Matty Taylor, Cork, and Ruairí Kinsella, Meath, in All-Ireland SFC action. Photo by Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile
All-Ireland SFC Group Two
Meath 1-13 (1-0-13) Cork 0-12 (0-2-8)
By Jack McKay at Páirc Tailteann
Meath did just enough to beat Cork, claiming a huge opening round victory in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in Páirc Tailteann.
Despite being second best for almost the entire contest – Cork were only a point behind with 61 minutes elapsed. Their opponents had been wasteful in both halves.
When it mattered most – they stepped up. Mathew Costello got the them going again in the 64th minute scoring a point from a free. A minute later James Conlon added a score.
Cork, down by three, in need of their ability to find a result with their backs to the wall. They wouldn’t find it here.
Added time commenced. Cork couldn’t break the shackles. Up stepped Costello again, this time with the knockout punch. Four-point game.
A Ruairí Kinsella block was met with a cheer as loud as the one for Jordan Morris’s first-half major. It meant so much to Meath.
The first 20 minutes was a drab affair. Cork, couldn’t hold the ball. They registered 10 turnovers in that spell. Meath hardly fared better. They had seven misses, yet led 0-2 to 0-1.
Cork were finally able to get the first score from play in the 23rd minute. Jones’s effort was followed by a free from Cronin. Jones added two more to leave it 0-5 to 0-2 after 27 minutes.
With the wind at their backs, Meath produced some brilliant passages of play in the opening half hour — though they also racked up eight wides and dropped two short, including three efforts from outside the arc. They finally got off the mark from play after 29 minutes through Costello. Then came the goal.
With Cork having only three beyond the halfway line, Jones could do little but watch his marker run free down the right flank. Meath moved with pace. Ciarán Caulfield picked out Jordan Morris. He cut in. He shot off his left for a goal, and the Meath crowd erupted, 1-3 to 0-5.
Meath finished the half with two more white flags – Cork more than happy to retreat into the tunnel. The Rebels were fortunate that all that stood between themselves and parity was that goal. Meath should have been five or six clear with that first half breeze.
After the restart, Meath misfired again. They had five misses in 12 minutes of second-half football. By contrast, Cork started strong.
A fisted effort from Matty Taylor preceded a two-point free from O’Callaghan. One-point game. But the first half failures popped up again.
Meath made it count. They scored five well worked scores in a row. By the 57th minute it was 1-10 to 0-8. Though Cork would get it back to one – Meath rallied in the closing stages.
Scorers for Meath: Mathew Costello 0-5 (1f), Jordan Morris 1-1, Eoghan Frayne 0-3 (3fs) James Conlon 0-2, Seán Coffey and Billy Hogan (45) 0-1 each.
Scorers for Cork: Chris Óg Jones and Mark Cronin (1tp, 2fs) 0-4 each, Colm O’Callaghan 0-2 (1tp), Ruairi Deane and Matty Taylor 0-1 each.
Meath: Billy Hogan, Séamus Lavin, Seán Rafferty, Ronan Ryan; Donal Keogan, Seán Coffey, Ciarán Caulfield; Jack Flynn, Bryan Menton; Conor Duke, Ruairí Kinsella, Jordan Morris: Mathew Costello, James Conlon, Eoghan Frayne.
Subs: Adam O’Neill for Coffey (inj), Keith Curtis for Frayne (both 46), Cathal Hickey for Duke (50), Shane Walsh for Conlon (68), James McEntee for Kinsella (70+3 – 70+5, temp).
Cork: Mícheál Aodh Martin; Seán Meehan, Daniel O’Mahony, Maurice Shanley; Seán Powter, Brian O’Driscoll, Matty Taylor; Ian Maguire, Colm O’Callaghan; Paul Walsh, Eoghan McSweeney, Mark Cronin; Seán McDonnell, Cathail O’Mahony, Chris Óg Jones.
Subs: Ruairi Deane for Powter, Rory Maguire for McSweeney (both 51), Eanna O’Hanlon for C O’Mahony (58), Conor Cahalane for Walsh (65), Luke Fahy for Taylor (68 inj), Hugh O’Connor for Cronin (70+4).
Referee: Noel Mooney (Cavan).
