MEATH… 0-12
DUBLIN… 3-19
It’s 2:49am, and the wind and rain are beating off the window like a night in November. But it’s literally midway through April. And Meath’s quest for a Leinster SFC crown now officially gone into a 15th year. It simply doesn’t feel right. Not the result – there could be absolutely no qualms on that front. No, the fact that we’re out of the provincial Championship before four months of the year had elapsed. I thought it was bad last year when Offaly sent us packing out of Leinster on my birthday, but this is even worse.
Unfortunately, hopes expressed in this space in the lead up to the game that our lads might put up a better display than expected didn’t materialise – in an overall sense at least. The records will ultimately show that Dessie Farrell’s charges won by 16 points at their ease, but in no way is that a fair reflection of the contribution Colm O’Rourke’s side made to the match. For 58 minutes here, Meath competed respectably, albeit at a distance. Now, it could be justifiably be said that the late goals from Paul Mannion and Con O’Callaghan gave the final score an unfairly distorted look, but, as an old friend of mine used to say “You can’t be half pregnant, it’s either one thing or the other”!
Chances are, the one thing the Meath camp would’ve craved above all else was a good start. Something they duly achieved when Darragh Campion gathered loose possession from the throw in, charged straight at the Dublin defence and split the posts after just 11 seconds.
Shortly thereafter, Adam O’Neill, Ross Ryan and Ciaran Caulfield combined brilliantly to manufacture a succession of turnovers. At the end of which firstly Ronan Jones brilliantly claimed and converted a brilliant Mark before Frayne essayed what for this observer was the score of the day. Gathering possession in front of the dugouts before making stealthy progress up the right side of the Meath attack before dispatching an exquisite effort over the black spot.
At 0-03 apiece after 20 minutes, the Meath camp would surely have been happy with their lot. On such occasions though, the unfancied need a few breaks to go their way. No dice on that score. Dublin’s Sean Bugler getting away with taking more than three times the permitted steps before hitting the roof of Billy Hogan’s net.
By the way, that’s not in any way a dig at the Dublin player. He played the whistle as every kid is taught to from the time they’re able to kick a ball.
But you have to ask if the referee can miss something as basic and obvious as that, are they fit for the inter county list? And it wasn’t the only poor call Meath could feel aggrieved about..
The brash Galweigan giving a most bizarre free against Cian McBride within seconds of the St Ultan’s clubman coming on. The giant midfielder having majestically pulled down a Billy Hogan kickout.
It would appear that the whistler took issue with Cian claiming a Mark even though he apparently didn’t call it. But surely he should have been allowed to play on at least.
Look, whether either going the other way would’ve altered the eventual outcome is unlikely, that’s not the point. The Bugler one certainly shouldn’t be got wrong at that level. And that it was absolutely shouldn’t have gone unchecked.
In other words, surely some of the lines persons, the umpires at the Railway End or the fourth official should have been able to notice such an obvious transgression and advised Thomas Murphy accordingly. If not, it again leads one to ponder how the panel of inter county referees is arrived at. Especially when one considers the lunacy of David Coldrick being dropped from same last season.
Anyway, enough of all that. Ultimately, to my mind, the most notable difference between the sides was the speed and efficiency with which the kingpins were able to create and take scoring chances. Acumen acquired through experience, mileage and familiarity.
Contrast that with, as Colm repeatedly pointed out before and after Sunday’s gruelling experience, there were Dublin players on the field with more All Ireland medals than a lot of the Meath lads have Championship appearances.
You can’t buy experience like that. Yes, this one hurt, you can bet your Sunday dinner on that. But what doesn’t break you will only leave you stronger. Time may well prove that Meath gave Dublin as many problems during their brighter spells as anybody other than Kerry is likely to. Obviously, you’d be hoping for a bit of luck when it comes to the draw for the groupings for the All Ireland Series.
The journey continues.
SCORERS – E. Frayne and J. Morris (0-3 each), B. Hogan, C. Caulfield, R. Jones, D. Campion, M. Costello and J. Conlon (0-1 each).
MEATH – B. Hogan; D. Keogan, A. O’Neill, H. O’Higgins; C. Caulfield, R. Ryan, S. Coffey; R. Jones, D. McGowan; D. Campion, E. Frayne, C. Hickey; J. Morris, M. Costello, J. Conlon.
SUBS – J. O’Connor for Campion, C. McBride for McGowan, K. Curtis for Ryan, R. Kinsella for Morris, A. Lynch for Conlon.
Referee – T. Murphy (Galway).
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