MEATH…0-19
DERRY…1-13
Little fish are sweet. A bit of history being made into the bargain never hurts either. The latter being applicable on two fronts. Firstly, on a personal level, as it was the first time yours truly was at a match (that finished) under the bulbs in GAA HQ. And secondly, in the first National League game of his second season at the helm, Robbie Brennan accomplished something Sean Boylan* never did in his otherwise glory-laden 23 year tenure. Engineer a league win over Derry.
Now, even parking the horrendous climatic conditions in which the game was played, last term’s All Ireland semi finalists certainly wouldn’t have had the start of their day’s work which transpired in the script. Mind you, if such a document did exist it was probably gone through the shredder before there was a ball kicked.
Brennan having to replace custodian Billy Hogan, wing forward Cathal Hickey and Keith Curtis at the edge of the square prior to throw in. With Sean Brennan, Adam O’Neill and Ruairi Kinsella coming in.
Perhaps, in hindsight, the alterations upset the apple tart – as one lovable Dub once said – early on.
Because, besides the inside line double act of Jordan Morris and Eoghan Frayne both working the umpires, it was the ‘away’ side who assumed quite the degree of control early on.
Which all meant that the Oak Leaf County had etched out a 0-02 to 0-05 buffer for themselves before the unfortunate Brennan was left in a muddle in the Meath goal, the upshot of which was Paul Cassidy flicking to the Dunderry man’s net.
That left the green and gold chasing a half dozen point deficit entering the second quarter. However, as has been a penchant throughout Robbie’s reign to date, they produced a spell of truly brilliant football, reeling off nine points on the spin without reply.
Thus turning a six point chasm into an advantage of three. And, in my humble opinion, the first brace of points of the entire sequence were the game changers. As they set the tone for what was to follow.
Coming as they did from the monstrous left peg of netminder Brennan from all of 50+ yards out. And, maybe most significantly, in the immediate aftermath of the Derry goal.
That particular phase of play seemed to lift all and sundry. Mostly, it would be ventured, out of Brennan’s guts and guile in the aftermath of conceding to take on and nail the whopper shot.
Either side of which was a glut of scores from Jack Flynn (0-4) and Mat Costello (0-3) and Bryan Menton, all of which left the ‘home’ side up by 0-11 to 1-05 as Dublin whistler Barry Tiernan gave the unfortunates out doing their thing a break from the vile elements.
Whatever buzz got into the Meath lads prior to half time continued immediatly after the break as Jordan Morris landed another massive two-pointer and Flynn drilled over a long range single.
Cognisance of the fact that, only two years ago, Ciaran Meenagh’s team contested an All Ireland SFC semi final meant that the fact they were going to mount a comeback was as obvious as the absurdity of the weather.
In fact, they did more than get back, they regained the lead at 1-12 to 0-14. So, how they reacted to said setback was going to be an acid test for this evolving Meath group.
Fear not. Just as they had against Dublin and Roscommon and Galway last season, they shook off the shock and drove on again.
Shot stopper Brennan coming up with a number of crucial interventions, Cian McBride appeared to have either glue or magnets adjacent to his gloves. The man now playing his club football with Downings in Co Donegal lorded the skies around Drumcondra, enabling his midfield partner Flynn to continue to successfully detonate surface to air missiles.
Ciaran Caulfield and the introduced James Conlon – who, like Flynn missed the tail end of last season’s championship campaign – pointed down the home straight. However, if one wanted a nugget to encapsulate everything that is good about this Meath team, look no further than the contribution of the wiry Conlon upon his introduction.
Yes he curled over his almost obligatory point and buzzed around like a Jack Russell on rodent patrol, but if anything typified the joy, hunger and hope there is in this group it was the diminutive St Colmcille’s forward deploying every ounce of his willpower and tenacity to shunt a Derry opponent out over the endline and manufacture a ’45’. Whereupon he raised a clenched fist to himself, his team mates, the crowd? Who cares?
Fabulous Flynn duly split the posts and so an impressive and deserved victory was in the bag. Rome may not have been built in a day but you can be sure they had a solid foundation in.
Scorers – J. Flynn (0-7), M. Costello and J. Morris (0-3 each), S. Brennan (0-2), C. Caulfield, B. Menton, E. Frayne and J. Conlon (0-1 each).
Meath – S. Brennan; S. Lavin, S. Rafferty, B. O’Halloran; D. Keogan, A. O’Neill, C. Caulfield; B. Menton, J. Flynn; C. Duke, R. Kinsella, S. Coffey; J. Morris, M. Costello, E. Frayne.
Subs –C. McBride for Duke, J. Conlon for O’Neill, J. Scully for Frayne, J. O’Connor for Kinsella, R. Ryan for O’Halloran.
Referee – Barry Tiernan (Dublin).
* FOGRA – Best wishes are extended to my namesake and neighbour Sean (Boylan) who met a mishap during Saturday’s match.
Fág freagra