"We possibly could have won it"
Robbie Brennan's reaction after Meath's draw with Roscommon in the All-Ireland SFC
FERGAL LYNCH
It's a sign of the progress that Meath have made this year that they went away from Hyde Park on Saturday evening disappointed at not picking up the win, but manager Robbie Brennan was pleased with the point and the experience of the occasion that will certainly help his side.
Having beaten Roscommon in the League back in Spring Meath travelled west full of confidence, but they had to dig in deep to grind out the point that secures a place in the knockout stages of the All-Ireland SFC with a game to spare.
"We are disappointed coming away having not won the game, that's a sign of where we are at and where we are trying to get too," reflected Brennan.
"We came to win and we didn't do that, but there's plenty of learnings to take from it when we look at the tape and overall I'm happy where we are going.
"The heart rate wasn't great to be honest (in the closing stages). It was a really strange game. I thought we played really well at times, then there was a period where Roscommon had real domination and we were thinking we were in trouble.
"With 10 minutes to go we were a point down and it started to get a bit breezier, we were thinking 'how are we going to get this back?' but we did and then we possibly could have won it.
"Matty (Costello) took the right option in having a go. I thought when he kicked it it was over, but the wind just held it and then your heart is in your mouth and you're thinking 'here we go, they're going to go down and get something'.
"Luckily we defended it well. I thought there were a couple of (referee) calls at the end where we might have got the ball back, but overall when you concede two goals and come out with a draw you have to accept that."
The concession of the two goals when playing with the aid of the strong breeze in the opening half were major blows to Meath's ambitions, but the Royals responded well to each set back and Brennan was pleased with that.
However, the lack of clearcut goal chances for his own side were a concern and the manager admitted it is something they are working on.
"We had prepped that they were going to try to play around that arc and leave the D free to get runners in. We wanted to collapse into that D a little bit better, but we didn't do it well enough and they exposed us once or twice and possibly could have got a bit more," admitted Brennan.
"We tried to shore it up a little bit as the second-half wore on, which was a positive, but that is something we can work on.
"No goals again today is a concern. Even at half-time we were saying we were going to need a goal to win it, but it was difficult to even create a chance.
"We are working on things, but sometimes it just doesn't come off. It would certainly be a help if we could rattle in one or two goals."
While goals are in short supply there is no lacking in determination, endeavour and hunger with this Meath team and that spirit is something that Brennan has been keen to exploit as he extolled the excellence of Ruairi Kinsella throughout.
"Ruairi (Kinsella) was outstanding. I'm not sure if he's known for his winning breaking ball abilities, but he picked up ball left, right and centre and he is clearly brilliant on the ball and he linked things so well for us. He had a really good game and his shooting boots were on too, so I was delighted for him.
"Our battling qualities is something we go after. We use the phrase 'stay in the fight no matter what'. Whether it's a race up the pitch, a tackle, a battle in the air, no matter what it is we want to be in the fight as much as we possibly can and for as long as we possibly can. We did that again today, not all the time, but most of the time thankfully.
"Huge credit to our two S & C lads, Drakey (David Drake) and Phil (Campbell), they're doing phenomenal work with the lads and they are pushing them and you can see signs of that work, even looking back to the Leinster final we were still chasing them right to the end, so I'd be happy enough in that regard.
"The week is a tough turnaround, even just in terms of trying to prep, so I'm glad to have the two weeks now before the Kerry game, which we'll need obviously. There's a lot of work to be done."
While there is still a lot to do, there is clearly a lot of good work done and while the concession of the two goals in the opening half was disappointing, Meath did play some magnificent football and kicked outstanding scores.
"Conor (Gillespie) came up with a stat that the Hyde is the highest two-point scoring ground in the country all year, so that tells you that the wind is always blowing up here.
"There was some really good stuff from us. The response to the concession of the two goals was good, to go on and kick 16 points by half time was good. We had an aim to kick 10 or 11 scores in the second-half, but we didn't get them. We also said we'd have to defend for our lives and the lads did that at times.
"We were fearful when they got on a run, but at the same time we felt that if we could get our hands on the ball we might be able to hold on to it long enough to create something and thankfully we did to get that equaliser.
"The more and more we play you can see it in the team that the ability to produce purple patches is coming more. They are still growing and they are getting better game by game by game and that's another good experience for us to come up here and come out with a point. Obviously we'd liked to have won, but were happy to go back down the road with a point."
With three points on the board and a place in the knockout stages confirmed, Brennan is not resting on his laurels. The ambition is to top the group and that means scoring a rare win over a powerful Kerry outfit in a couple of weeks.
Brennan is hoping the game isn't in Croke Park, but no matter where it will be played he is looking forward to the challenge and glad to almost a full deck to play with although the injury news about Jack Flynn doesn't sound great.
"We are waiting to hear about Jack Flynn. The truth is that it mightn't be too good, but we've to wait and see what another scan shows," revealed Brennan.
"When he came off the last day he felt himself it wasn't as bad as maybe it has turned out to be, but when we get the scan we'll know for sure. He wouldn't have made today one way or the other.
"TO have Conor Gray back is great. He is a monster of a man and he is starting to show a nice bit of sharpness in training. It was great to get him in, Mento (Bryan Menton) had put in a savage shift by that stage, so it was nice to put in another big in there.
"We also have Cian McBride and Daithi McGowan ready to come in. It's hard to fit them all in, but I'm delighted for Conor he's gone through a lot with injuries.
"We pitched this game today as the biggest game of the season for us because we knew if we won we'd have secured a preliminary quarter-final at home in Navan at the very least.
"We have also had in the back of our mind that we want to top the group, so that's the focus. We want to beat Kerry, it's obviously going to be a tricky task, but it's something we are going to go after.
"I don't want it played in Croker because probably no-one will go to it. There's talk of Thurles or Portlaoise, that's probably the reality. Croke Park would be quite open and empty. Maybe Kerry people would come up, but it's a big spin for a game like that.
"We love the venues with the atmosphere and even here today there was a fantastic atmosphere, two brilliant sets of supporters.
"Portlaoise or Thurles, we'll take either of those, or even Navan," quipped the manager before returning to the dressing to start preparations for the Kingdom.