A valiant effort in defeat brings Camog's year to an end

Meath ultimately came up short against Down on Saturday but their performance on the day was much improved from their previous two games

Down 2-13

Meath 0-9

Tom Gannon

Meath's All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie campaign has come to an end, but the Royal girls can hold their heads high after they put in a valiant effort in defeat to Down on Saturday in Clonduff.

The Royals had a disastrous start to the contest and trailed 0-8 to 0-1 after 31 minutes. Meath were very wasteful with their opportunities in that first half an hour and also struggled to deal with Down's talented half-forward line.

The gap between the sides after 30 minutes was not a fair reflection of the Royal's efforts. Still, injury-time points from the two wing forwards, Grace Connolly and Isabel O'Connor, brought the deficit back to five and put a better shine on the scoreboard at the interval.

Sara Louise Graffin and Dearbhla MaGee combined for 0-7 of Down's first-half tally and at half-time the Ulster side led 0-8 to 0-3.

A point from Ellen Burke got Meath's tally underway in the second-half. The St Peter's stalwart should have had a tally of 0-2 at that stage but her obvious score in the first-half was surprisingly waved wide by the umpire.

Down hit three points on the bounce in what felt like a match-sealing period. Aoife Carey got her tally underway in the 39th minute before O'Connor reduced the gap back to five points after 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, down the other end, Tara Murphy produced a fine stop to deny Niamh McGrath a goal but it was only a matter of time before Down raised the green flag.

In the 45th minute, Saoirse Sands burst through the Meath defence and fired past Murphy before Graffin hit the final nail in the coffin with Down's second goal a few minutes later.

Aoife Carey hit Meath's last four points of the contest but it was too little too late as the Ulster outfit ended the Meath Camog's journey for 2025.

Down - Cassie Fitzpatrick; Aoife McDowell, Dearbhla Coleman, Emily Fitzpatrick; Clare McGilligan, Beth Fitzpatrick, Blannaid Savage; Deirbhle Savage, Orlaith McCusker; Saoirse Sands (1-2), Sara Louise Graffin (1-6 three frees), Derabhla MaGee (0-3); Sophie McGrath (0-1), Niamh McGrath, Erin Elliott. Grace Cunningham (0-1 one '45') for Elliott 37m, Aoife Murphy for Graffin 59m, Katie McGilligan for McGrath 60m.

Meath - Tara Murphy; Laura O'Neill, Claire Coffey, Sophia Payne; Erin Leddy, Rachel O'Neill, Leah Devine; Emma Regan, Aoife Carey (0-5 two free, one '45'); Isabel O'Connor (0-3), Ciara Foley, Grace Connolly (0-1); Maeve Clince, Ellen Burke (0-1), Grace Coleman. Subs - Ella O'Brien for Coleman 38m, Amy Boyle for Foley 45m, Brodie Kelly for Connolly 49m, Aisling Byrne for Laura O'Neill 59m.