As would only be expected, the senior footballers’ annexation of promotion to Div. 1 of the NFL nabbed most of the GAA-related headlines over the weekend, but there was a mixed bag of results for various other Meath teams who were also in action then. Let’s do a whistle stop tour of their fortunes.
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Camogs comeback claims final chance
Outside of the men’s senior footballers, Meath’s ‘senior’ camogie team were the others most deserving of being headline news, with Stephen Shiel’s charges having qualifying for the Final of Div. 2 of Very Ireland National Camogie League (NCL) once again.
That, however, looked highly unlikely for at least half of their final regulation fixture on Saturday last against Carlow.
At half time in Ashbourne, the Barrowsiders held a 0-05 to 1-09 advantage and to be honest the hosts were probably fortunate to be that ‘close’. Mind you, this Meath side have had their unfair share of rough look over the years, and, eventually, in such circumstances, you develop a thick skin and a refusal to take no for an answer.
So it was here as, step by step, the visitors’ advantage was whittled down through the scoring exploits of Roisin Heaney and Abbye Donnelly and Ellen Burke and Emma Regan and the introduced Grace Coleman and Katie Connolly and the outstanding Olivia O’Halloran struck for parity and another crack at old rivals Kerry.
Experimental side come up just short
At the same time as their camogie-sister-team were taking care of their business against Carlow, an experimental Meath side lost out to a rejuvenated Cork outfit in the final round of the Lidl Ladies NFL at the MTU grounds in Bishopstown on Saturday evening.
Though their chances of making the final had evaporated prior to this encounter – in contrast their opponents have advanced to the decider – it would be ventured that it should still be regarded as a positive campaign for Wayne Freeman’s team. Having maintained their top flight status and blooded some new talent ahead of what could still be a very productive season.
HEALY HEADLINES IMPRESSIVE LILY TURNAROUND
Following in the stud prints of the cyclist and the rugby player, there is another Ben Healy for the sporting world to take note of. In the guise of the citog corner forward on the Meath Minor hurling team. The Na Fianna clubman hitting 2-7 as the young Royal stickmen staged a commendable comeback against Kildare in the first round of the Leinster MHC at Trim on Saturday afternoon.
Healy registered the first score in each half by rattling the Kildare net, but thereafter the contest between Healy and Kian McKeigue on the Meath side and Cuan Og Mac Eachgain and Eoghan Lyons on the other.
Half way through which the visitors led by 0-11 to 1-06, but with the aforementioned duo, plus captain Conor Heffernan, Darragh Wright, Alex Cole and the awesome Evan Lawless, the locals were able to remain just about evasive enough to bypass the men from the Shortgrass.
Corrigan’s crew send them back to the green glens empty handed
If Meath U-20 hurling boss Sean Corrigan was feeling a shade deflated after the senior team – with whom he is also a selector – concluded their league campaign with a defeat against Kerry, the Kildalkey clubman will surely have been left in a much more buoyant mood after his young charges dug out a gritty victory over Antrim in the first round of the Leinster U-20 HC at Donnelly-Loughran Park in Kilmessan on Sunday afternoon.
Those of us of a certain vintage can remember an adventure programme called MacIver in which Richard Dean-Anderson played the eponymous character whose stock-in-trade was rescuing either himself or somebody else with an IED made out of a bottle of bleach, a five-hour old piece of chewing gum and a rubber band.
Meath’s McIvor, Louis, that is, didn’t need any such external claptrap but his dead eyed accuracy in front of goal was of pivotal importance as the home side held a 0-13 to 1-08 interval advantage before turning to shoot into the dressing room end of the venue. Which, in my experience, has always been the easier goal to shoot into.
Now, while it must be acknowledged that it was a classic chicken or egg scenario, it should be taken that Johnny Greville’s move for the greater good https://boylantalkssport.com/2026/03/20/pragmatic-realism-for-the-greater-good/ in rest the U-20 members of his senior panel paid off as Mark Leavy and Cathal Barron (in particular) played their part ensuring the green and gold went into next Saturday’s clash against Carlow on a high.
Though perhaps if there are to be calls for an encore related to this performance it should be directed towards the burgeoning Joey Christie. The Rathmolyon youngster, who has to have a fair GAA pedigree with that surname and being from that neck of the woods in particular, was quite possibly the biggest eye catcher from the local club championship last season for this observer. And, while he didn’t need to find the way to Amarillo, his late goal set Meath on the road to a deserved victory.
Mangan makes her mark as Royals make amends
Goals from Erin Mangan and Ciara O’Doherty proved to be of the utmost importance as Eamon Murray’s Meath Ladies Minor side got their Leinster Championship campaign back on track by overcoming a typically obstinate Kildare challenge at picturesque Carnaross on Saturday afternoon.
These young Royals were desperately unlucky to lose out to Dublin in their opening outing but more than set the record straight at the north county venue this time around.
A bit like the senior footballers and U-20 hurlers also, Murray’s latest proteges did the majority of the needful to secure victory in the first half, at the end of which they held 2-05 to 1-01 lead.
Comparing that to the closing tallies (2-09 to 2-06) informs that the whites very much had the better of the second half exchanges but with Dunboyne’s Mangan – who ended up top scoring with 1-3 – shining in attack, the green and gold brigade toughed it out for a deserved victory.
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