I’m sick to the stomach as the hoodoo continues
I JOKED in last week’s column that my absence from Parnell Park on Sunday afternoon might actually help Louth break the championship hoodoo which Meath have enjoyed over us for 40-plus years.
I’d been present for all nine of the previous defeats since our last win in 1975, so I suggested, tongue in cheek, that removing one of the common denominators might somehow improve our fortunes.
As it turned out, a throat infection confined me to the sickbay all over the bank holiday weekend, so the decision was taken out of my hands. I therefore relied upon LMFM’s Sunday Sports live coverage to keep me abreast of the afternoon’s proceedings at the Dublin 5 venue.
’Nothing beats being there’ is the GAA’s championship slogan to encourage patrons to attend, and while I agree wholeheartedly with the motto, the local radio alternative is an excellent fall-back.
The programme line-up was most impressive. In the red corner putting forward the Louth viewpoint was Colm Corrigan and expert analyst Ollie McDonnell, while Brendan Cummins and the ever astute Mattie Kerrigan provided balance from the green side of the ring.
During the pre-match musings Ollie hinted at the possibility of a Louth victory, but more in hope than expectation.
When pushed for a prediction, the former Wee County sharpshooter was, at best, hesitant. Louth needed a huge performance, he felt, in order to cause an upset.
Mattie, on the other hand, was much more confident and assured. The Summerhill man recognised Louth’s recent improvements, but he could only see one winner. He felt Louth gave them a timely wake-up call during the O’Byrne Cup and as a result Meath improved considerably as the league progressed.
Perhaps the bookies had called it right after all. Louth’s odds lengthened during the week from 4 to 5/1 when it became apparent that Andy McDonnell would not make the Louth starting line-up.
I’d secretly hoped that the Termonfeckin man might be a surprise late inclusion, but he had to settle for a place on the bench.
There was lots for the panel to talk about prior to throw in as changes were announced to both teams. Jim McEneaney, Declan Byrne and Liam Dullaghan were added to the Louth starting fifteen, while last year’s Christy Ring Cup-winning captain James Toher was a late replacement for James McEntee who injured a hip in the warm-up.
According to Colm Corrigan’s dulcet tones, Meath appeared to settle quicker, with their pace causing the Louth rearguard all sorts of problems.
Both sides created good goal opportunities before Louth were awarded a penalty on 30 minutes for a foul on Anthony Williams.
All four men in the LMFM press box seemed a little surprised by referee Barry Cassidy’s decision, but Jim McEneaney expertly dispatched the spot kick to the back of the net.
The panel’s half-time consensus was that Louth were fortunate to be just one point in arrears at the break and that Colin Kelly’s side needed a strong start to the second period.
I was then distracted for a while by the Down/Armagh game on TV, only returning to the radio coverage in the aftermath of Ronan Holcroft’s 38th-minute goal which levelled the scores at 2-6 to 0-12.
Substitute James Califf then tagged on three points in the space of just five minutes to put Louth two points to the good as the game approached the final quarter.
Suddenly there was an acute sense of alarm in Brendan Cummins’ voice as he reported of Louth exerting control on proceedings for the first time in the contest. However, the moment passed almost as quick as it arrived.
Meath were relentless in the closing stages as I lost count of how many times the commentators declared another Graham Reilly score. The St Colmcille’s man appeared to be at the centre of every Meath attack.
That late avalanche of Meath points was halted temporarily by a third Louth goal from Conall McKeever, but you never got the sense that there was going to be anything other than a Meath win.
I pulled the radio plug at 24 points, I’d had enough. That’s 10 in a row for Meath now.
Where do we go from here? What about the Qualifiers?
The first round draw is this Tuesday morning. There is little appetite for them at this moment in time. For counties like Louth, are they merely a waste of time and resources?
My opinion is that for the most part they are just delaying the inevitable. And what of next season? Based on previous rumblings between Colin Kelly and the County Board. it appears that we will be looking for a new manager in 2018. It doesn’t get any easier.
Sideline Bet
THIS week’s Sideline Bet is Galway at 2/1 to beat Mayo in Salthill on Sunday.