More heartache for hurlers

The Kildare jinx strikes again. There were stages in this NHL Div 3A final at Breffni Park on Saturday when it looked like Meath were about to kick on, pull away from their opponents and claim the honours. Each time they sought to find that extra gear they were stymied and instead it was the Lilywhites who were left celebrating at the end after a rollercoaster encounter. Just like two years ago in the semi-final of the Christy Ring Cup Kildare just about did enough to edge out their opponents and dig out a win. The sun shone continuously for this showdown and Breffni Prk was no place for the fainthearted. This was tough, uncompromising fare from start to finish. Where did it all go wrong for Meath? There were numerous little incidents throughout this engaging game that Meath could point to and say that on another day, with a little more fortune, they could have prevailed. They could point to Peter Durnin"s harshly disallowed 'goal" for standing in the square with time almost up or the dismissal of Nicky Horan. The league rules still applied and Kilmessan man was shown the yellow card after 53 minutes for an over-vigorous attempt to get the ball and he had to walk. That left Meath without one of their best forwards. They could also point to the concession of two goals that took the momentum out of their attempts to revive themselves or the unforced errors that gifted their opponents scoring opportunities they proved well capable of taking. The truth was that for much of this encounter, Meath were outmuscled by a physically stronger Kildare outfit. The Meath contingent lacked nothing in terms of heart and desire but they were unable to carve out enough chances against a Kildare side that contained such polished performers as David Harney and former Tipperary hurler David Kennedy. T J Reilly"s side never quite fully recovered from a slow burning start that left them trailing 0-7 to 0-2 after 11 minutes. Meath didn"t trouble the scorekeeper until seven minutes had passed when Neil Hackett pointed from a '65". Once they did get going Meath proved well capable at carving out scores and at the interval they had every reason to be optimism as they trailed by only two points, 0-9 to 0-11, with a considerable breeze at their backs in the second-half. Then just two minutes into the second-half Kildare broke through for the first of their two goals when David Cafferty slotted home after some sloppy defending by Meath who suddenly had to do it all again. The Royals displayed plenty of spirit and bite in an eventful second-half. The sides were level on three occasions after the break as the action flowed to and fro, yet at no stage did they lead. The last time the sides were level was after 61 minutes when the score stood at 1-15 apiece. It could have gone either way however, when it mattered most Kildare were able to drive on to win with their goals proving crucial. There was much in this performance to please the loyal group of Meath hurling supporters who made the trip. Hackett once more gave an exhibition of free-taking. He led the scoring charts with nine points, all from placed balls. There was some superb scores conjured up by Joey Keena, Jimmy Boyle, Ger O"Neill, Horan and Peter Durnin. Keena and O"Neill split the posts from half-way. As always Stephen Clynch showed flashes of real class although he carried an injury into the game. O"Neill had also been hampered by a knock in the lead up. Meath had to plan without Mickey Burke who was ruled out with a leg injury while full-back Enda Fitzgerald was forced to leave the fray after just nine minutes with a pulled hamstring. Alan Ryan came on and worked hard to close down opponents. Throughout the game the Meath players chopped and changed positions as they sought to find the right formula. Enda Keogh named at midfield, started in the half-backs and ended up filling in at full-back where he did well. Johnny Corrigan and Michael Foley worked hard in the corners. Paul Fagan was excellent at centre-half-back. Durnin was another to show up well. Meath didn"t look settled in the opening quarter and by the time they had sorted themselves out Kildare were already on their way with Harney in particular causing a lot of problems with six points in the opening half before his influence was curtailed. Meath deserve praise for the way they kept coming back when the game appeared to be slipping from their grasp. Their goal injected renewed hope just when it was needed. It arrived after 39 minutes. Boyle played in Horan whose shot from close range didn"t carry enough power. Kildare goalkeeper Paul Dermody saved well, the ball broke to Durnin who skilfully finished to the net. That left Kildare leading by just three points, 1-12 to 1-9 and a series of quick points from Keena, Boyle and Durnin brought the sides level for the first time with 44 minutes played. Kildare grabbed their crucial second goal on the hour mark when Tony Murphy did well to find a gap and fire home. That score was, in the end, to prove so crucial as Kildare claimed the win that ensured them promotion - and the silverware. SCORERS Meath - N Hackett 0-9, eight frees, one '65"; P Durnin 1-1; N Horan 0-2; S Clynch 0-2, one free; J Keena 0-2; J Boyle 0-1; G O"Neill 0-1. Kildare - D Harney 0-8, three frees; R Hoban 0-3, two frees; T Murphy 1-1; D Cafferty 1-1; A McAndrew 0-3; D Carter 0-1; O Lynch 0-1. THE TEAMS Meath - S Quinn; J Corrigan, E Fitzgerald, M Foley; J Boyle, P Fagan, M Horan; E Keogh, J Keena; N Hackett, S Clynch, G O"Neill; B Slevin, N Horan, P Durnin. Subs - A Ryan for Fitzgerald nine mins, D Kirby for Horan (yellow card) 53m, D Crimmins for O"Neill 63m. Kildare - P Dermody; N Doolan, P Reidy, K Chan; D Kennedy, R Hoban, J Doran; D Moloney, N O Muineachain; D Carter, T Murphy, D Harney; A McAndrew, D Cafferty, O Lynch. Subs - L Harney for Chan 35 mins, F O Muineachain for Lynch 56m, M Moloney for D Moloney 59m. REFEREE Tony Carroll (Offaly).