MEATH…1-21
KILDARE…0-10
Balancing gut feeling with reality can be a very tricky task indeed. Six days ago, from a certain angle, Meath were somewhat unlucky to come away from Pairc Ui Rinn empty handed, yet an objective analysis would also conclude that they left enough waste behind them to have had the game won.
Tonight (Saturday) Robbie Brennan’s team put together as complete a performance as a team can. Yet, there’s nothing on the shelf. Yet.
To quote The Who takimg care of business. Depending on what way one wanted to look at it, the aforementioned description could be deployed under two headings.
On one front, the taking care of business was accomplished by way of bouncing back – emphatically so – from last week’s setback in Cork. But also, from angle, producing, in my opinion, the most complete performance of the current management’s time to date.
Now, for as long as long as can be recalled, it has been, spoken or otherwise, Meath policy to play against the wind if the pre match toss was won, but, that wasn’t the weapon put to use by Meath. Early on in particular.
Another being invoking a trusty ploy from the Boylan years – pulling a rabbit from a hat.
In other words, even in this era of uber analysis, bitesize dissection of opponents, throw something at them they’re not expecting.
Enter Jack O’Connor. The Curraha speedster – who spent last year in Australia – and what he brings to the table is nothing new to Meath fans, but, as Eamonn Fitzmaurice observed on RTE, Jack the lad wouldn’t have been on their agenda.
By the time the evening was done, they knew all about him. Jack was imperious, particularly in the first half. When it appeared every time he touched the ball a flag went up. Mind you, during that first half, the same could be said about any Meath player.
As Ruairi Kinsella, Jordan Morris, Eoghan Frayne and Aaron Lynch all hitting the target. Then, Bryan Menton and the imperious Ciaran Caulfield combined to put Morris goalbound. From there, the classy Nobber native persisted despite the best attempts of Kildare custodian Cian Bourke and rolled the ball to the net. Giving the visitors a 1-09 to 0-05 interval advantage which better represented their superiority.
Considering they had played against the elements, it would have been expected they would’ve kicked on. But I think even within the camp there would have been awestruck surprise with the class bordering on ease with which they went about their business.
Perhaps the best illustration of which was the first contribution of Charlie O’Connor. The Dunshaughlin youngster- while on as a blood sub for Bryan Menton – rising to the clouds, pulling down a kick out and, in one move, lofted over a cracker which was some way to mark your NFL debut.
Then, Jack Flynn, well, did a few Jack Flynn things. Lofting over a boomer with the left peg. Rathkenny’s Keith Curtis then made his usual scoring contribution before ‘keeper Sean Brennan dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s with a final handful of points. Two 2-point frees and a ’45’.
It could be pointed out that they were the only kickable frees the Royals were awarded on the night but, hold onto your hats lads and lassies, I for one would like to compliment Tyrone’s Sean Hurson for the way in which he refereed on the night.
The same could not be said about the individual who whistled his way through the ladies game between the two counties. But fair to the big man from the O’Neill County. Not that anything did, but, if anything looked over zealous, he dealt with it in a calm and sensible manner and with a smile on his face. Small things mean a lot.
Mostly, though, he tended to the perfunctories, but other than that, he let the teams get on with it. Again to quote the RTE crew on the night, Roscommon great Donie Smith put it best – Meath are just a bit further on in their journey. They’ll meet again.
For now though, our destiny is still in our hands. Job done.
Scorers – J. Morris (1-5), S. Brennan (0-5, 2x2PT, 1×45), J. O’Connor (0-4), R. Kinsella (0-2), E. Frayne, A. Lynch, J. Flynn, C. O’Connor and K. Curtis (0-1 each).
MEATH – S. Brennan; S. Lavin, S. Rafferty, B. O’Halloran; D. Keogan, S. Coffey, C. Caulfield; B. Menton, J. Flynn; J. O’Connor, R. Kinsella, A. O’Neill; J. Morris, E. Frayne, A. Lynch.
SUBS – O. Martin for O’Neill, C. McBride for O’Connor, K. Curtis for Lynch, C. O’Connor for Menton, J. Scully for Kinsella, J. Murphy for Frayne.
Referee – Sean Hurson (Tyrone).
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