Meath…1-18
Cork…1-10
Call it muscle memory, compare it to riding a bike, whatever you wish. Meath produced their best and most complete performance in a very long time this afternoon at Pairc Tailteann. Yes, extenuating circumstances must be taken into account but credit must be given where it’s due too.
Cork are at the lowest ebb this writer can recall in 32 years of being ‘on the circuit’, but today the home side attacked with pace and purpose, shot with confidence and accuracy and defended with a toughness and determination which must surely bode well going forward. It’s not all that long ago since these lads were in Div. 1 of the League and the last eight of the Championship.
They haven’t become bad footballers all of a sudden. If anything, and there’s full cognisance this writer will most likely get slaughtered for the following, but, the Royal County have been incrementally improving over recent weeks and today it came together when it was needed most.
The retirement of Mickey Newman left a vacancy with regard to who Meath’s dead ball specialist was going to be, but they have solved it with a surprising but quite excellent candidate in the guise of custodian Harry Hogan. The Longwood player – whose brother Ben plays between the posts for John McCarthy’s county U-20 team – has become pivotal to this Meath side.
The citog ‘keeper strode forward and drove over five first half frees as Cork’s indiscipline in the tackle was efficiently retributed. Playing into the stiff and swirling breeze in the first half, logic would have said the locals should’ve been happy going in a couple of points in arrears but instead they attacked with gusto as the returning (and excellent) Bryan Menton burst forward and pointed at the hospital end. So too did Cillian O’Sullivan, Jason Scully and Jordan Morris as the went off to a rousing roar from the home fans, leading 0-11 to 0-06 at half time.
Things were admittedly a bit slow to get going after the break but then a sumptuous score off the outside of the right boot from Oldcastle’s Scully was the catalyst for he and his colleagues to reel off 1-4 without reply. The goal coming from a Jordan Morris penalty after the impressive Scully was rugby tackled when about to pull the trigger.
While there will of course be a modicum of disappointment to have conceded a late goal, the response was pleasing and typical of the overall performance throughout the contest.
Points followed from James McEntee, Tomas O’Reilly and substitute Joey Wallace before the old ground rattled from the roar which greeted the full time whistle.
A case of a lot done in recent weeks, more to do in the weeks ahead. But there’s nothing like results, confidence and having their people behind them to drive a team on.
Meath: Harry Hogan (0-5); R. Clarke, J. Muldoon, E. Harkin; C. Hickey, P. Harnan, D. Keogan; B. Menton (0-2), R. Jones; C. O’Sullivan (0-1), T. O’Reilly (0-1), M. Costello (0-1); J. Scully (0-2), S. Walsh (0-1), J. Morris (1-2). Subs; J. McEntee (0-2) for Hickey, E. Wallace for Scully, J. Wallace (O-1) for O’Sullivan, B. McMahon for Walsh, R. Ryan for Harkin.
FOGRA: In the closing stages of the game, Cork were erroneously awarded a sideline ball on the stand side of the pitch, while attempting to sportingly return the ball to the Cork full back, a Pairc Tailteann Steward was jostled by the player. It will be interesting to see will the incident be included in the referee’s report.
If the boot was on the other foot, certain people from certain places would be jumping over themselves to make a big deal out of it!
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M
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