2023 Meath SFC Group B
As the weeks go by, we get closer to the commencement of the Fairyhouse Steel Senior Football Championship for 2023. With our 1st Round game fixed for Friday July 28th, take a look at what our group opponents have been up to so far in 2023:
Round 1 v St. Peter’s, Dunboyne in Dunsany on Friday July 28th @ 7:45pm
Our opening game in this year’s Senior Football Championship is against a side who have been no strangers to the knockout stages of the championship in recent years in the shape of St. Peter’s, Dunboyne. The south Meath outfit have won the Keegan Cup on three occasions, most recently in 2018. This year, under new management they operated in Division 1A of the ‘A’ League and finished in 9th place. Despite never really being in relegation trouble, a couple of wins towards the latter end of the campaign pulled them clear of the bottom two and will come into the fixture boosted by the return of some key personnel from the Meath set-up, such as Ronan Jones and Donal Lenihan after the success of the Táilteann Cup. We last met Dunboyne in the 2021 Championship, where the men in black and amber had a comfortable victory.
Manager: Ger Robinson
2023 League (Division 1A): Played 11, Won 6, Lost 3, Drew 2
2022 SFC: Beat Navan O’Mahony’s in the Relegation Play-Off Quarter-Final.
Round 2 v Trim in Bective on Saturday August 12th @ 6:30
The second of our games in Group B of the SFC will see us clash with 2021 Meath and Leinster IFC Champions Trim. That 2021 season saw the Reds ultimately end up in the All-Ireland Club Intermediate showpiece against Steelstown, Brian Ógs of Derry. On the way, the enjoyed a superb unbeaten run in Meath club football which extended into late 2022 before they came unstuck against Na Fianna at the quarter-final proper stage of the Senior Championship. One of the clubs who are regularly impacted by county involvements due to their tradition in both codes, Trim’s League form suffered as a result when missing the likes of Aaron Lynch to the Meath footballers and James Toher to the hurlers, among others. When some of their players returned at the end of the League they managed to pick up an excellent win over Wolfe Tones, but the knock-on effect of results earlier in the year means they will be playing League football in Division 1B in 2024. Always a threat when at full strength, Trim last crossed paths with ourselves in March 2022 in the League where the Reds won a thriller on a scoreline of 2-15 to 4-07. Expect a similar fare in mid-August.
Manager: Ciaran Giblin
2023 League (Division 1A): Played 11, Won 2, Lost 8, Drew 1
2022 SFC: Lost to Na Fianna in SFC Quarter-Final
Round 3 v Simonstown Gaels in Páirc Táilteann on Saturday August 26th @ 6:30pm
We conclude our group campaign with a trip to Meath GAA HQ for a meeting with 2016 & 2017 SFC champions Simonstown Gaels. The north Navan men finished in the highest League position of any of the teams in Group B, ending the campaign in 4th place in Division 1A on 13 points. Simonstown will have the benefit of working with an extremely settled squad for the whole year to date with few county disruptions. Coupled with this, they managed to blood a number of young players who gained valuable first team experience ahead of the upcoming Championship. You have to go back to the elongated 2021 Feis Cup for the last clash between ourselves and Simonstown, where the Navan men delivered a powerful display and came away with the spoils on the night. Hopefully, there will be plenty to play for when the current sides clash on the last Saturday evening in August.
Manager: Gordon Ward
2023 League (Division 1A): Played 11, Won 5, Drew 3, Lost 3
2022 SFC: Defeated Ballinabrackey in the Relegation Play-Off Quarter-Final
