Goals prove decisive as Meath suffer Leinster heartbreak

LEINSTER SFC FINAL

Louth .......3-2-10

Meath ......1-3-12

FERGAL LYNCH

Trying to find reason in the midst of total chaos is often a futile exercise. For Meath, attempting to point a finger in the direction of where it went wrong against Louth in today's Leinster SFC final is nigh on impossible.

Ahead by one in the 70th minute of this pulsating contest, Meath needed calm heads.

Mathew Costello's stunning goal put them in a winning position, but just as they had done for almost the entirity of the second period Louth retained possession and worked the ball up to the edge of the arc at the Canal End.

The calmest head would prevail.

Meath defended their arc well, but then Louth bought a free from 47 metres when referee Martin McNally spotted a foul on Ciaran Downey - not many others saw what the referee saw.

While those around him protested Sam Mulroy took aim at the posts. With half of the 65,786 fans doing all in their power to put him off he had ice in his veins as he slotted the two-point free between the sticks. A one-point deficit instantly became a one-point lead.

Louth had kept the ball for the majority of the second period, they needed to do it for four more minutes.

Meath pressed, probed, pushed and powered into challenges to win the ball back, but with the hunger of 68 years of starvation Louth were not giving up their biggest meal.

Four minutes into injury-time, and with just 52 seconds left on the clock, that thorn in the Meath side Craig Lennon popped over a point, and when they reclaimed possession from the kickout the contest was over as they held onto the ball until the hooter sounded to spark scenes of unbridled joy and desolation for the crestfallen Meath men.

The Mulroy two-point free ultimately hammered the final nail into the Meath coffin, but in retrospect it was three hammer blows in the opening half that did the damage to Meath's cause.

Meath played well, they deserved more, but when you concede goals with the ease that Louth scored them then what hope have you got.

Ryan Burns and Bevan Duffy sandwiched a Ruairi Kinsella point as Louth led after nine minutes. Meath responded with two points from Eoghan Frayne (one free) and a two-point free from Billy Hogan to lead by 0-5 to 0-2.

Then came hammer blow number one. An innocuous shove in the chest by Donal Keogan on Kieran McArdle knocked the off balance Louth attacker to the ground and the referee awarded a penalty which Mulroy converted.

Keith Curtis and Mulroy (free) exchanged points to maintain parity, but then came hammer blow number two when Lennon was allowed coast in behind the Meath rearguard before setting up Burns for a fine goal to make it 2-3 to 0-6.

Meath's response was immense. Frayne landed a free, Kinsella kicked a brilliant two-pointer, James Conlon clipped over a fine point and Sean Coffey added to the tally to put Meath back in control.

Louth continued to be a threat. Ciaran Downey was denied a goal chance by some superb defending and on the counter-attack Kinsella kicked a point. Ciaran Caulfield won the next kickout and fed Curtis who set up Frayne to make it 0-13 to 2-3. Meath were in control.

Then came hammer blow number three.

Lennon, just as he was allowed do in Inniskeen last year, was given acres of room which he fully exploited by galloping forward and firing a brilliant goal to close the gap back to one, 3-3 to 0-13. Louth went in at half-time on a high.

Louth dominated possession after the resumption as Meath struggled to gain any foothold in the middle, but Mulroy's radar was off and while Costello pointed and Hogan landed a second two-point free, the Louth captain kicked three wides to give Meath hope.

Burns settled Ger Brennan's side with a huge two-pointer to make it 3-5 to 0-16 before Keogan finished a good move to restore Meath's three point lead in the 45th minute, but the signs were ominous as Louth lorded possession.

A Mulroy free was cancelled out by a point from the returning Jordan Morris, but in the following 12 minutes Louth hit points from Conor Grimes, Downey and three from Mulroy (one '45') to turn that three-point deficit into a 3-11 to 0-18 lead.

Kinsella's magnificent turnover in midfield helped set up Costello's 65th minute goal that restored Meath's lead, but they couldn't hold on as patient, clinical and efficient Louth, with Mulroy guiding them home, retook the lead with the generously awarded two-point free and sealed the deal with Lennon's score to end the Wee County's 68 years of hurt and prolong Meath's provincial agony into a 16th year.

Louth - Niall McDonnell; Daire Nally, Dermot Campbell, Donal McKenny; Conal McKeever, Peter Lynch, Craig Lennon (1-1); Tommy Durnin, Andy McDonnell; Bevan Duffy (0-1), Ciaran Downey (0-1), Conor Grimes (0-1); Kieran McArdle, Sam Mulroy (1-7 1-0 penalty, two frees, one two-point free, one '45'), Ryan Burns (1-3 one two-pointer). Subs - Ciaran Keenan for McArdle 45m, Paul Matthews for McDonnell 47m, Ciaran Byrne for Burns 65m, Dara McDonnell for Duffy 68m.

Meath - Billy Hogan (0-4 two two-point frees); Seamus Lavin, Sean Rafferty, Brian O'Halloran; Donal Keogan (0-1), Sean Coffey (0-1), Ciaran Caulfield; Jack Flynn, Bryan Menton; Conor Duke, Ruairi Kinsella (0-4 one two-pointer), Keith Curtis (0-1); Mathew Costello (1-1), James Conlon (0-1), Eoghan Frayne (0-4 two frees). Subs - Jordan Morris (0-1) for Curtis 45m, Shane Walsh for Duke 55m, Aaron Lynch for Kinsella 65m, Daithi McGowan for Conlon 72m.

Referee - Martin McNally (Monaghan).