Eoghan Frayne backing Meath to bounce back from Westmeath defeat

Michael Bolton

After some memorable victories which saw Meath reach the All-Ireland semi-finals last season, they were brought back to earth in their defeat to Westmeath.

Having gained promotion to Division One, Meath were seen by many as strong contenders for the Leinster championship and possible dark horses for the All-Ireland.

However, Westmeath did not read the script, as they were 4-18 to 0-25 winners in the quarter-finals.

Next up for Meath is Cork in round one of the championship, and captain Eoghan Frayne is confident Meath can bounce back.

"It has been tough. The few days after were tough, and it got worse each day when we had time to look back at the defeat.

"We have to look forward to the next block of training, and we hope to get through that alright and hope to be ready on the day," he said.

"Westmeath were probably more up for it than us, which is hard to say, but we never really got going. We never got up to the pitch of the game."

As Meath fans will watch the Munster final this weekend with added interest, the sides have become familiar with each other this season.

After Cork's win in the league campaign, Meath were winners in the Division Two final in Croke Park to claim their first league silverware since 2007.

Last season was one to remember for the Royal County, who ended Dublin's dominance in Leinster, and also defeated Galway and Kerry.

With great wins come added expectations, but Frayne is not concerned about this affecting the players.

"To be honest, I don’t really think about it too much. It is not something we talk about.

"We just do our homework on teams, train hard and go out and give our best each day. If you start getting swamped by that stuff, it can be a distraction."

While Frayne has been crucial in Meath's forward line, the other end of the pitch has become a concern for Meath.

Meath conceded four goals in the defeat to Westmeath, having conceded two in the league final to Cork, and three in last season's semi-final defeat to Donegal.

Admitting it is a concern, Frayne says a collective effort is needed to improve their defence.

You never want to be conceding goals and most teams will be coached to not concede goals.

“It is something we must try and improve on if we are to go far in the competition. Obviously, Westmeath did their homework and could see how they could get at us. And they scored some savage goals.

“Everyone has to take ownership in defence. It is not just your six defenders. Everyone has to do it. It is a collective effort that everyone is tuned in and on the same page when we are defending.

"It is something we can improve on and can definitely go after in training.”