to it. There wasn't enough fight or battle in us and maybe that was down to the training or whatever we did to try to get ready for the game.

“The buck stops with myself, I have to take responsibility for that. We have to look at it and try to get ourselves right for next week.”

Westmeath also have room for improvement after their defeat to Laois, but will surely take some encouragement from the way they finished that match.

They trailed by eight points with ten minutes to play, but mustered up a late revival that ultimately brought them within three points of Laois by the final whistle.

Manager Michael Ryan wants them to play like they did in the final ten minutes of that match for the full 70 on Sunday, but is expecting a tough match from Kerry.

“We have a massive battle on our hands against Kerry,” said Ryan. “They lost to Meath and the loser could be looking at relegation.

“They will be smarting  after the defeat in Navan. We have a big test ahead of us. We’ve got to get consistency from the group for the full 70-plus minutes. I am happy about a lot of things but there is plenty of room for improvement.”

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