MEATH… 0-19
WESTMEATH… 0-12
How often do you see it, we in the media rave about a particular player, thus whenever he or she lines out again in one sense the masses expect an action replay and in another, forthcoming opponents obsess about ensuring that doesn’t happen.
On the latter point, Westmeath full back Adam Keane deserves the utmost commendation for the manner in which he negated the influence of the first round’s standout performer, Jamie Murphy.
It’s a sign of a well rounded team, though, when, if when the operator whom is considered to carry their main threat is somewhat subdued that somebody else steps up to the plate. In this case, one could either say it was MacGyver (sic) who was the unconventional saviour once again or, put another way, it could be said that for the second week and second match in a row Mc put the knife into the opposition.
Michael McIvor has rapidly emerged as the latest to carry forward the long standing tradition of Meath producing gargantuan and outstanding midfielders. There’s something telling me that the mighty Jack Quinn may have operator thence for a period, but, even if that inclination is wide of the mark, there was definitely Joe Cassells and Gerry McEntee and Liam Hayes and John McDermott and Jimmy McGuinness (the original and best!) and Nigel Crawford.
While not wishing to remotely cast aspirations on any of those currently manning either of the berths, St Vincent’s clubman McIvor seems certain to be the next to enter that celebrated pantheon. His display in Kinnegad certainly didn’t do anything to dissuade such prophecies. I would love to get the following officially confirmed, but, I very much doubt a Meath midfielder has ever kicked six points from play in a single match previously.
They certainly didn’t kick two scores that merited two points each but only be awarded three in total. Everything can be resisted bar temptation! As Davy Rispin rather succinctly pointed out on commentary for Clubber TV “Any decent observer with one working eye could see that was outside the arc!” Wonder who he might have been referring to there!
Thankfully, the latest faux pas to befall a Meath team didn’t have same catastrophic consequences as some of the other miscarriages of justice carried out against us. In this case that wrong was offset by the fact that Rian Stafford, John Harkin, Cian Commons, Ben Corkery, Liam Jennings and Finn White all splitting the posts.
All of which meant that, after posting the first 10 scores without reply, Cathal O’Bric’s team went in clear by 0-12 to 0-04 at the change of ends.
To this observer at least, it was inevitable that the defending provincial champions weren’t going to be able to maintain such attacking intensity, but at the same time they never looked to be in any danger of losing.
Mostly because, by the time Carlow match official David Hickey had called for the ball after nearly nine minutes of stoppage time, each of Meath’s starting front sextet had chalked up two points apiece and mighty McIvor had brought up the half dozen.
However, while scoring 0-19 is highly commendable – especially with main man Murphy held to just two from frees – as is having such a spread of scorers – it would be ventured An Bainisteoir will find plenty with which to keep minds focussed and skillsets sharpened before tackling Offaly and hopefully further afield.
Not only the fact that Westmeath outscored the title holders by eight points to seven after the break, but also the goal chances they missed themselves and coughed up at the other end.
SCORERS – M. McIvor (0-6, 1x2PT), R. Stafford, J. Harkin, C. Commons, B. Corkery, J. Murphy and L. Jennings (0-2 each), F. White (0-1).
MEATH – M. Kealy; S. Jordan, R. Early, C. O’Hare; T. Martyn, J. Gormley, F. White; E. Armstrong, M. McIvor; R. Stafford, J. Harkin, C. Commons; B. Corkery, J. Murphy, L. Jennings.
SUBS – J. Reeves for Gormley, Z. Thornton for Harkin, S. Byrne for White, F. Hartigan for Jordan, P. Crawley for Corkery.
Referee – David Hickey (Carlow).