Garden party in February
November 27, 2011The Royal County bridged a three-year gap when they defeated Wicklow by 0-16 to 1-11 to lift the 2011 Kehoe Cup in Arklow's Pearse Park on Sunday, February 6th. Meath had led from the second minute - when Ger O'Neill floated over the opening score - and held out for a deserved victory despite a strong Garden County finish.
Nicky Horan - who had scored eleven times during the semi-final win over GMIT - missed the final through injury, but Dunboyne clubman Neil Hackett stepped up to the plate with an assured display, notching eight points in total (including five frees) and creating many others. Captain and centre back Stephen Clynch led by example, clipping over the point that made it 0-13 to 1-6 after 47 minutes, while full back Paul Fagan marshalled dangerman Don Hyland effectively.
The winners - keen to avenge their Christy Ring Cup quarter-final defeat to the same opposition the previous May - registered the first six points (despite playing into the teeth of a strong breeze) and impressive goalkeeper Shane McGann did well to deny Wicklow an eighth-minute goal. The hosts finally got off the mark in the 18th minute but Meath were six clear by the 20th thanks to efforts from Peter Durnin and Padraig Geoghegan.
However, Wicklow pounced for a fortuitous goal and were twice within two points only for David Kirby to knock over the last point of the first half: 0-10 to 1-4 at the interval. The winners' first-half scorers were Neil Hackett (4), Ger O'Neill, Joey Keena, Padraig Geoghegan, David Kirby (2) and Peter Durnin.
The Garden County had the gap down to the minimum by the 56th minute, 0-14 to 1-10, but stern Meath defending coupled with efficiency in front of the posts ensured that the Royals made an encouraging start under their new regime, winning the subsidiary provincial hurling competition for the seventh time. This was a sweet victory as Wicklow had pipped Meath in the 2010 championship with an injury-time goal.
Meath's last Kehoe Cup success had been achieved against Carlow in 2008 and they certainly failed to build on that. After the '11 final win, manager Farrell was under no illusions concerning the enormity of the challenge still facing his charges:
"The lads are putting in a big effort in training. You can praise the players for being fit, but let's be straight about it, that's a minimum requirement in today's game. We have a hell of a lot of work to do. We are nowhere near championship pace yet. We are coming into a league campaign and the hard work is really starting now and they have a lot of it ahead of them. There is no-one shirking their responsibilities at all. It's good when you are winning and hopefully it will continue."
Meath - 2011 Kehoe Cup winners: S McGann; W Mahady, P Fagan, D Donoghue; M Horan, S Clynch (0-1), M Lynch; J Boyle, G O'Neill (0-1); J Keena (0-1), N Hackett (0-8), P Geoghegan (0-1); M Cole, D Kirby (0-2), P Durnin (0-2). Subs: D Doran for Cole, N Kirby for Keena.
Meath's first game in the competition wasn't quite so close: the Royals hit the ground running when they comfortably beat Roscommon by 4-22 to 1-15 in their season opener at Trim on Sunday January 23rd. This match had originally been scheduled for Pairc Tailteann but was moved to the well-appointed St Loman's Park due to frost in Navan. The visitors led by three points after 20 minutes but the Royals rattled over the last three points before the break - courtesy of Barry Slevin, Derek Muldoon and Joey Kenna - to go in level: 0-10 each.
The introduction of Kiltale attacker Peter Durnin would have a telling effect on the match - the sub hit 2-4 as the hosts totally outplayed their Connacht counterparts after the restart. Nicky Horan and David Kirby fired the other three-pointers, while the Rossies bagged a consolation goal right at the death. Rookie Kiltale netminder Shane McCann looked solid between the sticks; Willie Mahady and Paul Fagan defended stoutly; Kilmessan pair Stephen Clynch and Ger O'Neill ruled the centrefield sector; and Joey Keena, Padraig Geoghegan and Barry Slevin joined Durnin in terrorising the Primrose & Blue rearguard.
It was good to see intercounty hurling back in its spiritual home and a respectable crowd braved the extended-winter elements to check out the Meath lads, who didn't disappoint. Roscommon had eased past Louth in the first round, while the Royals had a Bye, but this was all one-way traffic after an even first half of sparring. Once Meath got the rustiness out of their system, they were a class apart, steamrolling the western visitors into submission during the course of a commanding second-half display.
Meath won by 16 points in the end and it could have been even more - Keena, Durnin, Horan and Kirby all saw second-half goal efforts well saved by an inspired visiting 'keeper.
Meath - 2011 Kehoe Cup second round V Roscommon: S McGann; D Donoghue, E Fitzgerald, W Mahady; M Horan, P Fagan, M Lynch; S Clynch (0-1), G O'Neill (0-2); J Keena (0-3), N Horan (1-2), P Geoghegan (0-3); B Slevin (0-4), D Kirby (1-2), D Muldoon (0-1). Subs: P Durnin (2-4) for Muldoon, M Cole for Slevin, C Joyce for M Horan, C Reilly for Mahady.
Six days later, a brilliant haul of eleven points from scoring talisman Nicky Horan propelled the Royals into the decider. Back at Trim, on Saturday January 29th, the Kilmessan clubman was GMIT's tormentor-in-chief as Meath pointed their way to a thrilling 0-19 to 1-15 semi-final victory. Goalkeeper Shane McGann was also instrumental in the success, executing a series of top-draw saves to keep the students (boasting talented players from counties Galway, Mayo, Tipp and Offaly) at bay. His terrific 62nd-minute save was a match-defining moment, for sure.
Offaly man Colm Egan did finally breach the Meath goal in the 69th minute to set up a nervy finish, but Meath held out for a merited win, with Paul Fagan and Stephen Clynch showing up well in the spine of the defence.
The sides were level on eight different occasions during the opening 35 minutes, with a stoppage-time pointed free from Horan ensuring parity at the short whistle: 0-9 apiece. Within 60 seconds of the resumption, the same player popped over another free to give the hosts a lead they would never relinquish.
The winners claimed six of the first eight points of the second period, Horan's mighty point from play making it 0-15 to 0-11 with 49 minutes on the clock. Meath led by five points early in the final quarter - 0-18 to 0-13 - and held out for a good win, with midfielder Ger O'Neill and Joey Keena bagging a trio of points apiece.
Meath showed admirable resolve to win this game and - with GMIT defending heroically - took a succession of scores from difficult angles and testing distances. All in all, it was an encouraging display from a crop of players involved in heavy training and the win set them up nicely for a crack at the silverware.
One of the many pluses to come from Meath's triumphant Kehoe Cup run was the outstanding form of goalkeeper McGann, whose lightning reflexes and uncanny reactions suggested that he had a real big future in intercounty hurling. Stephen Clynch also looked close to his brilliant best and the Royals benefited greatly from three competitive games in preparation for their NHL and Christy Ring Cup campaigns.
Meath - 2011 Kehoe Cup semi-final V GMIT: S McGann; D Donoghue, P Fagan, W Mahady; M Horan, S Clynch, M Lynch; J Boyle, G O'Neill (0-3); J Keena (0-3), N Horan (0-11), P Geoghegan (0-1); B Slevin, D Muldoon, P Durnin (0-1). Subs: M Cole for Boyle, D Kirby for Muldoon.
It was a huge boost to the county as they prepared for the year ahead and they could look forward to the league with an air of optimism.
NHL
Meath faced Derry, London, Kildare, Wicklow and Armagh in division 3A and the Royals would have fancied their chances of gaining promotion to division two. They started the campaign with a trip to Ruislip where they would face an ever improving London side. Nevertheless, Farrell's charges were expected to account for the exiles in this encounter.
However, on this occasion, the Royal County hurlers came up short in windy conditions and finished the game with 14 players after Ger O'Neill was dismissed early in the second-half.
London dictated from the throw-in and with Martin Finn leading the way on the scoreboard the hosts were ahead by seven points at the interval (1-7 to 0-3). Meath were battling to stay in contention during the opening half, but when Finn rifled to the net from a 29th minute penalty it left the Royal County facing a major task for the second-half.
After the resumption Meath were reduced to 14 players when O'Neill was sent-off, but they rallied briefly and managed three quick points which reduced the deficit to four. London regained the initiative and were well in control before Meath substitute Mike Cole capitalised on a defensive lapse for a goal which put a more respectable look on the scoreboard.
In their next outing, Meath faced Wicklow, the team they had beaten a few weeks earlier in the Kehoe Cup final. This time the Royals had home advantage and they went in as favourites to pick up their first brace of points, but it was not to be as Wicklow recorded a thoroughly merited 1-11 to 0-11 victory.
To put the display in a clearer perspective, Meath took until the fifth minute of first-half injury time to score and that reduced the interval deficit to nine points, 0-1 to 1-7.
There was absolutely nothing to admire about Meath's first-half display, but to the credit of the players, they restored some pride after the resumption and won the second-half convincingly by 0-10 to 0-4, but it wasn't enough.
Derry were the next opponents and despite the Oak Leaf County finishing with 14 men after they had Cormac McKenna sent off in the closing stages, victory was beyond Meath largely because of their inaccuracy in front of goals which produced 12 wides and they now face the prospect of having to defeat Armagh on Sunday next in a basement battle of pointless teams.
Meath collected their first NHL Division 3A points when they won (1-20 to 1-17) the basement battle against Armagh at Pairc Tailteann. The result was more important than the performance, but it was only when Meath were reduced to 14 men that they started to hurl with a degree of self-belief.
That straight red card was issued to Stephen Clynch midway through the second-half after Peter Durnin's goal gave Meath a 1-14 to 1-12 advantage. The Ulster side, finished with a little bit of a flourish although their rhythm was broken by a well-taken Joey Keena point near the end.
Meath saved the best until last and ended the NHL Div 3A campaign with a victory over hosts Kildare as they produced their finest performance of the campaign. The spirit and passion that was evident in the second-half of the win over Armagh in the last round continued against Kildare as Meath battled superbly for possession and put their hosts to the sword and ran out winners by 2-19 to 3-13 with the impressive Derek Doran and Mick Cole getting the all-important goals.
Christy Ring Cup
Nicky Horan was the main man in attack as Meath's superior scoring power proved decisive at Armagh in the opening match of the Christy Ring Cup. The 2002 All-Star nominee finished with 2-6 to his name for a Meath side who were never reeled in after Peter Durnin opened the scoring within 15 seconds off the off.
Durnin finished with six points from play to his name as Meath repeated their recent NHL Division 3A win over Armagh. Their hopes of causing an upset here were severely undermined with the dismissal of centre-half-back Ruairi McGrattan on receipt of his second yellow card, coming up to the interval. Meath led by four points at that instant and after the sides exchanged white flags it was 2-9 to 1-8 at the break.
Full-forward Paul McCormack who was operating in a deep role for Armagh from the off now dropped into defence while Meath number three Enda Fitzgerald saw out the game as a sweeper. With the extra man Meath picked off the points in the second-half while Armagh were unable to create the goal chances required to overturn the deficit that got as high as eight points at one stage as the game finished 2-21 to 1-17 in Meath's favour.
This set up a meeting with favourites Kerry in the next round. Meath had to travel to Tralee and were underdogs in this one, but they pushed the Kingdom all the way. Kerry opened brightly and raced 0-7 to 0-3 clear inside the opening twelve minutes, Meath had two points from wing forward Joey Keena and one from free taker Nicky Horan but Kerry after such a bright opening seemed to take their foot of the pedal and Meath got back into the game thanks to contributions from Horan, Keena and Peter Durnin. The game was tied at 0-10 apiece after twenty minutes.
As Kerry led 0-13 to 0-10 at the interval. Meath were on top in the third quarter as Kerry appeared to be strangely listless and with Horan unerring from frees, Kerry lost their way up front and other than a Darragh O'Connell free, in the opening twenty four minutes of the second half, no other forward scored , with Kerry's other two points coming from midfielder Darren Dineen. In fact Meath led briefly twice, firstly 0-16 to 0-15 when Peter Durnin pointed and then in the 55th minute when Horan converted a close in free for a foul on himself.
However Kerry upped the tempo for the final fifteen minutes with a succession of was followed by a 65th minute goal, that John Egan caught and he clinically finished to the roof of the Meath net for the crucial score.
Meath huffed and puffed late on but they could not blow Kerry's house down, although Mick Cole did score an injury time consolation goal but it was only a consolation as Kerry won on a scoreline of 1-20 to 1-17.
The Royals were now in the last chance saloon and had to travel to Newry to face Down. Having to travel from one end of the country to the other in consecutive weeks was far from fair on the Leinster side and it took its toll as Down were never really troubled as they recorded an eleven-point quarter-final win 1-18 to 1-7, at Ballycran.
Gareth 'Magic' Johnson was one of the star turns for the winners, clipping over six points. Paul Braniff netted the home side's goal on nine minutes and four Johnson points helped the hosts to an unassailable 1-12 to 0-1 interval advantage.
Michael Cole fired to the Down net after the restart and there were signs of a Royal revival as Noel Kirby added five points. Johnson's 55th-minute penalty was saved by visiting goalkeeper Shane McGann but Down were not to be denied a place in the business end of the second-tier competition.
This year promised so much for the Meath hurlers as they began life under the guidance of former Offaly hurler Cillian Farrell, and their early season form suggested that 2011 might be finally the time that they make more of an impact on the Christy Ring Cup, but that was not to be the case. There is no doubt that Meath possess quality hurlers that should be competing at the business end of the Christy Ring Cup, and their performance against eventual winners Kerry suggests that they are not too far off the mark at all. Tweet
