He didn’t lick it off the ground but he can certainly kick it!

MEATH…0-11

CAVAN…0-11

In recent weeks in this space the point has been made that Sean Brennan is becoming ever more of a presence between the posts for the Royal County and Saturday’s pulsating finish at Kingspan Breffni Park only underlined as much. Though perhaps not in the manner you might imagine. Now read on…

A dear departed friend once coined the oft applicable phrase that ‘An ounce of breeding is worth a tonne of feeding’ and that is absolutely proving to be the case with the burgeoning Dunderry custodian. Perhaps not in the rudiments of net minding but he certainly didn’t lick his dead ball expertise off the ground.

What with him being a grandson of the great Tony Brennan – scorer-in-chief in Meath’s All Ireland triumph of 1967 and selector with Sean Boylan when Sam Maguire spent the winters of 1987 and ’88 on the banks of the Boyne.

Early on here, it appeared there would be more excitement about the Cavan venue passing an inspection than anything which happened therein. Until Daithi McGowan broke the tedium when lofting over in the fifth minute with the trusty left peg in the fifth minute.

The economical Paddy Lynch eventually broke Cavan’s duck and Cian Madden quickly flly hacked over another in a manner not dissimilar to how Keith Wood once scored a drop goal for Ireland.

Be that as it may, Meath largely controlled possession for the remainder of the first half as scores from Ronan Jones, McGowan, Jack O’Connor, Shane Walsh and Mat Costello gave the visitors a 0-07 to 0-03 interval advantage.

Could it have been more? Yes, it probably should have been. But anytime you construct a four point lead for yourself during an away fixture in this feverishly competitive division, you have to be doing something right.

That said, there was an inevitability about a Cavan comeback and, as the execellent Thomas Niblock said on commentary, where Meath silenced the local support for the first hour, as Paddy Reilly turned to the left at the bridge of Finea they became incrementally, audibly more rambunctous before he got anywhere near Cootehill.

Understandable too, as scores corner back Niall Carolan, Lynch, midfielder James Smyth and wing back Padraig Faulkner kicked them into an unlikely looking 0-10 to 0-09 lead.

Meath’s only response during that phase was an Eoghan Frayne free. However, speaking of phases, even though Costello restored parity once again and Ray Galligan’s team went a neck in front again, Colm O’Rourke’s side dominated possession and territory in the closing stages.

Depending on your perspective, you could say that both Cian McBride and Shane Walsh coughed up chances to secure the win, but, a fairer appraisal would recognise an evolving young team who are well resourced with the Meath spirit of old and the nous to extricate themselves from perilous looking situations.

In this instance that meant Brennan drilling over two ’45s’ to guarantee a draw which was the least he and his colleagues deserved. Indeed, Ciaran Caulfield was inches away from kicking what would’ve been a sensational winner.

No matter. With two games to go, Meath’s primary objective has been achieved and, no matter how unlikely it might be, a trip to bonus territory is still possible. That’ll do lads, that’ll do.

SCORERS – S. Brennan (0-3, 2F, 1 ’45’, D. McGowan, M. Costello (0-2 each) R. Jones, J. O’Connor, E. Frayne and S. Walsh (0-1 each).

MEATH – S. Brennan; D. Keogan, A. O’Neill, B. O’Halloran; C. Caulfield, D. Campion, S. Coffey; R. Jones, C. McBride; D. McGowan, E. Frayne, J. O’Connor; S. Walsh, M. Costello, C. Hickey.

SUBS – R. Kinsella for O’Connor, M. Murphy for Hickey, D. Dixon for McGowan, A. Lynch for Frayne, A. McDonnell for Campion.

Referee – J. Molloy (Galway).