Meath… 1-13
Waterford… 1-08
Don’t try to figure out how the world works. You’ll only shorten and enrage your time in it. For the second time in six months, Meath GAA, and Dunshaughlin/Royal Gaels in particular, have been plunged into grief, disbelief and heartache.
On December 3rd last, Maria Kealy could give no more to one of the toughest, bravest battles against vile poison that is cancer I’ve seen. This weekend past, her older brother Denis – just a year more senior than myself – was taken in a tragic accident less than two miles from my door.
Now consider that in Croke Park Dunshaughlin’s Mat Costello put in the standout performance as Meath qualified for the Tailteann Cup Final, while at the same time in Fraher Field, Dungarvan, his club colleague Niamh Gallogly was doing likewise as the treble chasing defending champions got their season back on track.
In one sense, Jenny Rispin’s charges were in a no-win situation. If they were beaten, the narrative would been ‘Sure the camp was in chaos, what could you expect? ‘ and if they won, you’d have ‘Sure what was all the fuss about? ‘
I don’t know what it was all about, nor is there any desire to, but it was very uplifting to see them stride on as was pleaded for on this site recently. They let their boots do the talking!
Only after Jenny pulled a page from the Colm O’Rourke/Ger Loughnane playbook, mind you. Of course Emma Duggan didn’t start wing back, instead leading the attack from the 40, with Vikki Wall re-deployed to centre field. Though in fairness, it was the Dunshaughlin duo of Gallogly and Meadhbh Byrne who were giving the green and gold the most impotus up front in the early stages.
However, having dealt with the violent thunderstorms which permeated the entire first half, you couldn’t help but wonder had Meath done enough when leading by 0-07 to 0-03 having played with the aid of the elements in the first half.
Doubts which were heightened when Pat Sullivan’s side posted the first score of the second half. But here’s the thing – you don’t become a bad team over night. And it’s worth adding that they are only getting used to having their three prize gems – Wall, Duggan and Orlagh Lally back in tandem. It was visibly clear they were growing in confidence as the game went on.
Three points was as close as the Deise could get to Rispin’s Royals (0-09 to 0-06) as Duggan, Lally and Gallogly continued to excel, with the first-named of that triumvirate filling the onion bag late on.
Niamh Gallogly did indeed make it two individual gongs for Dunshaughlin on the day, but that didn’t really matter, nothing matters at the moment.
MEATH – M. McGuirk; A. Sheridan, MK Lynch, K. Newe; M. Thynne, S. Ennis, N. Gallogly (0-2); M. O’Shaughnessy, V. Wall; M. Byrne (0-1), E. Duggan (1-4, 2F), N. O’Sullivan (0-1); O. Lally (0-4), A. Minogue, S. Grimes (0-1).
SUBS – S. Melia for O’Shaughnessy, C. Smyth for Grimes, A. Sherlock for Byrne, O. Gore for O’Sullivan.
Referee – Kevin Phelan (Laois)
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