Although most of the questions raised going into the drawn match of this Bank of Ireland Leinster football semi-final remain unanswered, there's a few more than originally imagined hanging over Meath. Hanging over the champions is the suspicion that last year's success may do them for a while yet. This would be an easy enough theory were it not for clear indications from their two matches to date that the survival instinct remains fairly strong.
To have emerged from the drawn match intact when playing poorly and squandering heaps of chances is a promising backdrop against which to enter a replay. When asked during the week whether he felt Meath would improve, Kildare manager Mick O'Dwyer did the usual seanchai routine about his opponents' great record in replays, but added down the page that his team would also improve.
It was a reasonable point overlooked in the initial assumption that Kildare had missed the bus. By any standards, it hadn't been a great display by the challengers. After their flash start of 1-1 in the opening two minutes, Kildare managed only eight further points in the remaining 68 minutes.
The eternal difficulties of their attack were again on display, but there was a desire on the team's part, a robustness in the intensity of a major championship match, that suggested a hardening of the team's previously brittle mentality.
There was a physicality to the team's challenges that mightn't have taken Meath aback after recent League encounters but was a surprise to the generality. Where Kildare can improve is largely in attack, not just the taking of chances but the creation of them and the adoption of a more varied game than the ceaseless short game passing routines.
Whether this is possible or not remains to be seen. The only change to the attack is the inclusion of former Cork under-age dual player Brian Murphy. The signs aren't particularly promising.
Murphy was more of a hurler than a footballer and more of a defender than an attacker - playing centre back for Cork in the All-Ireland minor final of 1985.
Meath's defence needs to improve and rediscover the tightness that characterises it at its best. Centrally, Darren Fay had early problems with Martin Lynch, but recovered well for the rest of the match, whereas on either side of him, Mark O'Reilly was his usual sticky self and squeezed Johnny McDonald dry and Donal Curtis again did well.
It was, however, the old bugbear of the half-back line that caused most difficulty. Colm Coyle was loose on the left and Nigel Nestor's defensive inexperience was in evidence. In the middle, Enda McManus's difficulties were quite unexpected given his splendid display against Dublin but Declan Kerrigan thrived.
Sean Boylan expressed disappointment at the fallibility of his midfield diamond. This entailed McManus, John McDermott and Trevor Giles at centre forward under-performing. McDermott may not have been fully recovered from the injury that necessitated a painkilling injection at half-time of the Dublin match.
It is the view of experienced Meath-watchers that Giles's performances feed to a large extent from McDermott's and certainly the evidence of recent matches suggests a link. When McDermott was on top of his game against Dublin - before injury - Giles played superbly; as the captain began to struggle, Giles became more subdued, although he rightly points out that he accomplished a lot of work when Meath were under the cosh for the 30 scoreless minutes it took them to regain the initiative.
Similarly, a fortnight ago, on his own admission, Giles felt the match passing him by and is restored to the wing for tomorrow's replay.
Meath's own confidence in the ability of their centrefield to recover isn't absolute and the replacement of Evan Kelly by veteran PJ Gillic seems to nod to the possibility of an extra hand being required around the centre.
With so little ball reaching the inside, Meath were well controlled by Kildare's full backs, with Davy Dalton excellent after moving to the edge of the square. Yet again Kildare's captain Glen Ryan comes into a match with an injury worry hanging over him. As the most important player on either side, his well-being will be vital to the outcome.
It is this area where decisive improvement is expected from Meath. Having been taken aback by the ferocity of the challenge, Giles together with Tommy Dowd - or maybe Gillic - and Geraghty has to up the tempo.
Of the improvements needed in the respective forward lines, it is contended here that Meath's is more likely in terms of penetration, shot selection and accuracy. That accepted, they should advance.
VERDICT: Meath.
