Defeat sends hurlers on crash course with the men of Kildare
Wicklow seem limp in face of powerful Meath effort
MEATH 3-18 WICKLOW 2-12 IN the end, when all is considered, this was something of a limp performance from the Wicklow Senior hurlers as they fell to a nine-point defeat to Meath in Trim in what is becoming a hated venue for Garden county sides.
However, a host of wides throughout this game and some superb goalkeeping from Shane McGann on the Meath line were what really kept Wicklow out of this game, but that nine-point margin is still somewhat of a fair reflection of the gulf between the sides on the day.
Like a randy lover, Meath never left Wicklow alone in this game. They were tormenting in the tackle, passionate in defence, and clinical in attack. Where Wicklow spurned a glut of free taking opportunities and dragged shots wide of the target or dropped shots short, Meath were devastating in their approach.
Martin Storey’s men were like that pimply teenager fumbling around behind the school shed with his first girlfriend. Meath were like the suave and sophisticated James Bond, no nonsense, confident, charming, and effective.
Defensive frailties were exposed. First touch was off and tellingly so under pressure. Clearances were delayed that bit too long or were lashed at without thought of destination. The bullied inside line gained little traction over the course of the 70 minutes with Pádraig Doran the only real threat.
That’s not to say that Anthony Byrne, Mikey Lee, Christy Moorehouse, Diarmuid Masterson, and Stephen Kelly didn’t try, they did, but the hot breath of at least one, if not two Meath defenders could always be felt on the nape of their necks.
Is Stephen Kelly being deployed too far up the field? It’s a valid question. The Eire Og man drifted in search of ball but the monstrous Damian Healy didn’t follow and he stood like a human fortress on the 45 and swallowed up ball after ball and regurgitated it with venom and missile-like accuracy to the far end of the field where debutant Gavin McGowan enjoyed the start of dreams and ended with 2-2 in his first championship start for Meath. At times this was hard to watch.
Adam Gannon pointed the game’s opening score from a free after 60 seconds as Meath started with real purpose. A wide shortly afterwards from out near the sideline from full-forward Niall Heffernan showed their ambition.
Cathal Ó Dúlacháin registered a wide for Wicklow after receiving an intelligent ball from Anthony Byrne but the Bray man fluffed his shot.
But the threat was always there from this Meath attack and you felt that goals were not far away at any stage, especially in the first half and McGowan gathered a long Stephen Morris ball and struck low and hard past Dan O’Neill in the Wicklow goal. The sun ducked for cover behind the clouds. The wind gathered pace. The mood changed.
Wicklow attacked but Cormac Reilly robbed Mikey Lee and he cleared to Heffernan at full-forward and he fired over to make it 1-02 to 0-0 after seven minutes.
A Masterson free got us up and running and Billy Cuddihy did really well a moment later but his clearance was mopped up by Reilly again and cleared down the field and Cuddihy managed to get a block in on a Meath hurl and a Wicklow sideline resulted. The sideline was taken but it resulted in a Meath sideline and this was hit to John Henderson who cleared it to James Toher who fired wide of the Wicklow posts.
This was a good spell for Billy Cuddihy and his full-back line. He was all over Heffernan moments later and his ferocity resulted in Heffernan overcarrying and the Wicklow captain punched th air with delight and urged his colleagues to raise their game.
The ball was worked to Christy Moorehouse and he fired over with a lovely strike to make it 1-02 to 0-02. Was there hope?
Meath’s puck out was caught superbly by Henderson but his ball forward went to Meath full-back David Donoghue and the move came to nothing. And quick as you like Meath rattled over two more points to lead 1-04 to 0-02.
A battle up and down the field ensued until the 23rd minute when Meath opened up the shoulders and inflicted some serious damage on the visitors.
Points from Stephen Morris, Adam Gannon, James Toher, and Heffernan were followed by McGowan’s second goal of the day when he took a long ball from David Donoghue and lashed home off the post past O’Neill. Disaster. 2-08 to 0-02 on the half hour mark.
Credit to Wicklow, they kept battling. Masterson popped over a 65 won from a clearance of a Mikey Lee free after the Bray star went for goal.
Meath went wide at the other end and then Mikey Lee picked out Pádraig Doran with a lovely ball across the square and the Carnew Emmets man made no mistake to give Wicklow a vital lift at the break with the score reading 2-08 to 1-03.
The sides traded points after the restart with Lee pointing a Wicklow free but just when Martin Storey’s men needed something big to happen Meath struck for what was the killer goal as a defensive error allowed Heffernan fire home for the Royals’ third goal of the game and it was very hard to see a way back from 3-09 to 1-04 down.
Martin Storey introduced Danny Staunton and his three points will no doubt see his name on the starting 15 for the Kildare game in Arklow this weekend.
Wicklow came hunting but they found Shane McGann in sublime form on the Meath line and he saved superbly from Pádraig Doran after eight minutes of the second half.
Christy Moorehouse pointed on 12 minutes but Meath hit back immediately. A Staunton effort brought it to 3-11 to 1-06 but two points from Meath sickened Wicklow with 17 minutes gone in the second half.
In fairness to Wicklow they never stopped going in this game but they also never got to the pitch that Meath were at and were constantly chasing the game and being hit hard in tackles.
John Henderson goaled to make it 3-14 to 2-09 but Meath were in cruise control at this stage and they seen out the game on a score of 3-18 to 2-12.
Wicklow face Kildare this Saturday in Arklow and a defeat here will send them on the road to relegation battles so a win is incredibly vital for Martin Storey’s charges.
A victory might also arouse the passion within Wicklow hurling supporters so that they might get out and roar on their county team as they look to recover from yet another crunching defeat in Trim.
Scorers - Meath: G McGowan 2-2, N Heffernan 1-3, A Gannon 0-5 (2f), S Morris 0-4, J Toher 0-3 (1f), M O’Grady 0-1.
Wicklow: J Henderson, P Doran 1-0 each, M Lee (2fs), D Staunton 0-3 each, C Moorhouse (1f, 1 ‘65’), D Masterson (1f, 1 ‘65’) 0-2 each, G Weir, E Kearns 0-1 each.
Meath - S McGann; C Reilly, D Donoghue, S Whitty; S Brennan, D Healy, K Keoghan; S Heavey, S Morris; J Toher, K Keena, A Gannon; G McGowan, N Heffernan, S Quigley. Subs: M O’Grady for Keena (52), J Walsh for Quigley (54), S Geraghty for Brennan (58), L Martyn for Gannon (65).
Wicklow - D O’Neill; L Maloney, B Cuddihy, C O Dulachain; P Keane, J Henderson, M O’Brien; R Keddy, E Kearns; P Doran, S Kelly, D Masterson; C Moorhouse, A Byrne, M Lee. Subs: D Staunton for Keddy (42), G Weir for Masterson (45), E Dunne for O’Brien (50), E McCormack for Moorhouse (66).
Ref - J O’Brien (Tipperary)