MEATH… 0-12
FERMANAGH… 1-09
It would be ventured the above will be the most asked question in Meath tonight. By players, mentors and supporters. At this moment in time, this writer is unsure. Temptation is to think a point dropped. But at the same time, the home side were so flat hands would’ve been taken off for a draw at half time.
To be fair, both teams were that pedantic in the first half, the match could’ve been marketed as a sleeping pill. Neither team scored for the first seven minutes and it was a further three minutes before Daithi McGowan got the locals off the mark. For long periods in the opening stanza it appeared the impressive Ratoath clubman was going to be their only scorer therein.
However, as so often happens, Meath’s gorging of possession for long periods – manifesting as triangles of passes going nowhere – came back to haunt them when debutant Mick Murphy saw his point attempt smothered. At which point the Erne County broke with rapidity allowing Sean Cassidy to plant the ball past Sean Brennan on the run in to half time.
That left Kieran Donnelly’s side clear by 1-05 to 0-03 – a cushion they were full value for – though the outstanding Eoghan Frayne swung over two mighty points to leave just the goal between them at half time and at least the suggestion Meath had a kick in them for the second half. Though those clad in all black notching the first score after the break wouldn’t concur as such.
To their credit though, again Colm O’Rourke’s charges dug in and starting with a monstrous effort from midfielder and captain Ronan Jones, hauled themselves back from the brink via points from the imperious Frayne, full back Adam O’Neill and a Mat Costello free. O’Neill’s score coming about after his colleague on the full back line, Murphy, atoned for his earlier misfortune by affecting a massive turnover and setting in motion a move, at the end of which, the Wolfe Tones representative in the No. 3 jersey brilliantly split the posts at the scoreboard end of the old ground.
At no point, mind, could Meath manufacture separation between themselves and their ever-doughty opponents and when they weathered the Meath onslaught and broke upfield to nose back in front, it appeared all local hopes of early season optimism were about to have a pin burst them. The long term status of seasonal ambitions is a topic for another day but on this occasion it was entirely fitting that fabulous Frayne had the final say when he expertly completed his handful of points to ensure stalemate at the end.
That said, Costello did have a chance to win it from a free very late on, but, typical of the day, his tame effort dropped short.
Point lost or gained? Only time will tell.
SCORERS – E. Frayne (0-5, 1F), D. McGowan (0-3), A. O’Neill, R. Jones, M. Costello (F) and S. Walsh (0-1 each).
MEATH – S. Brennan; D. Keogan, A. O’Neill, M. Murphy; C. Caulfield, D. Campion, S. Coffey; R. Jones, J. Flynn; D. McGowan, E. Frayne, C. Hickey; A. Lynch, M. Costello, J. O’Connor.
SUBS – S. Walsh for Lynch, R. Kinsella for O’Connor, D. Moriarity for Hickey, J. Conlon for Frayne, C. McBride for Flynn.
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