In the Leinster SFC opening round match, Meath commanded the game against Longford in a day dominated by the aftermath of Storm Kathleen at the windblown Pearse Park. Despite the final score indicating a seven-point lead, the Royals’ victory was far more comprehensive, despite the concern of Colm O’Rourke about his team’s casual allowance of two late goals.
The upcoming Sunday will see Meath battling against Dublin in the Leinster quarter-final. Despite their satisfactory score of 2-18 in this game, the fact that they allowed 3-12 against the bottom tier team in a generally dismal championship encounter might be cause for worry.
Playing with the storm behind them in the first half, Meath appeared to take an unbeatable lead when James Conlon made a goal in the 26th minute, pushing the Royals to a score of 1-10 to 0-3 ahead, much to the dismay of local fans. At an early point in the match, Longford’s Joseph Hagan witnessed his crossfield pass become a backfield push due to the gale force wind.
While Longford was hindered by the weather conditions in the first half, Meath skillfully utilised them to boost their scores especially by five out of the six starting forwards who were accurate prior to half-time. Notably, Conlon, Jordan Morris and Eoghan Frayne performed admirably, although the standout goal came from midfielder Ronan Jones. His shot, taken like a golf drive, gracefully curved in despite the strong wind, making for an excellent score.
Nevertheless, Longford found some hope past the 30-minute mark when Jayson Matthews performed an impressive over the shoulder hooked shot, which instead of landing a point as intended, it managed to overcome Meath’s goalkeeper Seán Brennan and squeaked under the bar, making the score 1-11 to 1-5.
Hagan notched another point after the subsequent kick-out, though the final two points in the first half came from Frayne of the Meath team, despite the disagreement from Longford fans who questioned the validity of the first point and demanded a Hawk-Eye review. With a lead of 1-13 to 1-6 at the interval, the Meath team, under O’Rourke’s guidance, continued their strong performance in the face of challenging winds, securing the initial three points in the latter half and seizing the momentum from Longford’s attempted rally.
On the other side, Christie’s squad entered the final half with a strategy of employing long shots, supported by wind, towards their full-forward line-up. Despite this, their overly defensive play made the game’s end result quite predictable. The climax of the match witnessed Longford scoring two goals and Cian McBride for Meath reaching the highest to slap in a third goal. Frayne had previously scored their second goal from the penalty spot just past the 60-minute mark.
The small audience, estimated to be around 2,500 to 3,000 by Longford officials, quickly vacated Pearse Park once the game ended, leaving an echoing sound from the wind. Meath will next face Dublin, a new challenge in waiting.
The line-up for Longford included: Patrick Collum, Liam Hughes, Oisín O’Toole, Patrick Fox, Bryan Masterson, Ryan Moffett, Dessie Reynolds, Darren Gallagher, Paddy Kiernan, Daniel Mimnagh, Michael Quinn, Joseph Hagan, Jayson Matthews, Cathal McCabe, and Daniel Reynolds. Substitutions included Mark Hughes for Masterson at half-time, Dylan Farrel replacing McCabe at 46 minutes, Ruairí Harkin replacing Fox at 61 minute, and Darragh Finlass and Dáire Duggan replacing L Hughes and Kiernan respectively at 70 minutes.
In the MEATH team, Seán Brennan was in the spotlight, with Donal Keogan, Adam O’Neill, and Harry O’Higgins playing alongside him. Playing alongside them were Ross Ryan, Seán Coffey, and Ciarán Caulfield, who secured a score of 0-1. Ronan Jones, who succeeded in gaining a score of 0-1, was also on the team, partnered with Daithí McGowan. The team also boasted Shane Walsh (with a score of 0-1) and impressive Eoghan Frayne who racked up a score of 1-5, including a 1-0 penalty and a 0-1f. Cathal Hickey was also in the team, scoring 0-1. Jordan Morris (with a solid 0-4 score), Mathew Costello and James Conlon who achieved a score of 1-6 were also part of this formidable team.
During half-time, Mathew Costello was swapped out for Jack O’Connor. Eventually, Cian McBride (scoring 1-0) replaced Daithí McGowan at 50 minutes into the game. Ross Ryan also saw a replacement, with Darragh Campion stepping in at 54 minutes. Soon, Jordan Morris was swapped for Keith Curtis at 57 minutes. Lastly, at 66 minutes, Ronan Ryan came in for Harry O’ Higgins.
The refereeing duty for the match was carried out by Niall Cullen, hailing from Fermanagh.