The county managed its highest tally since the Leinster championship win over Longford but it still wasn’t enough for them to progress to the knockout stages of the All-Ireland SFC series against a Monaghan outfit who hadn’t won since their league victory over Dublin last January.
If anything, the scoreline was kind to the Royals and was hardly a true reflection of a match where Monaghan enjoyed long spells of dominance and probably weren’t flattered by a nine-point lead in the final quarter. In what was a fairly moderate standard at best, Monaghan played most of the positive football on view and looked set for a comfortable victory before Meath staged a late rally and outscored the Farney men seven points to one in the final 14 minutes.
A sting of a dying wasp, perhaps, as Meath produced a finishing burst that closed the gap to two points before Monaghan hit the clinching point deep into added-time.
What went before that late rally was similar in many ways to what Meath had produced in recent outings against Louth and Kerry. Their play lacked direction and there didn’t seem to be a plan apart from conceding the Monaghan kickout and funnelling back to defend almost in their entirety. Even that didn’t succeed to any great extent as Monaghan cutting through all too easily and for the most part, Meath were playing catch up for lengthy spells throughout.
Meath led briefly following a Cathal Hickey goal but that score failed to ignite them and Monaghan hit the last three points of the half to lead by 0-8 to 1-4 at half-time.
It was in the third quarter that Monaghan increased the tempo and the game quickly slipped away from Colm O’Rourke’s side as they were outscored by seven points to two, leaving them trailing by 1-6 to 0-15 as the game entered the final quarter. The Monaghan goal from substitute Barry McBennett left it 1-16 to 1-7 on 58 minutes and that effectively left Meath with far too much leeway to make up despite that valiant late rally.
Meath made four changes from the team announced a few days earlier and produced a sluggish start, trailing by three points after just six minutes. Jack McCarron converted two frees, while McBennett, who came on as a blood sub after two minutes, pointed from play before Cillian O’Sullivan opened the Meath tally on 10 minutes.
Conor McCarthy and Mathew Costello, Meath’s best player over the hour, swapped points before Eoghan Frayne, who also enjoyed a fine outing, had a goal effort blocked by a Monaghan defender on 15 minutes.
Monaghan were ahead by 0-5 to 0-3 when they coughed up possession and Jordan Morris, Conor Gray, and Costello were all involved before Hickey applied the finishing touch to the net.
Meath might have had a second goal when Adam O’Neill was put in the clear but he received a blatant push in the back which resulted in nothing more that a free which Costello converted to extend the lead on 25 minutes.
Monaghan recovered well from the concession of those scores with Micheál Brannigan notching a brace of points before Killian Lavelle pointed which left them ahead at the break.
Meath introduced Cian McBride and Ruairí Kinsella at the start of the second half but it was Monaghan who restarted brightest with Stephen O’Hanlon forcing a good save from Billy Hogan before referee Joe McQuillan brought play back for a free which Brannigan converted.
McBennett added another point before Frayne was off the mark with his side’s opening score of the second half. However, Monaghan took control of proceedings for a spell after that with Meath only managing another point in the third quarter from a Costello free.
O’Hanlon (two), Andrew Woods, Jason Irwin, Conor McCarthy and McCarron added to the Monaghan tally as they went seven points clear.
When Brannigan found the unmarked McBennett, he blasted to the net Meath with a mountain to climb. Substitutes Ronan Jones and James Conlon both made an impression with a brace of points apiece.
Frayne’s fourth point left two between the teams before Conor McManus converted a free to make the game safe for last year’s All-Ireland semi-finalists.
MONAGHAN: Rory Beggan; Ryan Wylie, Killian Lavelle 0-1, Jason Irwin 0-1; Ryan McAnespie, Ryan O’Toole, Conor McCarthy 0-2; Gary Mohan, Joel Wilson; Stephen O’Hanlon 0-2, Micheál Brannigan 0-3 (2f), Michael Hamill; Ciarán McNulty, Jack McCarron 0-4 (1f), Andrew Woods 0-1 (1m). Subs: Barry McBennett 0-1 for Wilson (blood 2-6), McBennett 1-1 for Wilson (29), Thomas McPhillips for O’Toole ((50), David Garland for McNulty (54), Conor McManus 0-1 (f) for McCarron (59), Micheál McCarville for Hamill (67), Stephen Mooney for Woods (70).
MEATH: Billy Hogan 0-1 (1 45); Donal Keogan, Adam O’Neill, Ronan Ryan; Seán Ryan, Darragh Campion, Seán Coffey; Conor Gray, Cathal Hickey 1-0; Ciarán Caulfield, Cillian O’Sullivan 0-1, Brian O’Halloran; Jordan Morris, Mathew Costello 0-4 (3f), Eoghan Frayne 0-4 (2f). Subs: Cian McBride for S Ryan (HT), Ruairí Kinsella for O’Sullivan (HT), Ronan Jones 0-2 for Gray (49), James Conlon 0-2 for O’Halloran (54), Dáithí McGowan for Hickey (62).
REFEREE: Joe McQuillan (Cavan).
