Predictable exit for Meath hurlers

Holders Meath opened their 2009 hurling campaign in the wind and rain at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday where they were out-played by Kehoe Cup newcomers Down as they surrendered the title they won in fine style last year. Hurling team manager TJ Reilly faces a monumental task to bring the small-ball game in the Royal County back to the lofty heights which were experienced for a brief spell in 2000 and 2001 when life in the fast lane was the order of the day in the NHL Div 1. The fall from grace has been slow, but last year"s failure to survive in the Christy Ring Cup and maintain Div 2 status in the league has left hurling at its lowest ebb for over 20 years. Against that background, Sunday"s result was disappointing, but on this occasion, at least, there were plenty of mitigating circumstances for manager Reilly. Absentees were a major factor. The Kilmessan contingent were absent due to the forthcoming All-Ireland IHC club semi-final and when they return, it will be a major boost. 'We would have had at least five Kilmessan players in the team today, that"s one-third of the team and that"s a big disadvantage for us,' commented Reilly who has vacated his position as chairman of the Hurling Promotion and development Committee since he took on the role of senior team manager. Despite the result against Down, the manager can take some positives from the team"s overall performance. Meath went into this game with absolutely no preparations and with Reilly in charge for less than a month following the departure of Trim clubman John Andrews from the hot seat. Reilly certainly used the game to assess the strength of his panel and with both Enda Fitzgerald and Mike Cole added to the list of absentees, a defeat was hardly surprising. Fitzgerald and Cole were on the injured list, but Stephen Quinn and Neil Hackett made the starting line-up. Quinn was steady between the posts, as usual, and the goals he conceded were as a result of poor defending while Hackett finished with seven points to his credit. Paul Fagan at centre-back was also solid until he was withdrawn in the closing stages while David Raleigh was rewarded for a battling 70 minutes with a late goal which put a merited look of respectability to the scoreboard. However, for all the positives that can be taken from this game, hurling in Meath is at an unacceptable low ebb and the only way is up at this stage. Yes, Sunday"s result is fairly insignificant when the recent background is taken into consideration, but with a broader perspective, it is difficult to fathom the decline in the fortunes of the county team. Targets for 2009 have to be the Nicky Rackard Cup and the NHL Div 3 title. Anything else will have to be considered as underachievement when the quality of the players is examined. Reilly knows that he has a major task on his hands in rebuilding Meath"s crumbling fortunes and he has already identified a return to the Christy Ring Cup for 2010 as his main priority. That won"t be easy as victory in the Nicky Rackard Cup will only earn a play-off with the worst team in the Ring Cup, so there are many obstacles to be negotiated in the coming months. On Sunday, the journey started. Wind-assisted Meath were on level terms at the interval as the teams shared 14 points in a half which produced plenty of open hurling in extremely difficult conditions. Hackett was Meath"s chief scorer during the opening half with four points while Killyon man Raleigh rowed in with a brace and David Kirby completed the tally. The Ulster side showed admirable character against the elements and stayed in touch with points from Brendan McGourty (three), Paul Braniff (two) and one each by midfielders Conor Woods and Andy Savage. Down also lost Stephen Johnston to a 26th minute yellow card which Offaly referee Tony Carroll issued after the linesman flagged for a challenge which left Raleigh in need of some attention. Johnston was replaced by Darren Flynn and midway through the second-half Meath lost interval substitute Padraig Keogh to a yellow card. He was replaced by Denis O"Neill of Gaeil Colmcille. The new rules were sensibly applied by the referee and there wasn"t even a handful of ticks in the game although there were lots of frees for over-carrying. Down took a major step towards the winners" enclosure in the opening five minutes of the second-half when they claimed an unanswered 1-3 for a 1-10 to 0-7 advantage. Braniff flashed the sliotar to the net after McGourty"s sideline caused problems. Points from James Coyle (two) and McGourty eased the Mournemen into a comfort zone where they remained despite Meath"s best efforts subsequently. Raleigh"s goal in the fourth-quarter reduced the deficit to four points (1-10 to 1-14), but there was no danger of a late recovery. Down were always in control and sealed the victory when substitute James Henry Hughes finished to the net near the end. SCORERS Down - P Braniff 1-4; JH Hughes 1-1; B McGourty 0-4; J Coyle 0-2; K McGarry 0-2; C Woods 0-2; A Savage 0-1. Meath - N Hackett 0-7; D Raleigh 1-2; D Kirby 0-1; C Burke 0-1; N Kirby 0-1. THE TEAMS Down - Graham Clarke, Sean Ennis, Simon Wilson, Patrick Hughes; Michael Ennis, Rory McGrattan, Stephen Johnston; Andy Savage, Conor Woods; Emmet Trainor, Brendan McGourty, Paul Braniff; Artie McGuinness, Kevin McGarry, James Coyle. Subs - Darren Flynn for Johnston (yellow card) 26 mins; James Henry Hughes for McGuinness 47m; Alan Higgins for Trainor 55m; Karl Maxwell for Coyle 60m; Meath - Stephen Quinn; Kevin O"Rourke, Michael Foley, Brian Coughlan; Sean Corrigan, Paul Fagan, James Boyle; Conor Burke, David Crimmins; Ger Murphy, Neil Hackett, David Kirby; David Raleigh, Derek Muldoon, Barry Slevin. Subs - Alan Ryan for Slevin, Padraig Keogh for Muldoon (both half-time); Noel Kirby for Murphy 40 mins; Denis O"Neill for Keogh (yellow card) 58m; Eoin Potterton for Fagan 60m; Ciaran Dunphy for Raleigh 69m. REFEREE Tony Carroll (Offaly)