Royal hopes hinge on Croke Park showdown
Published: Thu 12 Mar 2026, 4:59 PM
The maths are complicated, but the reality is quite simple for Meath ahead of Saturday evening's NFL Div 2 showdown with Tyrone – it's win or bust for the Royals.
Don't be under any illusions about the enormity of the challenge facing Robbie Brennan's men in Croke Park on Saturday. Before the start of the campaign, Tyrone were identified as promotion favourites and Meath's toughest test.
While their promotion bid has stalled, Tyrone remain a formidable outfit who appear to be timing their run for a serious assault on the Ulster SFC to perfection, following their apparent return to form by scoring 28 points in their win over Offaly two weeks ago.
Don't be lulled into a false sense of optimism just because Darragh Canavan has set off on his travels. Tyrone have plenty of other threats as back-up, with 2021 Footballer of the Year Kieran McGeary back in the mix to add more depth to an already stacked squad.
Despite the absence of his brother Daragh, Ruairi Canavan remains a big attacking threat for Tyrone. Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile Photo by Ramsey Cardy / SPORTSFILE
Canavan was due to fly to Australia last week with a layover in Dubai, but those plans were thrown into jeopardy by the war in Iran. However, Tyrone hopes that the ace attacker might cancel his travel plans altogether appear to have been dashed, with Canavan expected to go elsewhere instead.
As well as McGeary, Conor Meyler has also returned to the panel and, with Ruairi Canavan stepping up to fill his big brother's boots in the win over Offaly, Tyrone have plenty of attacking options, with 14 different players on target in the win over the Faithful that almost certainly ensured safety in Div 2.
The threat of relegation still lingers for Tyrone and that will give them added motivation against Meath on Saturday. They also still harbour very slim hopes of gaining promotion, although that would take a near-miracle set of results.
Darren McCurry, Mattie Donnelly and Ronan Cassidy all add significant attacking threats, while the pace of Ben Cullen and Conn Kilpatrick will offer plenty of problems for a Meath defence that leaked many soft scores earlier in the campaign before tightening up significantly in the impressive win over Kildare.Meath are not without their selection boosts as Jack Kinlough and Ronan Jones are both back in contention, although their lack of game time in recent months may limit their impact, and Mathew Costello remains a major doubt with a hamstring issue.
Jordan Morris is Meath's top scorer in NFL Div 2 this year. Photo: Paula Greif / www.sportsaction.ie Photo by Paula Greif
James Conlon is expected to return to the fold for the Royals, while Sean Rafferty's return from a broken hand saw him feature against Kildare and his presence in the full-back line will be a boost.
Meath have to win if they are to keep the pressure on at the top of NFL Div 2.
The race for the top two spots and promotion to Div 1 seems to be a three-horse one, although Louth might fancy their chances of sneaking up on the outside.
Even victory in their final two games against Tyrone on Saturday and Offaly the following weekend might not be enough to secure promotion for Meath. However, they do enjoy a 25-point swing in scoring difference over Cork and that is significant if the Rebels and the Royals finish level with Derry on 12 points.
Louth and Derry meet in Ardee on Saturday and a win for the Ulster men there would end Louth's outside chance and set up the Oak Leafers for a crunch clash with Cavan on the final day.
Cork welcome troubled Kildare to Páirc Uí Rinn and an expected win there would put the Rebels on 10 points ahead of their trip to Omagh to face Tyrone in the final round.
It's all very much up for grabs, but Meath have to get the job done in Croke Park on Saturday and that won't be an easy task. However, if they repeat the standard of performance they produced against Kildare last time out, then the promotion bid will remain on track.
Published: Thu 12 Mar 2026, 4:59 PM