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Irish Examiner
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Meath impressively dethrone Kerry to book All-Ireland Ladies football final spot
TG4 LGFA All-Ireland Semi-Final: Meath 2-12 Kerry 1-9 A huge Meath crowd travelled in expectation, but not even the most wildly optimistic Royal County supporter could have anticipated the manner in which their heroes relentlessly, aggressively and emphatically wrestled Kerry's fingers off the Brendan Martin Cup with a fantastic display. Even fewer would have imagined that a six-point win for Meath would have featured Emma Duggan and Vikki Wall scoring one point from play between them, that a fine strike from Duggan with the very last play that only served as the icing on a well-made cake. The flour, the eggs and the sugar? That was a dominant defensive showing, anchored by a towering display from Sarah Wall at six, and with Robyn Murray sweeping up brilliantly behind her defenders; it was a solid kickout structure that gave the 2021 and 2022 All-Ireland champions a solid foothold in terms of possession. And it was an all-action display from their half-forward line, with Ciara Smyth and Megan Thynne running the Kerry backline ragged, while Niamh Gallogly dropped deep to help ensure that Niamh Ní Conchúir never got the chance to build on her early scores for the Kingdom. A significant breeze favoured Kerry in the first half and two early points for the reigning champions suggested they were about to use that advantage, but once Marion Farrelly got Meath off the mark in the sixth minute, it's no exaggeration to say that Meath looked stronger and better for the remainder of the game. The main stand in Tullamore was a sea of green and gold, and once Ciara Smyth cut in from the left wing to give them their first lead, it was patently clear that the overwhelming majority were overwhelmingly behind the side wearing white. Meath's Shauna Ennis scores a point for her side. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom O'Hanlon. When Kerrie Cole exploded through two tackles and hammered the ball into the roof of the Kerry net shortly after the midway point in the first half, the crowd's roar would have been every bit as much of an adrenaline shot to the players as the green flag was to the fans. Ó Conchúir and Siofra O'Shea pointed before half-time and a sensational strike from Danielle O'Leary three minutes after the restart made it 1-6 to 1-5 and offered Mark Bourke's side a path back out of trouble. But in the absence of a steady flow of possession, or even any attacker that was on top of their direct opponent to serve as an outlet, that proved a bit too challenging. Smyth won a free that Duggan converted to tie up the game, a fine team score was finished by team captain Aoibhín Cleary to get the crowd back involved, and Meath's momentum was inexorable when Cole played in Sarah Wall and after ghosting in from the right corner, she had just Mary Ellen Bolger to beat. Niamh Carmody set up Caoimhe Evans for a score and O'Shea's fifth point of the afternoon made it 2-8 to 1-9, but the final quarter was a four-point hammering. Points from Shauna Ennis and Cleary gave Meath the freedom to play with more than a one-score lead, and at the other end, turnover wins from Sarah Wall, Karla Kealy and Gallogly heightened the sense of a team turning the screw, squeezing the life out of their opponents without ever surging across the finish line. The goal chance Kerry needed never came, and the half-chance they might have hoped to turn into something more was flatly denied when Robyn Murray darted off her line and simultaneously collected the lateral pass that was intended for Danielle O'Leary, while leaving the Rathmore attacker sprawled on the turf. After that moment, Duggan's two points to round off the afternoon were only late excuses for Meath's joy to spill over that little bit more. Scorers for Meath: E Duggan (0-5, 4f), K Cole (1-0), S Wall (1-0), C Smyth (0-2), M Farrelly (0-2), A Cleary (0-2), S Ennis (0-1). Scorers for Kerry: S O'Shea (0-5, 4f), D O'Leary (1-0), N Ní Conchúir (0-2), A Galvin (0-1), C Evans (0-1). MEATH: R Murray; MK Lynch, Á Sheridan, K Newe; A Cleary, S Wall, K Kealy; O Sheehy, M Farrelly; M Thynne, N Gallogly, C Smyth; E Duggan, V Wall, K Cole. Subs: S Ennis for Newe (32), K Bermingham for Sheehy (40), N McEntee for Cole (56). KERRY: ME Bolger; E Lynch, C Lynch, D Kearney; A O'Connell, E Costello, A Dillane; M O'Connell, A Galvin; N Carmody, N Ní Conchúir, C Evans; D O'Leary, S Ó'Shea, J Lucey. Subs: R Dwyer for Lucey (37), R Rahilly for Kearney (38), K Enright for Galvin (50), F O'Donoghue for A O'Connell (52), N Quinn for Dillane (53). Referee: Maggie Farrelly (Cavan).
Irish Examiner
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Enda McEvoy on the couch: Revenge, mayhem and maybe even some pulsating action
The football quarter-finals, part two, and first up are Galway and Meath. Ah yes, Meath. Remember them? For those of us old enough to recall the 1980s there's something almost reassuring about the sight of the Royal County on the big stage. It once seemed the most natural thing in the world. The names may have changed – Mick Lyons is hardly still truckin', is he? – but no matter. They're back and an All-Ireland quarter-final is next door to the big time. This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Take us with you this summer. Annual €130€65 Best value Monthly €12€6 / month
BreakingNews.ie
24-05-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Meath's Matthew Costello happy to see return of excitment to Leinster championship
Meath forward Matthew Costello says he is happy to see the return of excitement to the provincial championships, despite Meath's defeat to Louth in the Leinster final. In the shock of the season so far, Meath ended Dublin's long-standing dominance in the province with a historic win over their rivals in the semi-final in Portlaoise. Advertisement It was the first time Dublin had failed to win Leinster since 2010, when they were also knocked out by Meath. In a thrilling encounter on Sunday, the Royal County came up short against Louth, who claimed their first Leinster title since 1957. Still, Costello took the positives from a day that featured an incredible atmosphere at Croke Park. 'It was an amazing experience. If the result had gone our way, it would probably have been the best sporting day of your life,' said Costello. 'It just wasn't to be. Even the parade before the game was like nothing I had ever experienced, and I'm not sure if I'll get to experience something like that again. Advertisement 'Both sets of fans really gave their all, and it was brilliant to be a part of. 'This year, getting our semi-final into Portlaoise was a great thing. You're basically able to pack out a stadium – the atmosphere that day was brilliant. 'It depends on what the future holds, but maybe we can get 60,000 people in for the Leinster quarter and semi-finals in the future.' Dublin's dominance in recent years had often been used as a stick to beat the provincial championships with, as they routinely ran out comprehensive winners in front of sparse crowds. Advertisement Meath's win over Dublin is one of several games that has brought renewed spark to the provinces – something Costello is pleased to see. 'It's a great thing. The game maybe needed a bit of a spark to get the provincial championships going again. 'When they're so one-sided for so long, people do lose interest. Looking ahead, we just want the provincial championships to be as competitive as possible and in front of as many fans as possible.' In an entertaining and closely fought game, Meath led for spells and were ahead with seven minutes remaining, thanks to Costello's goal. Advertisement However, Louth finished the stronger side, scoring the decisive points and keeping possession in the final moments. For Costello, Sunday's experience was one Meath can learn from. 'I think it was important for us to witness a crowd like that and experience that sort of occasion. If you're going to go anywhere in the sport, you've got to be able to deal with 60,000 or 70,000 people in Croke Park, and that should stand to us in the future. 'It's vital that we get these experiences. You learn more from a loss than from a win, which is hard to say now and hard to take – but we've got to believe it will stand to us. Advertisement 'There are going to be tough days and tough times, but we keep moving forward.' Meath won't have much time to feel sorry for themselves as they face Cork on May 24th in a group that also includes Kerry and Roscommon. 'To be honest, I know it's difficult now because of the magnitude of Sunday, but we're well used to this. 'It's a very tough group – there's no easy draw at this stage of the competition. Everyone feels like they can beat each other. 'Full focus is on Cork for now, but we know we've got tough battles ahead in the group as well.'
Irish Independent
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Cork All-Ireland opener could define Meath Senior footballers' season
A critical and defining juncture in Meath's footballing season will be reached when the Royal County take on Cork in a Group Two All-Ireland Senior Football Championship tie at Pairc Tailteann this Saturday, which throws in at 3pm.
Irish Independent
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Cork All-Ireland opener could define Meath's season
A critical and defining juncture in Meath's footballing season will be reached when the Royal County take on Cork in a Group Two All-Ireland Senior Football Championship tie at Pairc Tailteann this Saturday, which throws in at 3pm.
