EirGrid’s U-20 Leinster football championship final saw Meath triumph with a score of 3-13 against Louth’s 0-12. Eamonn Armstrong’s dynamic performance played a key role in Meath securing their first U-20 Leinster championship in 23 years. Positioned as a wing-back, Armstrong added 1-2 to the tally including a goal in the third consecutive game, essentially driving the Royals to their ninth title victory at this level.
Cathal Ó Bric’s management also saw a notable performance by Jamie Murphy who contributed 1-5 while the substitute player, Tadhg Martyn secured a third goal in extra time. Ó Bric, who had previously led Meath to the All-Ireland minor victory in 2021, managed to steer much of the same team towards an uncommon provincial title in higher grade. Meath will now eye another All-Ireland title and compete against the Munster champions, either Cork or Kerry, in the semi-finals on 11th or 12th of May.
Meanwhile, Louth who started with an initial score lead of 0-4 to 0-2 against Meath, showed signs of achieving a significant victory in north Dublin. Unfortunately, coach Fergal Reel’s team had a sudden downfall with no score until the 25th minute. During this interval, Meath’s unreturned 1-4 enabled them to firmly take charge of the game, with their powerful attack on Louth’s kick-out being particularly effective. Points made by Hughie Corcoran, Jack Kinlough, Rian Stafford and Murphy lead up to Armstrong’s pivotal goal, despite Louth’s awareness of Armstrong’s offensive prowess.
Even though Louth’s comeback showcased two consecutive points from Maguire leaving a score of 1-6 to 0-6 at halftime, Meath’s counter offence started with a point from Pearse Grimes-Murphy followed by their second goal. Armstrong once again initiated the score with a powerful run, passing to Murphy, who decided to go for goal rather than a point – a risk met with due payoff.
Meath took control in the final quarter of the match, scoring 1-7 compared to a mere 0-3 by their opponents, securing them the U-20 trophy. L Kelly (0-2), E Armstrong (1-2), J Kinlough (0-1), R Stafford (0-1), H Corcoran (0-2, 1f), J Murphy (1-5, 0-2f) were among the key players for Meath, with O McDermott as the goalkeeper. Other team members included S O’Hare, K Smyth, J O’Regan, C Ennis, C O’Connor, C Duke, S Leonard and R McConnell. Substitutes included C McWeeney, T Martyn (1-0), J Harkin, S Byrne and J Mannion.
On the other side, players for Louth included C O’Donoghue as the goalkeeper, along with C McKeown, K Martin, F Tipping, T McDonnell, A McGlew, C Maher, D McDonnell, S Callaghan, J Maguire (0-3, 2f), L Flynn, D Dorian, P Grimes-Murphy (0-4), S Reynolds, and K McArdle (0-5, 3f). Substitutes involved were R Deery, J Rogers, C McGinty, F Cummiskey and S Halpenny. The game was under the control of referee, D Stynes from Dublin.