ST PATRICK’S CS NAVAN… 1-16
COLAISTE EOIN… 4-03
First off, the best bits: inclinations that Clann Na nGael’s Cormac Smith is one of the brightest emerging talents in the county apparently are gloriously true. Secondly, the blistering attacking potential which was so apparent against St Joseph’s of Rochfordbridge was once again there in all its glory.
However, Enda Monaghan and his fellow mentors will surely be quite concerned about the concession of four goals. Particularly the fact that most if not all of them came via aerial raids from the Kilmacud Crokes feeder school.
That said, even the fact that two of the ‘majors’ came before half time couldn’t detract from a positively influential outing from custodian Charlie Finnegan or derail the overall efforts of the Moatlands school.
Seneschalstown stopper Finnegan put the early barrage behind him to stop an absolute piledriver shortly before the break which, had it gone in would have had the goose gone into a pre-heated oven.
On such fine margins do matters swing, though, and when Finnegan strode forward and notched Navan’s second two pointer of the half – the other being a booming effort from Stephen Cahill – it meant the locals had returned to parity, 0-08 to 2-02, by the time referee Paul Fahy blew the short whistle.
Then, possibly before both sides had their entourage out of the dressing rooms, a pair of frees from that man Smith gave Pats their first bit of real momentum in the contest.
Which they built upon via scores from Sean Smyth, Cahill, Charlie Twoomey and the highly impressive Nathan Reilly. Yet each time they appeared to have built up a buffer, the Stillorgan school filled Finnegan’s onion bag. How apt that would have been if it were on the grounds of the famed grain and vegetable producers, but in this instance it was an unnecessary nuisance.
In fairness to Monaghan’s maestros, mind you, they displayed nous and composure which belied their youth and relative inexperience in high level competition. Sean Reuter and Billy Bermingham making headlines at the back, Conall O’Sullivan earmarking himself as another star in the making from St Michael’s and Oran Meade looking every inch a chip off the well proven family block in midfield.
That said, as if to underline the spread of clubs representing the Meath talent academy, it was Gaeil Colmcille’s Charlie Twoomey who made the most telling contribution of all when getting on the end of a great team move before drilling low to the net at the hospital end to conclude what should definitely this time be the final football match played on the old field before the wrecking ball makes its presence felt in the ground in more ways than over the tannoy!
FOGRA I: Do not adjust your sets, what you are about to read is real – I must compliment match referee Paul Fahy. It cannot be easy to referee a match involving a team from ones’ own county but the Dublin whistler was fair, applied common sense wherever possible and let the game flow. Well done to you, sir. But the question is, how was the man put in that position?
This is a fairly serious level of competition – not U-12 where teams often toss for referee or often swap at half time. This, to me, is one step removed from county Minor. Would the same circumstances be allowed prevail there? I think not.
FOGRA II: Maybe this is just me, but, during this largely fallow period between the end of one season and the beginning of another, the mind tends to flit between anxiety and anticipation. For example, can the senior footballers do as well in 2026? If they don’t will there be rumblings? Well, if trying to maintain the glass half full mantra, consider this – at the time of typing there are three Royal County sides in the last eight of Leinster Colleges SFC A: the combined Meath Schools combination, St Patrick’s Classical School, Navan and St Peter’s College, Dunboyne.
There are quite probably others competing in different competitions too – if so my apologies – but even the above outlined plus the fact there are plenty of Meath players getting game time on Freshers teams in third level football and more are likely to do so in Sigerson/Trench Cup matches proves the conveyor belt is still whirring along.
As Lance Corporal Jack Jones of Dad’s Army would put it – don’t panic!
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