Comfortable stroll in the Páirc for Meath hurlers

It was always expected to be a comfortable afternoon for Meath and they rarely had to hit top gear as they maintained their push for NHL Div 2B promotion with an easy win over Roscommon at Páirc Táilteann. Victory sets up Meath for a showdown with Armagh in Crossmaglen next Sunday with the winner of that game going into the final, but manager Cillian Farrell will be looking for more intensity from his charges. Meath didn't have to be at their best to dispose of Roscommon. The Connacht side came to Navan on the back of three losses and from early on it was clear that they weren't capable of breaking that run. The hosts were significantly superior in every department, but worryingly for Farrell, the intensity levels dipped after the break as Meath went through the motions and could have won with significantly more to spare. Following their disappointing draw with Mayo in their last outing Farrell made five changes for this clash with the suspended Enda Fitzgerald being replaced by Longwood's Damien Healy. William Mahady, Peter Durnin, David Raleigh and Ciaran Fitzsimons also missed out with Paul Fagan returning to centre back, Ray Massey coming in at centre-forward and James Toher and James Kelly also starting. Toher was outstanding in his first appearance and didn't look out of place despite joining the panel just two weeks ago. Stephen Morris (pictured) and Fagan were also impeccible at the back for Meath as Roscommon struggled to make any significant headway. Stephen Clynch and Stephen Donoghue lorded midfield while in attack Nicky Horan was a constant menace. However, it was the outstanding performance of Eoin Marsh that added a bit of spark to what was an otherwise lacklustre affair that was watched by fewer than 150 spectators. Renowned as a more central type of player, Marsh is often seen as a target man, capable of disrupting centre-backs and dominating midfields. However, on Sunday he gave a glimpse of another side of his game as he started at corner-forward, used his pace superbly, picked off two wonderful points from difficult angles and also chipped in with two goals. It was a magnificent display from the Kilmessan man and he will certainly give his manager plenty of food for thought ahead of next week's big game. It was clear from the first whistle that Meath were vastly superior. Their first touch was excellent, the stick work looked sharp and there was a hunger and determination that set the hosts apart. Inside four minutes Horan had Meath 0-3 to 0-0 clear with two frees from 25 metres either side of a fine point from play after he had robbed Kevin Coneeley. Roscommon couldn't keep pace with the Meath attack and in their frustration both Sean Melia and Darren Fallon picked up yellow cards for careless tackles. Tomás Seale interrupted Meath's early scoring blitz when he pointed, but the hosts quickly reasserted their authority with Toher marking his debut with a fine score from distance. Marsh lofted over the first of his two brilliant points to make it 0-5 to 0-1 and after James Kelly had put five points between the sides, Meath struck for their opening goal. An outstanding surging run from Kelly created space behind the Roscommon rearguard and the Kiltale man picked out Marsh who was left unchallenged to rifle the ball to the net on the half-volley. A third yellow card for captain Shane Curley was followed by Roscommon's second point from David Dolan, but Ray Massey restored Meath's eight-point lead. In the subsequent seven minutes Meath eased up as Roscommon enjoyed their best spell as Gerry Fallon, Michéal Kelly (from inside his own 65-metre line) and Coneeley all pointed to close the gap to 0-5 to 1-7. After that burst Meath took control again with Clynch, Horan (free) and Marsh pushing Meath further clear. With victory in sight at such an early stage, Meath clearly eased up. Kelly had a goal chance well saved by David Dowd, but Clynch converted the '65', while John Coyne and Seale pointed for the visitors to leave Meath's lead at half-time 1-11 to 0-7. Roscommon threatened to launch a mini-revival when they opened the second period with points from Coneeley and Dolan (free), but after taking nine minutes to open their second-half account it was Marsh who got Meath back on track with a wonderful goal following a brilliant run. Another long range free from Clynch was followed by a tap in goal for the returning Derek Doran to make it 3-12 to 0-9 with 20 minutes remaining. Another Clynch free from inside his own 65-metre line and a point from Ciaran Fitzsimons stretched Meath's lead to 14 points, but Roscommon did their best to stay competitive with Jamie Lawlor forcing Shane McGann into a good save. McGann was eventually beaten with 10 minutes left when Dolan followed up on a close range free and tapped the ball to the net. That score was academic as Clynch and Keith Keoghan traded points with Brendan Kelly and Dolan to ensure Meath's comfortable victory and set up next Sunday's intriging trip to Crossmaglen. SCORERS Meath - E Marsh 2-2; S Clynch 0-5 two frees, two '65s'; N Horan 0-4 three frees; D Doran 1-0; J Toher 0-1; R Massey 0-1; J Kelly 0-1; C Fitzsimons 0-1; K Keoghan 0-1. Roscommon - D Dolan 1-3 one free; T Seale 0-2; K Coneeley 0-2; M Kelly 0-1; J Coyne 0-1; G Fallon 0-1; B Kelly 0-1. THE TEAMS Meath - Shane McGann; Cormac Reilly, Damien Healy, Stephen Morris; Enda Keogh, Paul Fagan, James Toher; Stephen Clynch, Stephen Donoghue; Noel Kirby, Ray Massey, Sean Heavey; Nicky Horan, Eoin Marsh, James Kelly. Subs - Keith Keoghan for Massey half-time, Derek Doran for Kirby 43 mins, Ciaran Fitzsimons for Donoghue 50m, Shane Brennan for Keogh 56m, Peter Durnin for Horan 63m. Roscommon - D Dowd; S Curley, P Kelly, D Fallon; N Keenan, M Kelly, S Melia; T Seale, K Coneeley; D Nolan, J Coyne, E Mulroy; D Dolan, G Fallon, E Kenny. Subs - J Lawlor for Mulroy 31 mins, D Flaherty for Melia 49m, C Egan for Seale 49m, B Kelly for Keenan 52m. REFEREE Owen Elliott (Antrim).