Heavy defeat for minors

FOR a fleeting moment in Sunday"s MFC All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park it appeared as if Meath were going to engineer one of those rousing comebacks which teams from the Royal County have managed from time to time. Looking for so long like they would be on the receiving end of a right old trouncing Pat Coyle"s side roused themselves to crack home two goals inside a minute midway through the second-half. From a seemingly hopeless situation it was game on and the young Royals were poised to push on. The goals from Damien Carroll and Darragh Smyth left Meath just five points behind with everything to play for. Instead of taking it on to the next level it was Tyrone who found a fifth gear to deservedly close out the game with all the power and ruthlessness of a team on a roll. There was only two points between the teams at the end of the Ulster Minor League final in the spring. Tyrone"s tough passage through the Ulster championship has clearly honed their skills, application and physical preparation. Apart from the opening quarter, and that few minutes in the second-half, Raymond Monroe"s charges always looked the more likely side to secure a place in the All-Ireland final against Mayo as they out-played Meath for long spells. Like the Dublin seniors a few weeks ago, the Meath minors found out that it"s all very well winning Leinster titles, but when it comes to taking on a well-motivated, hardened Ulster side it"s a completely different proposition. The Meath minors - unlike their senior counterparts this summer- certainly could not be faulted for effort in the heat of battle. It was a testament to their spirit that they managed to clock up a respectable score against such a formidable foe. The goals that were scored by the Leinster champions came about through a mixture of hard work, considerable invention and a lot of skill. With 46 minutes on the clock Michael Newman lofted in a high ball from the right, Jamie Owens got a touchdown into the path of Carroll who slotted high to the corner of the net. Buoyed up by that score Meath came storming forward immediately afterwards. Again Newman was involved in the move with Sean Dalton also working to get the ball out to Smyth. The Bective player fired goalwards and the ball flew into the net, past startled Tyrone goalkeeper Tim Harney. It was a spectacular effort and a fitting reward for all the hard work Smyth had put in up to that stage. Once again he ran and ran, always probing for an opening or looking to set up a colleague. It was a telling feature of Meath"s afternoon that they only managed two points from play, both coming from Mark Battersby who was another who put in an energetic shift. He had to work very hard for both scores, making space for himself before shooting from distance. He also utilised his right foot to loft over two neat points from frees from the left. When frees needed to be taken from the opposite side of the pitch Paddy Gilsenan stepped up to the plate and he also lofted over two placed balls from difficult angles. Meath never managed to get a proper foothold at midfield where the Tyrone duo of Niall McKenna and Martin Rogers made hay. McKenna is a top-notch prospect and we are sure to hear more of him in the future. We"re also sure to hear a lot more of Kyle Coney who contributed seven points to Tyrone"s tally. Just when his side needed a score Coney invariably came up trumps, winning possession on the left, moving inside and using his cultured left foot to curl the ball between the posts. Conor O"Neill was another to torment the Meath backline and his 27th minute goal helped the Ulster side go in with a nerve-settling 1-7 to 0-5 interval advantage. His goal was a classic piece of Ulster opportunism. Meath full-back Ciaran Lenehan won the ball in front of his own goals and as he moved out he was dispossessed by Matthew Donnelly who released O"Neill who angled the ball home via the post. The Meath net danced as did the Tyrone supporters in the stands. Newman, Smyth and Collins formed a hard-working half-forward line for Meath. Collins virtually ran himself ragged before he was substituted. Newman was also unlucky not to get an early goal. Smyth delivered an inch perfect pass to the in-rushing Newman who, despite finding himself under severe pressure, got a shot in. The ball beat the "keeper and rebounded off the post. Newman drew a few fouls from the Ulster champions and he was also denied by a brilliant save by Harney from the penalty awarded to Meath early in the second-half. The Round Towers player opted to place his shot and struck it firmly only for Harney to produce a super-stop, diving low to his left. Defensively the Royal County looked vulnerable down the middle especially when McKenna set off on one of his turbo-charged runs. McKenna wasn"t slow in making the most of the time and space afforded to him as his three points from play testify. Despite the big challenge presented in trying to contain O"Neill, Stephen O"Brien had a good game for Meath while Enda Nulty and Donncha Tobin featured prominently with some surging runs in the opening half. They got precious few chances to roam upfield in the second-half as Tyrone turned the screws. There was that brief moment when Meath looked like they might spark a revival. It proved to be an illusion as the Ulster side produced some late magic to wrap up their deserved victory. SCORERS Tyrone - K Coney 0-7, two frees; C O"Neill 1-3; N McKenna 0-3; D McNulty 0-2; C Gervin 0-2; M Rogers 0-1; P McNeice 0-1; R McNabb 0-1; M Donnelly 0-1. Meath - M Battersby 0-4, two frees; P Gilsenan 0-3, three frees; D Carroll 1-0. THE TEAMS Tyrone - T Harney; F McQuaid, G Teague, R Pickering; S Mac Rory, P Harte, K Mossey; N McKenna, M Rogers; C Gervin, D McNulty, M Donnelly; K Coney, P McNeice, C O"Neill. Subs - R McNabb for Rogers 44 minutes; R Tierney for Mac Rory 56m; B McGarvey for Donnelly 58m. Meath - P Curran; S O"Brien, C Lenehan, S Curran; E Nulty, T Johnson, D Tobin; J Owens, D Carroll; D Smyth, M Newman, M Collins; P Gilsenan, A Tormey, M Battersby. Subs - S Dalton for Collins 38 minutes; B McGrane for Johnson 40m; B Menton for Tormey 40m; J Regan for Carroll 54m; J Kelly for Nulty 57m. REFEREE Michael Meade (Limerick).