Frustration evident again as McEntee reflects on another defeat

It has become a familiar trend after Meath games - refereeing is the central topic.

Andy McEntee has gained a reputation amongst the national media as someone who complains incessantly about referees.
If those same reporters were at every Meath game they might just agree with him.
The Meath manager clearly didn't want to get drawn too deeply into another discussion about another referee after Sunday's NFL Div 1 game against Galway.
The questions had to be put to him about some of Fermanagh official Niall Cullen's calls.
Coasting with a 1-6 to 0-1 lead, with the wind at their backs and looking capable of pulling even further clear in the run up to half-time, Meath were suddenly stopped in their tracks by questionable spoiling tactics that Galway managed to get away with, for the most part.
McEntee was almost at a loss for words - almost.
“Galway did what they were allowed to do. If that is what is going to get you back into the game then I understand them doing it," admitted McEntee before turning his focus on the match officials.
"However, you have a group of officials who are supposed to prevent that, but they didn't and it changed the pace of the game and changed the scoreline dramatically enough, there's only two points in it at the end.
“I'm not blaming Galway, if you are going to get away with it, why wouldn't you do it."
So was it a case of Galway being clever in their spoiling tactics, Meath naive in their approach or just blatant errors by the referee and his colleagues?
“They got away with it because the officials didn't take the appropriate action," said the manager.
“That's not a reflection on us. We are trying to take kick-outs, players are making moves to try to get on the ball and they are being dragged to the ground.
"That's not a lack of cuteness on our behalf, that's a lack of officials doing what they are supposed to do, that's plain and simple.
“The ref doesn't even seem to know the rules. He gave a free against Ethan Devine for a one-handed handpass which he is allowed to do.
"If one hand is being held he is allowed to throw it up and handpass it, he said he threw it!
“This is taking up too much time. We are going here every week and it's not just Meath's games, it's every game.
“We got responses back after two games. One game they said yes there should have been extra-time played, that's all very fine, but it wasn't and we paid the penalty.
"We had another one that they said we shouldn't have received a black card, but we conceded 2-2 during that black card spell against Donegal.
“These are all decisions that are having a material impact on games and on the scoreline of games.
"They are not Mickey Mouse decisions, these are big decisions and they are just consistently getting them wrong.
“I think the referee had too much of an influence on that game. The referee should not be influencing a game, the most influential period of that game was the 10 minutes before half-time and he, and the linesman on the stand sideline, were the biggest factors in that.
“The game is going on and there is a collision of two bodies and he doesn't give a free.
"We are playing on, gone on with the ball and he changes his mind.
"They say a referee never changes his mind, but he did there and not only does he give a free, he books our player, that's from a situation where he hadn't even given a free a few seconds earlier."
Those closing minutes of the opening half spoiled what was an otherwise excellent first period for Meath and that collapse confirmed Meath's relegation from Div 1.
However, McEntee is sure that his players will still aim to finish the campaign strongly, starting with a trip to Croke Park to take on Dublin on Sunday 15th March.
“It is very similar to last week. We had a lot of good bits to our performance, but ultimately we have no prize at the end of it," lamented McEntee.
“The last six or seven minutes of the first-half changed the complexion of the game altogether, for a variety of reasons.
“Then, obviously, we make an error at the start of the second-half and the game is level within a few minutes.
“At that stage you probably would have feared for Meath given the conditions out there, but again the lads dug in and showed a lot of good character, but the bottom line is we have come up short again.
“It was great to get Padraic Harnan, Shane Walsh and Donal Lenihan back on the pitch there today, so that's a positive.
“We will approach the next two games in the same manner as we have approached every other game.

"We are going to go out and look forward to playing Dublin in Croke Park, why wouldn't you?
“Then we will go up to Monaghan, it certainly doesn't get any easier, but these are great games to have and the lads are enjoying challenging themselves.
"They are not enjoying the results, but I don't think anybody could accuse them of not getting out of their comfort zone.
“We are coming out at the wrong end of tight games, so maybe deep down the confidence is being affected, I don't know.
"It's not impacting on their appetite to work and it's not impacting on their performances in general I think," concluded the manager who admitted that 'frustration' is the key from this campaign.