Meath hold off spirited Kildare comeback to book latest Leinster final tussle with old foes Dublin
MEATH will face Dublin in the TG4 Leinster Senior Football Championship final at Croke Park after holding off a spirited Kildare side.
Meath's Kerrie Cole and Kildare's Roisin Byrne traded early scores before Byrne hit a second point on the seventh minute.
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The Royals later found the target with Vikki Wall and Orlaith Sheehy, and the Lilies responded with contributions from Neasa Dooley and Alannah Prizeman.
Another free courtesy of Prizeman moved Kildare two points in front, before Cole doubled her account, and Emma Duggan found the net on 17 minutes.
Duggan and Niamh Gallogly also split the posts from distance during the opening period — and Meath were in the driving seat when Sarah Wall rattled the net on 30 minutes.
But a late Prizeman point reduced Kildare's deficit to 2-6 to 0-6 before the interval.
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Meath reinforced their authority after the break with unanswered scores from Duggan and Ciara Smyth.
Duggan later bolstered her tally with a two-point salvo, while Prizeman did likewise for Kildare.
Lilies sub Ellen Dowling then cancelled out a Marion Farrelly point for Meath before Prizeman hit her sixth.
Duggan added another white-flag score to move the Royals eight clear.
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The Lilies' fightback began when Ciara Wheeler fired home a 53rd-minute goal.
Dowling and Prizeman then cut the gap to two, before Meath replied with scores from Smyth and Duggan.
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Kildare still refused to throw in the towel with Mia Doherty, Byrne and Dooley all scoring in stoppage time.
MEATH: R Murray; A Sheridan, MK Lynch, K Newe; A Cleary, S Wall 1-0, K Kealy; O Sheehy 0-1, M Farrelly 0-1; M Thynne, N Gallogly 0-1, C Smyth 0-2; E Duggan 1-6, 2f, V Wall 0-1, K Cole 0-2.
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Subs: K Birmingham for Sheehy 44 mins, A Gaffney for Thynne 51, M Collins for Cole 52, C Lawlor for Farrelly 61.
KILDARE: M Hulgraine; R Sargent, L Lenehan, M Doherty 0-1; L Shaw, L Dunlea, M Aspel; L Murtagh, S Galvin; C Moran, C Wheeler 1-0, N Dooley 0-2; A Rattigan, A Prizeman 0-8, 6f, R Byrne 0-3.
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As ever, Emma Duggan was a constant scoring threat in Meath's 2-14 to 1-16 win
Subs: L Gilbert for Sargent 27 mins, L Reilly for Moran 41, G Wheeler for Rattigan 42, E Dowling 0-2 for Galvin 45, L Curran for Shaw 53, C Price for Murtagh 62.
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REFEREE: B Redmond (Wexford).
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