All-Ireland SFC: Meath 1-22 Kerry 0-16
An All-Ireland quarter-final in Croke Park for Meath, a preliminary quarter-final in Killarney for Kerry, and a whole week of soul-searching for the latter after this nine-point trouncing in Tullamore.
That neither Meath nor Kerry were in danger of going out of the championship in this game took nothing from how Meath approached it: the Royals playing like their very existence depended on it.
Kerry have, in mitigation, the painful fact that they were missing six first-choice players – Seán O’Shea the latest to join Paudie Clifford, Paul Geaney, Diarmuid O’Connor, Barry Dan O’Sullivan and Brian Ó Beaglaoich on the treatment table – but that can’t be offered as an excuse for the paucity of their performance.
If this is what the back-up are capable of, Jack O’Connor has as much remedial work to do this week on his fit players as his medical team have on the wounded.
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Meath weren’t without their personnel issues either, but even without their ace forward James Conlon, Meath went after Kerry from the very start. And in Eoghan Freyne, Ruairí Kinsella and Conor Duke they had a trio that scored 15 points between them, which included four two-pointers.
Whatever about Kerry’s woes, though, for Meath this game was about redemption of sorts. Exactly a year ago they were mugged by 15 points by Kerry in Navan; in Tullamore they were once bitten, twice shy and very much the hunter rather than the hunted.
Despite missing James Conlon from their attack, Freyne, Kinsella and Duke more than compensated, with Bryan Menton icing the win with a second-half goal, and wing back Ciarán Caulfield putting in a tour de force display.
Kerry kicked two early wides before Meath goalkeeper Billy Hogan converted a 45 and that seemed to set the tone: Kerry scraggly and loose, Meath crisp and on point.
Meath led by three points but quickly fell 0-5 to 0-3 behind with Micheál Burns, Dylan Geaney and Brosnan and a two-pointer from David Clifford getting Kerry in front. That should have been the platform for Kerry to kick on but they couldn’t. Or Meath wouldn’t allow it.
Kerry were still ahead by two, 0-7 to 0-5, after 20 minutes but then Freyne and Kinsella converted a two-pointer each, with Duke, Jordan Morris and a couple of Freyne frees giving Meath a fully deserved 0-14 to 0-8 half-time lead.
Meath had Cathal Hickey sinbinned 30 seconds into the second half but Kerry only took a point off Meath’s lead by the time he returned.
By the 50th minute Kerry were within two points, 0-16 to 0-14, but not exactly pulling up trees, while Meath never flinched as Kerry breathed down their necks.
Kinsella pointed from play, then within two minutes Kinsella and Duke scored two-pointers, and then Menton raised the game’s only green flag – Meath ahead by 10 points with 13 minutes left to play. The Meath supporters in the 8,265 crowd didn’t want it to end; the Kerry players were on their knees by the time the final hooter sounded.
MEATH: Billy Hogan (0-0-1, a 45); Séamus Lavin, Seán Rafferty, Ronan Ryan; Donal Keogan (0-0-1), Seán Coffey (0-0-1), Ciarán Caulfield (0-0-1); Bryan Menton (1-0-0), Adam O’Neill; Conor Duke (0-1-3), Ruairí Kinsella (0-2-1), Cathal Hickey; Jordan Morris (0-0-2, 1f), Keith Curtis (0-0-1), Eoghan Freyne (0-1-3, 2f).
Subs: Cian McBride for A O’Neill (h-t); Eoin Harkin for C Hickey (53 mins); Shane Walsh for E Freyne (58); James McEntee for R Kinsella, Diarmuid Moriarty for S Rafferty (both 68).
Black card: C Hickey (35-45 mins).
KERRY: Shane Ryan; Paul Murphy (0-0-1), Jason Foley, Tom O’Sullivan; Tadhg Morley, Mike Breen, Gavin White; Joe O’Connor, Mark O’Shea; Graham O’Sullivan, Tony Brosnan (0-0-2), Micheal Burns (0-0-1); David Clifford 0-1-3, 1f), Killian Spillane (0-0-3, 2f), Dylan Geaney (0-0-4).
Subs: Dylan Casey for M Breen, Ruairí Murphy for M Burns (both 48 mins); Conor Geaney for G O’Sullivan, Seán O’Brien for M O’Shea (both 58); Dara Moynihan for K Spillane (66).
Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan).
