Meath played in the 2008 Tuft Cup Tournament in the Geraldine's Club, Co. Louth on Saturday September 20th. For the Tournament Meath lined out as follows: 1. Robbie Burlingham, 2. Declan Smyth, 3. Pauric Gallagher, 4. Jaime McCormack, 5. Ciaran Boylan, 6. Shane McEntee, 7. Scott Hanway, 8. Ian Fitzpatrick, 9. Vinny Moore, 10. Eamonn Wallace, 12. Darren McNevin, 13. Jason Daly, 14. James Heaney, 15. Ruairi Ó Coileain, 17. Brian Power, 18. Conor Doran, 19. Thomas McGrath, 20. Stephen Coogan, 21. Peter Hanney, 22. Joe Gore, 23. Andrew O'Rourke, 24. Niall Carolan, 25. Eoghan McGuinness, 26. Donagh Fitzpatrick, 27. Conor O'Brien Unlimited substitutions were allowed in the tournament. Tuft Cup Semi Final - Meath v Kildare Meath Kildare h/t: 2.04 1.07 f/t: 4.07 3.10 Extra Time: h/t: 5.09 4.12 f/t: 5.13 4.13 Meath's opening game, in the defense of their title, was against neighbours Kildare. From the outset this proved to be a very tightly contested affair. Meath's opening score, a point, came from Jason Daly. Goals came courtesy of Barry Dardis and James Heaney. Points came from Ruairi Ó Coileain, Eamon Wallace and Jason Daly, his second of the half. Pauric Gallagher, at full back, along with Jaime McCormack and Declan Smyth in the two corners worked tirelessly to keep the Kildare attack at bay. The half back line of Ciaran Boylan, Shane McEntee and Scott Hanway were tested by the Kildare half forward line. The introduction of Joe Gore added some strength to this line. Midfield pair Vinny Moore and Ian Fitzpatrick moved up and down the field fighting for and chasing balls throughout the whole of the half. Darren McNevin along with Barry Dardis and Eamon Wallace attacked the Kildare defense, running towards goal at every opportunity. The inside forward line of Jason Daly, James Heaney and Ruairi Ó Coileain caused Kildare no end of problems. The ever versatile James Heaney scored his first ever goal for Meath during this half. The first half had the two teams draw level on five occasions. A last minute Kildare goal ensured that the teams were on equal terms at half time. Pressure from Kildare saw them score two goals and three points during a very intense and exciting second half. Peter Hanney, introduced in the first half, ran and ran at the Kildare defense, resulting in an important point, helping to secure a draw at full time. Another introduction to the side that left a positive impression was that of Donagh Fitzpatrick. Second half goals from Donagh Fitzpatrick and Darren McNevin brought Meath's goal tally to four at full time. Fitzpatrick also contributed a point, as did Jason Daly and Peter Hanney in this half. Keeper Robbie Burlingham under more pressure in this half carried off some amazing saves that kept his side in the match. At full time nothing could divide the two sides, so two periods of extra time had to be played to decide who would meet Louth in the final. After a short interval, the two teams played two periods of seven and a half minutes. The first period of extra time saw Meath score a goal and two points. Darren McNevin found the net for the second time in the game. A point from Barry Dardis and a free from Jason Daly completed the Meath scoring. Kildare, again, were level with Meath at the end of this first period of extra time. Points from Stephen Coogan, Jason Daly, one each, and two from Barry Dardis completed Meath's scoring during the second period of extra time outscoring Kildare by four points to one, thus ensuring a well earned and deserved victory. The two periods of extra time showed the true character of this young Meath team. Although they were behind at vital times during the match, they never gave up, always fighting till the end for every ball and for each other. The captain for this game was Ciaran Boylan. Meath Scorers: Stephen Coogan - 0.01, Jason Daly - 0.05 (2 frees), Barry Dardis - 1.03 (1 free), Donagh Fitzpatrick - 1.01, Peter Hanney - 0.01, James Heaney - 1.00, Darren McNevin - 2.00, Ruairi Ó Coileain - 0.01, and Eamonn Wallace - 0.01 Best for Meath: Stephen Coogan, Donagh Fitzpatrick, Peter Hanney, Declan Smyth, Scott Hanway and Darren McNevin. Tuft Cup Final - Meath v Louth Scores: Meath Louth h/t: 1.02 1.06 f/t: 3.06 1.11 Meath began the final against Louth after a short interval following their intense encounter against the Lilywhite's. Louth having had a longer break between their first game and this one started all the better. Meath with tired legs started, and seemed to lack some of the fight shown in the previous game. Robbie Burlingham, again under pressure from the opposition stamped his authority on the game, making vitally important saves at critical moments. A early goal from Jason Daly opened the Meath scoring. Donagh Fitzpatrick and Barry Dardis scored a point each to bring the Meath half time tally to 1.02 compared to Louth's 1.06. Ciaran Boylan long with Pauric Gallagher, and Shane McEntee boosted the Meath defense allowing the team to build a platform to get back into the game. The introduction of Brian Power, Conor O'Brien, Niall Carolan, Andrew O'Rourke,Thomas Mcrath, Conor Doran and Eoghan McGuinness at various times during the final added fresh legs to a tiring Meath side. Niall Carolan in the second half scored a vital goal to bring Meath back within touching distance of Louth. Three frees from Barry Dardis and a Shane McEntee point brought Meath to within a point of Louth with only a few minutes to go. Then magic happened, Meath were awarded a penalty in the final moment of the game. One point down. Barry Dardis stood up to take the penalty. He netted the ball to give Meath a two point lead with the final whistle approaching or so we thought. One final attack yielded a point for the Wee County and victory for Meath by a single point. Robbie Burlingham captained Meath for this game. He was presented with the Tuft Cup by his grandmother, a member of the Tuft family. Meath Scorers: Niall Carolan - 1.00, Jason Daly - 1.00, Barry Dardis - 1.04 (Penalty goal, 4 frees), Donagh Fitzpatrick - 0.01, Shane McEntee - 0.01 Best for Meath: Ciaran Boylan, Robbie Burlingham, Pauric Gallagher, Jaime McCormack and Shane McEntee Tweet

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