Meath thwarted in thriller
Meath's bid for NFL Div 3 silverware came up short in Croke Park tonight as they lost out by 3-8 to 2-16 to Monaghan.
Another slow start from the Royals left them playing catch up for most of the game. Monaghan started well and were 1-5 to 0-1 up after 10 minutes. A superb Mickey Newman goal offered Meath hope as they closed the gap to 1-5 to 1-9 at half-time.
A Ciaran Lenehan point, followed by brilliant Davy Dalton goal had Meath on level terms within two minutes of the restart. A Newman free gave Meath the lead for the first time three minutes later, but they failed to score for the next 22 minutes as Monaghan took control and moved 1-14 to 2-7 clear.
Stephen Bray bagged a third goal for Meath to cut the deficit to a point with four minutes remaining, but Mick O'Dowd's side failed to score again as Monaghan notched 1-1 in the closing stages to seal the win.
SCORERS
Meath - M Newman 1-1 one frees; P Gilsenan 0-1; S Bray 1-1; E Wallace 0-1; B Menton 0-1; C Lenehan 0-2; D Dalton 1-0.
Monaghan - C McManus 0-5 one free; P Finlay 0-3 two frees; K Hughes 1-1; E Duffy 1-3; C McGuinness 0-1; O Lennon 0-2; D Hughes 0-1.