Learning curve in Dublin's favour

John O'Keeffe Football Analyst : Managements may come and go but traditional qualities associated with a county's patterns of…

John O'Keeffe Football Analyst: Managements may come and go but traditional qualities associated with a county's patterns of play remain at the core of a particular style.

Seán Boylan's legacy was evident in Meath's performance during the drawn game and that is in no way to denigrate the work done by his successor Colm Coyle.

Perennial Royal county values were very much in evidence: a great work ethic, an unbending will and the no-nonsense, quick delivery into the full-forward line.

Coyle has recognised the strengths in this young group of footballers and has moulded them into a decent team. He deserves credit for the manner in which the team is developing.

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Meath profited from the uncharacteristically lose marking of the Dublin full-back line, who seemed hampered by a touch of complacency and were caught ball watching on too many occasions.

It's not prudent to give score takers of the calibre of Stephen Bray, Joe Sheridan and Graham Geraghty that much latitude.

The return of the excellent Brian Farrell and the redeployment of Geraghty to the half-forward line merely reinforces the importance of tighter marking from that particular line in the Dublin team tomorrow.

The Dubs duly paid the price and it could easily have been catastrophic in terms of the overall result. Their full-back line seemed to be uneasy under the high ball and I'm sure it's something Pillar Caffrey will have addressed in the interim. He will want to see Ross McConnell attacking the ball with more confidence.

Meath will focus on settling quicker as they probably won't escape handing their opponents a five-point lead again. They have to be more astute and mix up their attacking gambits a little.

The direct ball can be very lucrative but it's not always the route to take. There needs to be an emphasis on making the Dublin backs work harder by not giving up possession cheaply.

The Meath backs will need to be far more assured in their responsibilities, staying on their feet.

Darren Fay was forced to do a little firefighting on behalf of his corner backs and mightn't be able to rescue them as often again.

The uncertainty over Darren Magee's wrist injury is a concern, although Shane Ryan has demonstrated in the past that he is comfortable with playing centrefield.

Dublin lost out the last day because Meath flooded this area with extra players picking up a great deal of the breaking ball, left to a two-on-two contest the Dubs would have the upper hand.

Dublin need to bring a greater pragmatism to their forward play. There is great mobility and pace but this is undermined by individuals soloing too far and opting to take on difficult scoring opportunities when there are colleagues who are better placed. Players have to be less selfish, content to create the scoring opportunity just as much as taking it.

The whole country knows what Stephen Cluxton is likely to do with his kickouts, so it's time to mix it up.

Cian Ward's accuracy with the placed ball when coming on as a substitute the last day made an issue of the free-taking when contrasted with the performance of his Dublin counterpart, Tomás Quinn.

There have been suggestions Mark Vaughan could start/come on and be handed this responsibility but I believe that would be a huge mistake. Mossy should be told that he is the number one free-taker. It's a confidence thing and there's no point in having him on the pitch if you're undermining his role within the team.

Dublin's scope for improvement from the drawn game is greater than Meath's and for that reason I expect them to prevail this time, provided the heed the warnings from the last day and move the ball to greater effect amongst the forwards.