Gory days for Leinster as Royals fail to land a glove on Dublin
JUST after three o’clock yesterday afternoon, the Meath senior football squad and management team appeared out of the tunnel on the Cusack Stand side of Croke Park.
Now, as a sign of this brave new GAA world, it happened to be during the half-time break of the Camogie League Division 1 final between Galway and Tipperary. With a deadline of 2027 for integration, as an old Meath warrior in Colm O’Rourke walked the sod and gazed around at the mainly empty stands, he surely realised the past is a different country.
There was a time when a MeathDublin Leinster championship fixture could threaten the capacity of Croke Park. Or at least the 50,000 or 60,000 mark. Now, the question is whether by 2027, this same fixture will be played still as part of the All-Ireland championship proper or as a standalone competition at the start of the season, along with the other provincial championships.
The Meath era that O’Rourke played and lived through will be forever associated with the golden reign of Seán Boylan that delivered four All-Irelands in 1987, ’88, ’96 and ’99 and created a legacy that nobody thought then could be diminished.
But diminished the Leinster competition has been in light of Dublin’s unprecedented dominance over the past two decades in which the record books have been demolished.
Yesterday, the aim was to try and land a glove on a team cruising towards a 14th successive Leinster title and a 19th in 20 attempts. Be competitive, if nothing else, with the handicap suggesting a 12-point Dublin win and a ninth successive championship win over their rivals since 2010, Meath’s five goals and subsequent-disputed Leinster title win over Louth looking more and more like an anomaly.
It ended, however ,with another double-digit defeat for Meath, the final scoreline showing 16 points in the difference – Dublin 3-19 Meath 0-12.
Straight after the final whistle sounded, Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Glory Days’ blared out from the tannoy at Croke Park. Not sure if it was meant ironically, but in front of a crowd of 21,445, it looks like the Leinster championship’s glory days are well in the past.
At the launch, provincial chair Derek Kent suggested the competitions were still ‘alive and kicking’. That’s more than a bit of a stretch given it’s 14 years and 14 games since Meath beat Dublin, nine now in championship.
Dublin were without the suspended Brian Fenton, a carryover from the Division 1 league final when Derry won out on penalties, but they were able to reintegrate a number of familiar faces before playing Offaly in the semi-final in a fortnight.
Stephen Cluxton and Michael Fitzsimons were back in the starting Dublin 15, along with Paul Mannion. Straight out of the box for Championship. This time, there was no sense of shock or surprise with Cluxton parachuting back in, though he turned over more ball off his restarts in the first half than he has done nearly in other full seasons. His stats showed him 5/10.
Add in his fluffed free from just outside the 45 metre line – he shuffled up early on to tail it short – and he looked like he was working his way up to match speed.
Fitzsimons was solid for his part while Mannion earned the official Man of the Match award with 1-6. James McCarthy earned a big cheer when he was introduced in the second half.
Meath did start brightly, Darragh Campion curling over a neat score in the opening minute and midfielder Ronan Jones adding a mark. Dublin soon pegged that back and sneaked ahead, with Mannion already showcasing that cultured left boot – he would be the stand-out forward in the first half with his four different scores coming half from play and half from frees.
Meath were actually dominating possession but kicking it away far too easily. Would they live to rue it? Most certainly.
It was 0-3 apiece midway through the half when Ronan Jones kicked a ball away – again needlessly – while trying to find a team-mate in the full-forward line with men outside him on the Cusack Stand side.
This time, Dublin punished Meath. Niall Scully cut up the middle, then a swift interchange of passes saw Seán Bugler slice through on the burst. As Bugler rode the tackle, he took at least twice the allowed number of steps and finished to the roof of the net from close range – referee Thomas Murphy should have blown for overcarrying.
Mannion popped over another brace and the fear was that the game was already in danger of becoming one-sided.
A Daithí McGowan catch led on to a quickfire Eoghan Frayne
score and Jordan Morris hit another to get Meath back in touch.
A Con O’Callaghan mark and a brace from the lively Colm Basquel helped Dublin into a 1-8 to 0-6 half-time lead in a championship game that was actually a level below the Division 1 National League final between Dublin and Derry – in atmosphere, intensity, tactical smarts and pure quality.
And when Dublin pressed high and took apart the Meath kick-out in the second half, it was game over. Matthew Costello did cut a composed, quality figure throughout and Ross
Ryan, Donal Keogan and Ciaran Caulfield were others to carry the fight but Meath were ultimately overwhelmed.
Defender Cian Murphy dragged his shot across the goal and just wide of the post and while Meath half-time substitute Jack O’Connor did see one bouncing goal attempt rebound out off Michael Fitzsimons, Mannion almost found the top corner through a crowd of bodies – it needed Adam O’Neill to tip it over the bar.
Mannion then swept the ball soccer-style to the net just before the hour mark, before Con O’Callaghan punished yet another Meath turnover by shooting low with goalkeeper Billy Hogan gone walkabout.
DUBLIN: S Cluxton; S McMahon, M Fitzsimons, E Murchan; B Howard, J Small (P O Cofaigh Byrne 65), C Murphy; S Bugler, T Lahiff; R McGarry (K McGinnis 62), C Kilkenny, N Scully (P Small 52); P Mannion (C Costello 62), C O’Callaghan, C Basquel (J McCarthy 50). Scorers: P Mannion 1-6 (3fs), C O’Callaghan 1-2 (1m), S Bugler 1-0, C Kilkenny 0-3, C Basquel 0-2, J Small 0-2, N Scully 0-1 (m), C Costello 0-1, C Murphy 0-1, P Small 0-1. Wides: 4 (6).
MEATH: B Hogan; D Keogan, A O’Neill, H O’Higgins; S Coffey, R Ryan (K Curtis 58), C Caulfield; R Jones, D McGowan (C McBride 45); D Campion (J O’Connor h-t), E Frayne, C Hickey; J Morris (R Kinsella 58), M Costello, J Conlon (A Lynch 62). Scorers: J Morris 0-3, E Frayne 0-3 (2fs), D Campion 0-1, R Jones 0-1 (m), M Costello 0-1 (f), B Hogan 0-1 (45), J Conlon 0-1, C Caulfield 0-1. Yellow card: D Keogan 22. Wides: 4 (2). Referee: T Murphy (Galway). Attendance: 21,445.