Meath will be heavy favourites to advance to the quarter-finals of the Leinster Football Championship when they take on Offaly in Navan this afternoon. The Royals enjoyed a great league campaign that saw them promoted to Division 1 for the first time since 2006. Andy McEntee's team came up short against Donegal in the final but will fancy their chances of beating a Faithful side who just avoided relegation from Division 3. We will also be following Wexford's home clash with Louth where a quarter-final with Dublin is the prize on the line. The Model County couldn't gain promotion from Division 4 while Louth fared better in Division 3 and only just missed out on promotion on the final day. Both of these matches are set to throw in at 3pm and you can follow all the action right here at Irish Mirror Sport. MEATH: Andrew Colgan; Seamus Lavin, Conor McGill, Shane Gallagher; James McEntee, Donal Keogan, Gavin McCoy; Bryan Menton, Shane McEntee; Cillian O'Sullivan, Bryan McMahon, Ben Brennan, Barry Dardis, Michael Newman, Thomas O'Reilly OFFALY: Paddy Dunican; Declan Hogan, Eoin Rigney, David Dempsey; Cian Donohoe, Johnny Moloney, Niall Darby; Eoin Carroll, Peter Cunningham; Shane Horan, Anton Sullivan, Cathal Mangan; Bernard Allen, Niall McNamee, Ruairi McNamee WEXFORD: Matt Doyle; Michael Furlong, Martin O'Connor, Conor Carty; Glen Malone, Brian Malone, Eoin Porter; Daithi Waters, Niall Hughes; Eoghan Nolan, Barry O'Connor, Conor Devitt; Kevin O'Grady, Ben Brosnan, Jonathan Bealin Louth team to follow... If you haven't already, be sure to like our Irish Mirror Sport and Irish Mirror GAA pages on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.<doc-sep>Meath 1-13 Offaly 0-14 Paul Keane reports from Páirc Tailteann FAVOURITES MEATH DICED with disaster in Navan, trailing raging underdogs Offaly by four points with 15 minutes to go, before eventually coming good to secure a Leinster SFC quarter-final place. Andy McEntee’s side, promoted from Division 2 of the Allianz league during spring, looked in real trouble when they slipped 0-13 to 0-9 down deep into the second-half. Offaly had just reeled off seven points without reply to put themselves in a winning position but couldn’t hold on as they chased a first away win in the Leinster championship since 1997. A Meath scoring surge that yielded 1-4 between the 56th and 72nd minutes ultimately propelled the 2010 champions to a May 25 quarter-final clash with Carlow. Bryan McMahon scored 1-1 during that late burst and his 63rd minute goal, when he rose up to break a high ball in and then tapped in from close range, was the crucial score. It moved Meath from a point behind to two ahead and sub James Conlon added another score at the death to put some gloss on the scoreline. But there was no escaping the fact that Meath narrowly sidestepped an embarrassing defeat to a side that struggled in Division 3 and boss Andy McEntee admitted afterwards there were few smiles in their dressing-room. They reeled off four points in a row late in the first-half to lead 0-9 to 0-6 at half-time but were unconvincing generally. Offaly restarted with gusto and hit those seven points in a row early in the second-half including three from Niall McNamee who was playing in his first Championship game since 2017 after returning from retirement. Shane Horan, a Dublin based Kilmacud Crokes player and debutant, also pointed to open up that four-point gap. But Meath finally got it going in the last quarter of the game and McMahon was their hero as they escaped to victory and breathed sighs of relief. Scorers for Meath: Bryan McMahon 1-2, Michael Newman 0-4 (0-3f), Cillian O’Sullivan 0-2, Bryan Menton 0-2, Ben Brennan 0-1, Thomas O’Reilly 0-1, James Conlon 0-1. Scorers for Offaly: Niall McNamee 0-6 (0-4f), Peter Cunningham 0-2, Eoin Carroll 0-2, Bernard Allen 0-2 (0-1f), Shane Horan 0-1, Niall Darby 0-1. Meath 1. Andrew Colgan (Donaghmore Ashbourne) 2. Seamus Lavin (St Peter’s, Dunboyne) 3. Conor McGill (Ratoath) 4. Shane Gallagher (Simonstown Gaels) 5. James McEntee (Curraha) 6. Donal Keogan (Rathkenny) 7. Gavin McCoy (St Peter’s, Dunboyne) 8. Bryan Menton (Donaghmore Ashbourne) 9. Shane McEntee (St Peter’s, Dunboyne) 10. Cillian O’Sullivan (Moynalvey) 11. Bryan McMahon (Ratoath) 12. Ben Brennan (St Colmcilles) 13. Barry Dardis (Summerhill) 14. Mickey Newman (Kilmainham) 15. Thomas O’Reilly (Wolfe Tones) Subs 21. Adam Flanagan (Clonard) for S McEntee (h/t) 18. James Conlon (St Colmcilles) for Dardis (42) 23. Graham Reilly (St Colmcilles) for O’Reilly (50) 22. Sean Tobin (Simonstown Gaels) for Brennan (52) 19. Eoin Lynch (Longwood) for J McEntee (54) 20. Padraic Harnan (Moynalvey) for Newman (75) Offaly 1. Paddy Dunican (Shamrocks) 2. Declan Hogan (Tullamore) 3. Eoin Rigney (Rhode) 4. David Dempsey (Ballycommon) 5. Cian Donohue (St Brigid’s) 6. Johnny Moloney (Tullamore) 7. Niall Darby (Rhode) 8. Eoin Carroll (Cappincur) 9. Peter Cunningham (Bracknagh) 10. Shane Horan (Kilmacud Crokes) 11. Anton Sullivan (Rhode) 12. Cathal Mangan (Kilclonfert) 13. Bernard Allen (Tubber) 14. Niall McNamee (Rhode) 15. Ruairi McNamee (Rhode) Subs 20. Shane Tierney (Daingean) for Sullivan (55) 18. Joseph O’Connor (St Rynagh’s) for Horan (59) 17. Paul McConway (Tullamore) for Carroll (65) 19. Mark Abbott (Edenderry) for R McNamee (66) 24. Conor Carroll (Raheen) for Cunningham (72) Referee: Martin McNally (Monaghan). Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here:<doc-sep>All we have now are memories. Thank God they are glorious. This evening at 7pm Offaly hurlers will make an unwanted debut in the Joe McDonagh Cup against Laois. And tomorrow afternoon, having just survived in Division 3 of the Allianz League, the Faithful footballers face Meath in the Leinster Championship and they are massive underdogs to produce a shock in Navan. Glory days, these are not. There is a tone adopted when people from outside the county talk about Offaly GAA now. It's not patronising but there is an element of pity. Pity that the hurlers are gone from the Leinster Championship. Pity that the footballers have won one Leinster Championship game in 11 years. Pity that they are more likely to feature in dispatches about another manager walking away disheartened and confused, or players falling out with somebody, for some reason or for no reason. Pity that it doesn't look like changing anytime soon. Offaly are now excluded when people talk about contenders. For those who remember the summer of 2000, this is an especially saddening state of affairs. The footballers faced Meath in the quarter-finals on 4 June under a grey foreboding sky. Written off in advance, with Tommy Lyons gone from the helm, they were a team in transition and Sean Boylan's All-Ireland champions were just supposed to turn up and win. But Offaly, under Padraig Nolan, had other plans and duly recorded a 0-13 to 0-09 win in Croke Park. That was part one of a double-strike that summer. In the small ball code, Pat Fleury's men faced the other defending All-Ireland champions, Cork, the youthful upstarts who had claimed Liam MacCarthy the previous September, beating the Faithful in an all-time classic semi-final along the way. Nobody gave Offaly, hammered by Kilkenny in the Leinster final, unconvincing against Derry in the quarters, a chance when they walked out at HQ on 6 August. "I think Cork will do it on Sunday, by four or five points," said Johnny Pilkington in his Irish Daily Star column the week before the game. Of course, Offaly produced a stunning performance and killed the king for the second time that summer, going on to lose the final to a Kilkenny side at the start of their other golden period. Only four times in the history of All-Ireland Senior championships has the same county beaten both reigning champions. Nineteen years ago, the footballers and hurlers of Offaly were still able to compete with the big boys, still contenders. And only one man has the distinction of knocking out the two title holders in the same summer. "Throughout that year I was crippled with injury so I was lucky to play at all," former dual player Cillian Farrell (above) tells RTE Sport. "I broke my ankle in the National Hurling League against Dublin in April 1999. "It was a miserable wet day down in Birr, the puck-out dropped under Daithí Regan and I went in to the middle of the melee, he got me with a swinging hurl. I think he saw three Dublin lads and one Offaly fellow but that was enough. "I got back before breaking my wrist in the county football final for Edenderry against Rhode. "I made it back for the Division 2 League Football final against Louth in 2000." That year marked the end of an era for Offaly GAA. The small midlands county won seven All-Ireland titles between 1971 and 1998. That summer was the last hurrah of a golden age. "Like an old boxer defending his title," says Farrell. "He may lose on points but he's certainly not going to be knocked down." In a post-match interview following Offaly's win over Meath, Boylan was magnanimous and gracious but still in shock. The better team won, he said, his face white as a sheet. Outfoxed by Nolan, he had the summer off. "Offaly's attitude was that, regardless of form coming into a championship match, we could win and we often performed better as underdogs," says Farrell, now 42, long since retired but indicating that he'll respond positively to a text message from the Junior C manager regarding a match against Clonbulloge this coming Monday. "We didn't fear anyone. Outside the county people wouldn't have given us a hope. It was three years since we won Leinster, Tommy Lyons was gone, a few retirements including Peter Brady and we were in transition." "We'd been beaten by Louth in the Division 2 final and Meath had been in the Division 1 final, they were the reigning All-Ireland champions, so obviously we were no-hopers going in. "You'd hear people talking after a poor league campaign, 'ah, I don't know if we'll do anything', coming closer to championship, it would change to, 'lads, I think we'll do it', and come the Sunday it was, 'yeah, we'll beat them'. Didn't matter who it was." Meath opened up a two-point lead in that game but couldn't shake Offaly. Vinny Claffey, on one leg almost, and Colm Quinn had Offaly, missing Ciaran McManus through injury, level at half-time. "It was a typical Offaly v Meath game, a war of attrition, a tough game, no-one backing down." The referee blew for 54 fouls and let another handful go. "Padraig Nolan gave a masterclass that day," recalls the former forward. "Prior to that the only big tactic in Gaelic football was playing a third midfielder. "He named the team conventionally on paper but he gave out completely different instructions. "Finbarr Cullen started at wing-forward, I was named at corner-forward and started at centre-forward. Barry Mooney, who was making his championship debut that day, was named in the forwards but played wing-back. From the outside it must have looked crazy but it rattled Meath. "From the outside it must have looked crazy but it rattled Meath." "Finbarr, in particular, was a revelation, roaming around the forward line and it threw them completely." With the underdogs leading 0-09 to 0-08 Farrell, his left wrist heavily stripped, struck the ball with his fist high over his head and hit the ground with a grimace.<doc-sep>Munster SFC: Tipperary v Limerick It's a huge game for Tipperary. If they come out on the right side of this draw, there's a possibility of them getting to a Munster final. They haven't been great since the heights of reaching the All-Ireland semi-final in 2016. They've had a lot of injuries and have tried to match up with teams but I still think they will have enough to edge out Limerick this weekend. Verdict: Tipperary Munster SFC: Clare v Waterford Colm Collins' men will have home advantage against Waterford. I think the Waterford manager Benji Whelan will have to bring everything he has to Ennis to beat Clare. They will be asked questions of whether they have the confidence, the talent and the players to compete with Clare. I think Clare are one of the best-coached teams in the country and I think they'll have enough to beat Waterford. Verdict: Clare Leinster SFC: Wicklow v Kildare Kildare boss Cian O'Neill Wicklow will need everything to go right if they are to keep pace with Kildare. They'll need a good start and an early goal. They have a couple of young players starting. Kildare have struggled to push on since that brilliant performance against Mayo last year so I expect Wicklow to fight hard but I have doubts about whether Kildare have found their identity yet. I have no doubt that Kildare will pull through. Prediction: Kildare Leinster SFC: Wexford v Louth Wexford haven't performed well in the league this year and they're down in Division 4. But they're always able to raise their performance levels for championship. Louth are looking forward to possibly meeting Dublin in the next round and they would love the opportunity to take on the best. I think that they will be too much of a challenge for Wexford. Prediction: Louth Leinster SFC: Meath v Offaly Everyone will be expecting a Meath win but Offaly have battled against every team they've played this year. They might have lost heavily to Down but that was in the last 10 minutes. John Maughan won't fear facing down Meath at all. Meath are back in Division 1 for the first time in 13 years so there's an expectation there now to defeat Offaly. They need to take that challenge head on and worry about other concerns further down the road. I suspect that Meath will squeeze through but don't expect them to get through by a big margin. Verdict: Meath Connacht SFC: Roscommon v Leitrim Roscommon will be taking on Leitrim at Dr Hyde Park Roscommon were Connacht champions in 2017. They played in the Super 8s last year and have played in Division 1 so you would have to be optimistic about their prospects. Leitrim have excelled under Terry Hyland this season. They have four debutants again this weekend, they're out of Division 4 and things are looking really promising for them at the moment and they could come under the radar. It's interesting to see Kerry's Conor Cox making his debut up there for the championship but I think Roscommon will edge this one. Verdict: Roscommon Ulster SFC: Tyrone v Derry The talk coming out of the National League is that Tyrone have a Plan A and a Plan B. Plan A revolves around running the ball and Plan B is based on a kicking game. They're holding their shape a bit higher up the field and it's great to see that they have three debutantes as well. I like the cut of Brian Kennedy around the middle of the field. In Derry, they have Chrissy McKaigue, Shane McGuigan and those Slaughtneil lads who weren't bogged down with club commitments. But there will be questions around whether Tyrone will have too much pace for them. Derry are not really a Division 4 team and it will be very interesting to see if they can close down the space and make it awkward for Tyrone. Verdict: Tyrone Tomas Ó Sé was speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland programme<doc-sep>
Bryan McMahon's 63rd minute goal was the crucial score as Meath lived dangerously in Navan before escaping to victory in the Leinster SFC. The Royal County, promoted to Division 1 in the Allianz league and strong favourites to progress, trailed by four points with 15 minutes to go. But an unanswered 1-04 blast including that goal from McMahon propelled them to victory and a quarter-final clash with Carlow on 25 May. McMahon finished with 1-02 while Mickey Newman hit 0-4 for the 2010 champions though it was far from comfortable against John Maughan's Offaly. The visitors scored seven points in a row early in the second-half and put themselves in a winning position but couldn't finish it off and will head now to Round 1 of the qualifiers on 8 June. Offaly were bidding for a first away win in the Leinster championship in 22 years and hinted initially that they might have some success in Navan. With Niall McNamee back involved in Championship football for the first time since June 2017, and converting two early frees, they led 0-04 to 0-02 after 20 minutes. McNamee had an exciting duel with Meath full-back Conor McGill while Shane Gallagher tracked Bernard Allen, Offaly's leading scorer in the league. Peter Cunningham impressed early on at midfield for Offaly and his second point of the game tied things up at 0-05 apiece. McNamee put Offaly ahead briefly before the Royals closed out the half with four points in a row to open up a three-point lead for the first time. Captain Bryan Menton, Thomas O'Reilly, Cillian O'Sullivan and Newman were all on the mark as the hosts led 0-09 to 0-06 at half-time. But it was far from a classic contest with Meath, the strong favourites, looking tentative and nervy as Offaly sought to capitalise on their underdogs tag. Offaly 'keeper Paddy Dunican was one of three Faithful debutants and blasted two frees wide in the first-half. The Division 3 outfit, who narrowly avoided relegation, hit seven first-half wides and 14 in total and rued them. But they restarted with gusto and were terrific in the third quarter, striking six points in a row to move from three behind to three in front. McNamee scored three of those six points while Allen conjured a beauty when he turned his man and clipped one over. The blitzkrieg of scoring left Offaly 0-12 to 0-09 ahead and Shane Horan, another debutant, moved them four clear with his first of the game. Meath were in real trouble now and brought on former captain Graham Reilly in attack for the last 20 minutes. His first act was to win a free that Newman converted, beginning a period of dominance that ultimately hauled Meath to a battling win. Meath hit 1-4 in total without reply in the closing minutes with McMahon's 63rd minute goal the crucial score, moving them from a point behind to two ahead. It was sub James Conlon who dropped his score attempt short but McMahon broke the ball before bundling it in from close range. Conlon himself closed out the Meath scoring with a 72nd minute point. Meath: Andrew Colgan; Seamus Lavin, Conor McGill, Shane Gallagher; James McEntee, Donal Keogan, Gavin McCoy; Bryan Menton (0-02), Shane McEntee; Cillian O'Sullivan (0-02), Bryan McMahon (1-02), Ben Brennan (0-01); Barry Dardis, Michael Newman (0-04, 0-03f), Thomas O'Reilly (0-01). Subs: Adam Flanagan for S McEntee (h/t), James Conlon (0-01) for Dardis (42), Graham Reilly for O'Reilly (50), Sean Tobin for Brennan (52), Eoin Lynch for J McEntee (54), Padraic Harnan for Newman (75). Offaly: Paddy Dunican; Declan Hogan, Eoin Rigney, David Dempsey; Cian Donohoe, Johnny Moloney, Niall Darby (0-01); Eoin Carroll (0-02), Peter Cunningham (0-02); Shane Horan (0-01), Anton Sullivan, Cathal Mangan; Bernard Allen (0-02, 0-01f), Niall McNamee (0-06, 0-04f), Ruairi McNamee. Subs: Shane Tierney for Sullivan (55), Joseph O'Connor for Horan (59), Paul McConway for Carroll (65), Mark Abbott for R McNamee (66), Conor Carroll for Cunningham (72). Referee: Martin McNally (Monaghan).