Meath defy desperate conditions and claim Leinster final spot
Meath u-20s put in a fine first-half performance which proved vital in their victory over Kildare on Wednesday evening
Meath 0-6-7 (19)
Kildare 1-1-6 (11)
In desperate conditions at Ashbourne, Cathal O'Bric's Meath managed to see off Kildare in the Leinster u-20 FC semi-final on Wednesday evening.
The victory means that Meath will face off against Louth in a repeat of the 2024 final. The wee county got the better of Dublin at the same time that Meath confirmed their spot for next weeks showdown.
Torrential rain in advance had already made the surface tricky but as this contest progressed, the rain continued to fall heavier and it eventually took its toll on the quality of action on the field.
Conditions were still somewhat manageable in the first-half and the two sides did extremely well to showcase an entertaining opening 30 minutes. Kildare started brightest as the Lilywhites held a 1-2 to 0-0 lead after 10 minutes.
A good spell between the 13th minute and the 21st minute saw Meath kick 0-7 without reply including a couple of two-pointers. The visitors hit back with a couple of nice scores and with five minutes left in the half, Meath held a narrow one-point lead.
A couple of two-pointers from Rian Stafford in injury time sent Meath in at the break with a 0-13 to 1-5 advantage. Kildare had the larger share of possession in the second-half but they failed to make much use of it. They only registered two further scores, one of which was a two-pointer.
Down the other end, Meath were more clinical with the opportunities afforded to them and Jamie Murphy's final quarter tally of 0-4 was enough to see the Royals over the line.
Meath were a little bit wasteful in the early exchanges and they hit four wides inside the opening 10 minutes. A fantastic individual run from Finn White birthed a great opportunity for Zach Thornton to score the opening goal but Kildare dealt with the danger well.
The away side then went straight back on the counter-attack with a move that finished with Jay O'Brien finding the back of the Meath net. Kildare turned over the kick-out and Ben Loakman followed up with a point before Eoin Cully made it 1-2 to no score.
Jamie Murphy finally got Meath's tally up and running with a well-struck two-pointer free and a few minutes later, John Harkin doubled that tally with a second two-pointer for the Royals.
In the very next play, Ben Corkery pierced through the Kildare defence and tapped over to put Meath ahead for the first time after 18 minutes. A few moments later, points from Stafford and Murphy made it 0-7 to 1-2.
A lapse in concentration from John Harkin afforded Kildare an opportunity in Meath territory and James Harris took advantage to reduce the gap back to the minimum.
Liam Jennings did well to return the favour and turn Kildare over up the other end before he linked up with Corkery, who then set up Rian Stafford for a very well-taken two-pointer.
Stafford's fine score was cancelled out a few minutes later by points from Fintan Quinn and Cully. However, Stafford finished out the half with two two-point frees to give Meath a 0-13 to 1-5 lead at the interval.
As conditions worsened to an almost unplayable level, the second-half, understandably, made for tough viewing. An early free for Kildare's Quinn was cancelled out by Jennings before Stafford widened the gap to six.
Jennings then set up Murphy who powered past two Kildare defenders before hand-passing the ball over. Kildare's Eoin Cully then stupidly threw the ball at Eamoon Armstrong, instead of handing it to him, and Murphy took advantage by knocking over the resulting short-range free. With 10 minutes remaining, Meath led 0-17 to 1-6.
A two-pointer from substitute Joey Cunningham narrowed the gap back to six but it was soon cancelled out by Murphy's second and Meath's sixth two-pointer.
Kildare had a late opportunity for a goal when Ryan Sinkey's shot rattled off Matthew Kealy's left-post but even if it had found the net, it would have only been a consolation for the Lilywhites as Anthony Nolan's final whistle sounded moments later.
Meath - Matthew Kealy; Sam Jordan, Rian Early, Ciaran O'Hare; Tadgh Martyn, Fiach Hartigan, Finn White; Eamonn Armstrong, Michael McIvor; Rian Stafford (0-8 two frees, one two-point, two two-point frees), John Harkin (0-2 one two-point), Zach Thornton; Ben Corkery (0-1), Jamie Murphy (0-7, two two-point free, one free), Liam Jennings (0-1). Subs - John Gormley for White, Conor O'Brien for Thornton 50m, Sean Betson for Corkery 59m, Pat Cawley for Jennings 62m.
Kildare - Charlie Carroll; Liam Kelly, Padraic Spillane, Niall Cramer; Colm Moran, James Harris (0-1), Cathal White; Senan Murphy, Ross Harris; Ryan Sinkey, Ben Loakman (0-1), Killian Browne; Jay O'Brien (1-0), Fintan Quinn (0-2 one free), Eoin Cully (0-2). Subs - Joey Cunningham (0-2 one two-point) for Browne 41m, Ben Ryan for Harris 43m, Austin Donegan for O'Brien, Jimmy Lynch for Murphy both 52m.
Referee - Anthony Nolan (Wicklow).