Meath…0-13
Kerry…0-14
The half time decision of the Kerry mentors to transfer free taking duties to centre forward Jackie Horgan was ultimately their salvation and Meath’s undoing in this Very Ireland NCL Div. 2A Final at Croke Park. To add insult to injury, thanks to the unjust system which appears to prevail in both Camogie and Ladies Football, Meath not only missed out on taking the title on offer but the promotion that went along with it as well. That’s really something those in the corridors of power in ladies sport need to look at.
Brendan Skehan’s team actually opened the brighter and established a considerable buffer early in what looked like being a low scoring affair, leading by 0-05 to 0-02. Scores coming from the outstanding Aoife Minogue, Leah Devine and Aoibhinn Lally. And even though The Kingdom did work their way into the contest thanks to the efforts of Horgan and Patrice Diggin, but mighty efforts from Minogue and Olivia O’Halloran ensured Meath led by 0-07 to 0-06 at half time.
There were only three points between these two when they met in the regulation league fixture at Trim two months ago. Though the manner in which Pat Ryan’s charges turned a six point deficit into a three point win presumably had the Royal County well forewarned as to what to expect. An observer not completely attuned to the goings on in Cumann Camogiochta could be forgiven for assuming this contest would ultimately boil down to a shootout between Diggin and Minogue.
As it happened it was the multi-talented Dunderry lady and Horgan who traded scores fore the majority of the contest, but there was something of an inevitability to both Patrice and Aoife being central to what ended up being the seminal moment in the game. Yet again, our dual star had majestically claimed a puc out, bore down on goal and sent a piledriver towards the net at the Railway End. Only for Aoife Fitzgerald to bat away her effort. Inches. Then, from the following restart, Diggin ended up in possession out under the Hogan Stand from whence she drove over a truly mesmeric score worthy of winning any contest.
A score not dissimilar to that essayed by Domhnaill O’Donovan to rescue Clare at the end of the 2013 All Ireland SHC Final. But there was still time for one more act of drama. The type of scenario from which Meath teams have pulled off the seemingly impossible on numerous occasions over the years. And for a split second, it appeared as if they were about to do it again. Inches. The introduced Abbye Donnelly seeing her instinctive goal attempt scrape the paint off the post and slide wide. Inches.
It was cruel luck on a spirited and skilful Meath team, who also saw an Amy Gaffney ‘point’ chalked off by HawkEye and, as stated earlier, were denied the promotion they deserved owing to the systems governing the game at present. Though understandably despondent this evening, their day will surely come.
MEATH – T. Murphy; S. Payne, C. Coffey, R. O’Neill; T. King, M. Clince, E. Burke; C. O’Riordan, A. Minogue (0-6); A. Gaffney (0-3), G. Coleman, A. Lally (0-1); O. O’Halloran (0-1), E. O’Connell, L. Devine (0-1). SUBS – A. Donnelly (0-1) for O’Connell, S. Leonard for O’Riordan.
Leave a Reply