All-Ireland SFC: Roscommon and Meath divide spoils

All-Ireland SFC Group Two

Roscommon 2-15 Meath 0-21

By Kevin Egan at King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park

An incredible last-ditch tackle from Seán Rafferty to deny Ben O’Carroll what looked like a sure-fire winner with the last play of the game, ensured a share of the spoils between Meath and Roscommon at the end of a thriller of a contest at King & Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park, a result that most supporters will feel was a fair reflection of a topsy-turvy affair.

Both sides had their spells of dominance, none more pronounced than the second quarter when Meath outscored their hosts by 0-12 to 0-4 with the aid of a strong breeze, but Enda Smith put the Rossies on his back after half-time as he kicked three monster doubles to tilt the scale back their way, albeit he had a penalty saved by Billy Hogan in between.

By the end, it was Roscommon who had the better chances to win the game as they hit three wides and dropped another shot short after Diarmuid Murtagh kicked them into the lead on the hour mark, not to mention their last attack which was worked into O’Carroll, only for Rafferty to dive in and tip the ball away as the St. Brigid’s man prepared to pull the trigger.

However, Meath had their regrets too, including the manner in which they allowed Roscommon to spill down the middle for three glorious goal chances in the opening quarter. Brian Stack fluffed his lines with his opportunity, pulling the ball wide from 15 metres out, but Murtagh and O’Carroll were clinical in their strikes, picking out the bottom left corner in each instance.

All three chances were created with Roscommon working the ball down the centre, floating passes over the top to open up the defence.

At the other end of the pitch, James Conlon was on fire. Four shots in the first half yielded 0-5, one double and three singles, as his movement and his ability to switch feet and split the uprights off either peg caused Roscommon any number of headaches.

Bryan Menton, Conor Duke and Rúairí Kinsella also sent the orange flag flying with strikes from distance, while Roscommon needed points from Daire Cregg and Ciaráin Murtagh (created by a brilliant Colm Neary run) to stay in touch at half-time, 0-16 to 2-5.

Meath started well after half-time with points from Seán Coffey and Eoghan Frayne, but two doubles from Enda Smith, either side of a meek penalty that was easily smothered by Billy Hogan, quickly ate into the lead.

The Royals defended well for most of the second half and actually prevented Roscommon from raising any white flags, though there were several near misses. Ciarán Caulfield and Rúairí Kinsella were hugely influential in carrying the ball forward and winding down the clock, and even after Diarmuid Murtagh’s free gave Roscommon the lead with ten minutes to play, they kept their patience and drew level through a clever Kinsella finish.

They might have had a goal too, with excellent play from Mathew Costello and Jordan Morris ending with a floated handpass that flicked off the crossbar and onto the ground in front of Conor Gray, only to ricochet off Gray’s knee and wide.

Roscommon looked like the more likely winners after that, but thanks to a string of misses and Rafferty’s tackle, it’s Meath who still have top spot in the group to play for.

Scorers for Roscommon: Diarmuid Murtagh 1-4 (1tpf, 1tp), Enda Smith 0-6 (3tp), Ben O’Carroll 1-0, Daire Cregg 0-2, Dylan Ruane 0-1, Ciaráin Murtagh 0-1f, Senan Lambe 0-1.

Scorers for Meath: James Conlon 0-6 (1tp), Rúairí Kinsella 0-3 (1tp), Bryan Menton 0-2 (1tp), Conor Duke 0-2 (1tp), Billy Hogan 0-2 (1tpf), Eoghan Frayne 0-2, Jordan Morris 0-2, Seán Coffey 0-1, Mathew Costello 0-1f.

Roscommon: Conor Carroll; Niall Higgins, Colm Neary, David Murray; Ronan Daly, Brian Stack, Senan Lambe; Shane Cunnane, Eddie Nolan; Dylan Ruane, Ciarán Murtagh, Enda Smith; Daire Cregg, Diarmuid Murtagh, Ben O’Carroll.

Subs: Pearse Frost for Higgins (15), Donie Smith for C Murtagh (48), Cian McKeon for Ruane (48), Keith Doyle for Nolan (56), Ruaidhrí Fallon for Lambe (61).

Meath: Billy Hogan; Seamus Lavin, Seán Rafferty, Brian O’Halloran; Donal Keogan, Seán Coffey, Ciarán Caulfield; Bryan Menton, Adam O’Neill; Conor Duke, Rúairí Kinsella, Mathew Costello; Jordan Morris, James Conlon, Eoghan Frayne.

Subs: Cathal Hickey for Duke (53), Keith Curtis for Frayne (58), Conor Gray for Menton (61), James McEntee for Lavin (63), Eoin Harkin for O’Neill (65).

Referee: Paul Faloon (Down).