Wherever you look this evening, there is the potential for drama as the concluding rounds of the Fairyhouse Steel SFC and Meade Farm IFC take place as well as the penultimate rounds of the Balreask Bar, Restaurant & Guest Accomodation JFC and Coolrite JBFC. It is nip and tuck in Group A of both the SFC and IFC where literally anything could happen. X, formerly known as Twitter will be nervously refreshed, phone calls will be made between venues and Whatsapp groups will be buzzing. Yes, it’s the perfect start to a thrilling weekend of action in the Meath Football Championships.

All fixtures on Friday evening have a 19:15 throw in time.

This evenings games are all ticket and are priced as follows.

General Admission – €10
Student/OAP – €5
Children U-16 accompanied by an adult attend for free.

Tickets for all games can be purchased via the Meath GAA App which can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play Store.

Group A of the Fairyhouse Steel sponsored Senior Football Championship has fixtures in both Masterson Park, Ardcath and Pairc Tailteann this evening. In Ardcath it is 2022 Intermediate Championship winners Dunshaughlin who take on Curraha. Dunshaughlin are two from two in this years Championship but know they must get at least a draw to copper fasten their grip on top spot while Curraha know a win is imperative if they are to go through to the quarter finals but even that might not be enough depending on what happens in Navan.

Donaghmore/Ashbourne have yet to win a game in this most competitive of groups but have only lost their two games to date by a cumulative total of two points and will consider themselves desperately unlucky not to have come away with at least one win to date. A win for them over Na Fianna could be enough to go through to the last eight but anything else and the ‘Moors will be in the relegation playoffs once more. Na Fianna couldn’t have wished for a better start on the opening weekend as they downed Curraha in tricky conditions in Batterstown but having lost to Dunshaughlin a fortnight ago, come into this game knowing anything less than a win and they are out of the Championship. Intrigue everywhere you look in this group.

And if Group A of the SFC is intriguing then what about Group A of the Meade Farm Intermediate Football Championship. Few outside of Drumbaragh gave them much hope of defeating Oldcastle in Round 2 but they blew what was already a fascinating group wide open when stunning the more fancied side in Grangegodden two weeks ago this evening. That result, coupled with the drawn game between Navan O’Mahonys and Rathkenny means that this group is a neutrals paradise while for the teams that are participating, it is a bear pit.

O’Mahonys top the group on three points but know that a defeat would likely see them crashing out of the Championship. They will be forewarned about the dangers Drumbaragh Emmets will pose but having stumbled across the line against Rathkenny, they won’t be coming into this encounter on the crest of a wave. Drumbaragh on the other hand will have been massively buoyed by their result against Oldcastle and will be looking to pull off another result of note.

Rathkenny will have been both pleased and disappointed with the performance against O’Mahonys. Early on they gave their opponents too much room on the large open swathes of the county grounds but the longer the game wore on the more they got to grips with the side from Brews Hill. And in truth they could well have taken something from the game but a few chances to draw the match late on were spurned. The aforementioned WhatsApp groups have been buzzing with rumours about what is happening in Oldcastle this week but there is nothing that group of players or indeed their management team will relish more than the opportunity to foster a siege mentality within the group. With their backs to the wall, can they conjure up a performance to pick up the win and progress to the quarter finals?

There are three fascinating games on the cards in the Balreask Bar, Restaurant & Guest Accomodation JFC with one game in Group A and two in Group B.

Fresh from their victory in the Junior B Football Championship last Autumn, St. Brigid’s have got off to a flying start in this years Championship, winning their opening two games in impressive fashion. Moylagh appeared to have a hoodoo over them but that was well and truly put to bed twelve days ago when the Ballinacree outfit downed their nearest and dearest neighbours in Millbrook. They take on a Kilmainham side in Moynalty that eked out a draw against Ballinlough in their opening game before turning in a disappointing performance in defeat to St. Vincent’s the last day. That defeat has stung on the outskirts of Kells and with their experience at a higher level that St. Brigid’s, Kilmainham will look upon this game as an opportunity to pick up a first win of the campaign. Should Michael Flood and Mickey Newman come into direct opposition for the hour, that could be worth the admission fee alone.

Clann na nGael have been cutting an impressive path through Group B of the Balreask Bar, Restaurant & Guest Accomodation sponsored JFC with a maximum six points garnered after three games. Their performance the last day against Syddan was ultra impressive and this evening’s game offers them a chance to land a near fatal blow on perennial contenders Dunsany. Dunsany have had a month to dwell on their defeat to Syddan in Round 2 and how they react to that loss could tell a lot about how this game goes. There is no doubting they have the talent to win but Clann na nGael are on a roll and despite losing talisman Eamon Og O Donnchadha to injury the Niall McLoughlin managed side could have enough to go four from four.

The other fixture in the group sees Kilbride and Syddan meet in Slane with both sides coming into the fixture off the back of wildly contrasting results. Kilbride got hard to shake off St. Ultan’s a fortnight ago but emerged victorious by a single point while Syddan will have been very disappointed with their performance in defeat to Clann na nGael. Can they rise themselves for this game or will Kilbride take a big step towards qualification for the knockout stages.

The sole Coolrite JBFC fixture takes place in Seneschalstown where Cortown and St. Mary’s meet in what is a very interesting encounter. Cortown were flying high in the opening rounds but hit turbulence in Round 3 when falling to a narrow defeat against Kilmainhamwood. St. Mary’s by contrast have had something of a Dolly Mixture campaign to date, with a defeat, victory and a draw their results thus far. Emigration hit Cortown since that loss to Kilmainhamwood with ace attacker Ryan O’Rourke having moved to pastures new. His loss will be huge but Cortown will still be eyeing this game as one to win in advance of the final round game against Drumconrath. A win here for either side would be a massive step towards qualification for the knockout stages. Could St. Mary’s do it or will it be Cortown’s evening?