RTÉ GAA pundits Ciarán Whelan and Tomás Ó Sé have warned that Donegal will have thei work cut out for themselves if they allow Meath to get an early foothold in Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final.
All roads lead to GAA headquarters for a 4pm throw-in with Jim McGuinness’ side being strong favourites to advance to the final.
However, the former Dublin and Kerry stars say Meath’s fearlessness gives them a chance of causing a major shock.
Ó Sé said the young stars of the Royal County have nothing to fear against a fancied Donegal side.
“They (Donegal) will not want Meath to get an early foothold,” Ó Sé told the RTÉ GAA podcast.
“Meath have absolutely nothing to lose, they play without fear, they defend as well as any of the last four defend; they’re aggressive, they have their man-to-man markers, but they also defend collectively really, really aggressively.
“They will kick the ball if they can, they also have runners and they will shoot and be very direct.”
Former Dublin midfielder Whelan has enjoyed many battles with both Donegal and Meath over the years.
He warned that against Donegal’s talent and Jim McGuinness’ tactics, he’s seeing some old Meath spark in the current bunch.
“I really see an imprint of the old Meath in them,” he said.
“Their attitude defensively, their intensity in the tackle, their work-rate, their cover for each other…in midfield they’re actually going up using the first, punching the ball, breaking it back in the direction of the opposition half and winning breaks, something we really haven’t seen in the game for a good few years.”
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