Up and down season for minor hurlers
November 30, 2009outclassed Wicklow in the opening round of the Leinster Championship.
That huge goal haul helped the Royal County to a runaway 7-21 to 1-8 victory and offered the hope that this bunch of young players might have what it took to give the game in the county a significant lift with a progressive run in the competition. However, such a prospect was extinguished in early May when Meath could manage only one goal against Laois, also at the Navan venue, and lost by 1-11 to 4-11.
Meath, who were managed by Boardsmill club man Vinny Guy, couldn't have envisaged scoring such a comprehensive victory over Wicklow first time out and the 31-point success provided a timely boost for the county's hurling supporters after the previous week's heavy loss for the under-21s against Westmeath in Mullingar.
A tally of 7-21 represented a massive return on the score board, but it might well have been even more substantial but for some wayward shooting in the first half, and considering Meath's less than satisfactory preparation for the match it was a hugely satisfactory way to open the competition.
Only a couple of training sessions could be organised in advance of the championship, though a challenge game against Kilmessan's intermediate team a week before the Wicklow assignment must have helped in some way to sharpen them up. But overall the panel didn't undergo the sort of preparation that the management would have hoped for.
Nevertheless, the Royal County led from start to finish against Wicklow and Ray Hatton had them in front after only 20 seconds when he split the uprights. Eoin Lynch soon doubled the advantage, but that sort of consistent accuracy wasn't maintained and four scoreable opportunities were missed, before talented Kilmessan player Kevin Keena and Hatton again, with a superb score from distance, stretched the lead to 0-4 to 0-0.
Wicklow were clearly struggling, but Keith Byrne got them off the mark with a point, before Killyon's Keith Keoghan replied for Meath. Considering that they won with so much to spare and tallied such a massive total, it's difficult to comprehend that Meath also hit 11 first half wides and that was why they weren't out of sight at the break when they led by four points on a 1-8 to 1-4 score line.
Keena demonstrated his sharpness to notch the Meath goal after both Cathal Flattery and Eoin Lynch had failed to finish, but Wicklow's response was almost instant when Jim O'Brien netted to keep them in the hunt. Lynch (two) and Keena scored Meath's other first half points, but it should have been a much more clearcut advantage at the change of ends.
Despite their dominance Meath certainly weren't sure of victory at that stage, but that all changed in the second period when they ran riot and stamped their authority on proceedings with a brace of goals within five minutes of the restart. Both came from Boardsmill player Flattery, the first after a Brendan Murray centre and the second following a Keena assist.
Hatton and Lynch added to the goal tally as the Meath lead stretched to 5-12 to 1-7 nearing the end of the third quarter. Substitute Anthony Healy from Longwood completed the goal blitz with a brace as the home players simply went through the motions.
The Meath team against Wicklow was: T Quinn (Killyon); S Morris (Blackhall Gaels), S Carroll (Kiltale), D Dunne (Dunboyne); S Brennan (Kilmessan, 0-1), B Murray (Gaeil Colmcille), T Raleigh (Killyon); R Hatton (Boardsmill, 1-3), E Marsh (Kilmessan, 0-1); K Keoghan (Killyon, 0-1), W Harnan (Kiltale), G Kelly (Kildalkey); K Keena (Kilmessan, 1-3), C Flattery (Boardsmill, 2-1), E Lynch (Longwood, 1-9). Subs - A Healy (Longwood, 2-0) for Flattery, M O'Sullivan (Kiltale) for Harnan, S Bagnall (Kilmessan) for Raleigh, C Byrne (Longwood, 0-1) for Lynch, N O'Rourke (Boardsmill) for Keoghan.
Laois prove too strong
There was one thing certain after that demolition job against Wicklow - Meath would face a far more searching test of their credentials against Laois.
This time it was the concession of goals that proved their downfall, but in fairness to the Meath players they didn't deserve to be nine points adrift at the end when Laois were comfortably in front by 4-11 to 1-11. Three of those goals came in the first half and inflicted serious damage on their prospects of making further progress in the competition, while a fourth given away at the end of the third quarter derailed a gutsy recovery effort.
Laois were a physically stronger team and that proved decisive as Meath were unable to create scoring opportunities the way the did against an inferior Wicklow outfit. Big full-forward Neil Foyle posed serious problems for full-back Sean Carroll and his highly impressive personal contribution of 3-5 was of huge importance to the visitors.
Damien McGee pointed Meath ahead after only 12 seconds, but Laois soon demonstrated their worth when Foyle scored their first goal in brilliant fashion after four minutes. The brilliant Mark O'Sullivan, who was also a member of the county minor football panel this year, replied with a superb point for Meath, but then disaster struck for the Royal County.
Goalkeeper Thomas Quinn, who was forced to retire injured after 24 minutes, failed to deal with Gearoid Burke's centre and Darragh Cushen netted to give Laois a 2-0 to 0-2 lead. Tony Ryan increased the advantage with a point, but Meath battled away and scores from Keith Keoghan and Hatton, from a '65', cut the deficit to 0-4 to 2-1.
Quinn came to Meath's rescue on a couple of occasions when the pressure was on, before he was forced to leave the action, but Laois struck for a killer third goal when the Killyon 'keeper parried Robbie Foyle's effort, only for Neil Foyle to finish to the net. Shane Brennan rowed in with a great point for Meath, but they were adrift by 0-5 to 3-2 at the interval, by which stage they had tallied seven wides.
A good start to the second period was essential if they were to have any chance of staging a recovery and they got it with points from Hatton (free) and O'Sullivan, who contributed 1-4 overall. However, they failed to maintain that sort of form and three points from Neil Foyle left Laois ahead by 3-5 to 0-7.
To their credit, Meath never gave up trying and O'Sullivan's goal helped them to get within three points of the midlanders at 1-9 to 3-6 after O'Sullivan and Keoghan had added the points. The concession of another goal was always going to spell disaster after such a spirited recovery and it duly arrived when Neil Foyle netted for the third time. There was no way back for the battling Meath lads after that.
The Meath team against Laois was: T Quinn (Killyon); S Morris (Blackhall Gaels), S Carroll (Kiltale), S Moran (Dunboyne); S Brennan (Kilmessan, 0-1), B Murray (Gaeil Colmcille), T Raleigh (Killyon); R Hatton (Boardsmill, 0-3), E Marsh (Kilmessan); K Keoghan (Killyon, 0-2), D McGee (Trim, 0-1), G Kelly (Kildalkey); K Keena (Kilmessan), C Flattery (Boardsmill), M O'Sullivan (Kiltale, 1-4). Subs - S O'Brien (Navan O'Mahonys) for Quinn, W Harnan (Kiltale) for Flattery, C Foley (Killyon) for Moran, S Bagnall (Kilmessan) for Marsh, A Healy (Longwood) for Keoghan.
Poor Leinster Shield display
It was mid-July before Meath played their Leinster Minor Shield semi-final against Kildare at Clane and the lengthy break clearly didn't do them any good as they were decisively beaten by 2-8 to 3-16 after a very poor performance.
Bad finishing was again a problem for Meath, who were without the highly influential Gaeil Colmcille player Brendan Murray due to illness, and 14 wides over the hour seriously hindered their prospects. William Harnan scored a first half goal and Mark O'Sullivan, Damien McGee, Ray Hatton and Keith Keoghan notched points in that period, but Kildare were ahead by 1-10 to 1-4 at the break, by which stage the Royal County had already hit eight damaging wides.
The Lilywhites killed off the Meath challenge with a second goal seven minutes after the change of ends and that helped them to a clearcut 2-13 to 1-6 lead at the three-quarter stage. Meath finished with 1-2 in the last three minutes, the goal coming from O'Sullivan, but the issue was beyond doubt at that stage.
The Meath team against Kildare was - S O'Brien (Navan O'Mahonys); S Morris (Blackhall Gaels), S Carroll (Kiltale), S Moran (Dunboyne); C Foley (Killyon), S Brennan (Kilmessan, 0-1), T Raleigh (Killyon); R Hatton (Boardsmill, 0-2), E Marsh (Kilmessan); K Keoghan (Killyon, 0-1), M O'Sullivan (Kiltale, 1-1), D McGee (Trim, 0-1); G Kelly (Kildalkey), W Harnan (Kiltale, 1-1), E Lynch (Longwood). Subs - K Keena (Kilmessan) for Marsh, D Tormay (Gaeil Colmcille) for Foley, S Bagnall (Kilmessan) for McGee, A Healy (Longwood) for Harnan, C Byrne (Longwood, 0-1) for Hatton. Tweet
