Manager looking to the future after setback

Meath manager Kit Henry would have preferred not to have had to field questions from the local media after Sunday"s disappointing Leinster JFC final reversal at Croke Park by Dublin. The Cortown clubman, in his second year at the helm of the junior team was understandably disappointed with the result. Since the Royal County started their campaign with an impressive victory over Kildare in the Leinster Shield at Dunganny, the players have developed into a good team where spirit was one of the hallmarks. 'The game was there for us, but we took too long to register a score and I was hoping that we would make a better start than we did,' he stated when he returned to the dressing room under the Cusack Stand with the cheers of the Dublin players echoing through the bowels of the stadium. 'We have to give a certain amount of credit to Dublin also, they did their homework, they knew where we were strong and they dealt with that aspect of our game,' he added. However, Henry also accepted that playing at Croke Park was a big challenge for the team. 'This was the big stage for us, some of the players were up to the challenge and some weren"t, that"s the simple facts of the matter. If they want to be out there with the big boys, well then they have to deliver when they get the chance, but unfortunately it just didn"t happen for us today.' The manager also highlighted the fact that Meath had a good opportunity to impose their authority when Dublin were reduced to 14 men following the dismissal of Brian Sexton late in the first-half. 'I think we could have made more progress when we had the extra man although it was only for a short period, the decisions on those two incidents really cancelled each other. 'I"m not really convinced that either player merited a straight red card, but the referee has to make these decisions and we just have to get on with it. 'When we got the goal I thought that we might be able to kick-on from there, but we didn"t manage that and I suppose it"s a case of back to the drawing board for now. 'John Bruton was unfortunate with the injury, but he was concussed and we had to take him off, it"s just one of those things that can happen in a game, but he is okay now, apart from the fact that we didn"t win the title.' Finally, the manager paid tribute to the determination and commitment of Na Fianna"s Jamie Queeney who opted to play after his father passed away last week. 'It was a very difficult week for Jamie Queeney, it was very emotional for him and it"s understandable that he is upset after the game. It was his choice, we left it with him and he wanted to play, we were happy enough to leave the decision to him as he is an important member of the team,' he concluded.