Meath SFC Final: Hard work pays off for victorious Summerhill

Meath SFC Final

Summerhill 0-16 Ratoath 0-13

By Paul Keane at Pairc Tailteann, Navan

A couple of nights after losing to Skryne in the group stage of the Meath SFC, their second loss from three games, the Summerhill players dished out some home truths during a team meeting.

They'd somehow sneaked through to the quarter-finals but it wasn't good enough and they knew it.

More than that, they resolved to do better and to redouble their efforts, culminating in three big knock-out wins over Trim, holders Dunshaughlin and this afternoon Ratoath which have elevated them to a ninth Meath SFC title success.

Meath captain Eoghan Frayne led the scoring with eight points as Summerhill repeated their 2023 final win over Paul Galvin's Ratoath.

But it will be remembered as a victory for the collective with David Clare's Summerhill displaying an appetite for destruction and a hunger for breaking ball that Ratoath couldn't handle.

It's a second final win for Summerhill at Ratoath's expense in just four seasons having previously lost to Ratoath in the 2019 and 2022 deciders.

The Fraynes, Eoghan and Conor, contributed 0-12 between them while county defender Ronan Ryan captained the team and held together a terrific defensive effort.

Summerhill will have plenty of time to celebrate as they're not on Leinster club SFC duty until November 2 when they play the Longford representatives.

The Hill returned former county midfielder Adam Flanagan to midfield having missed the thrilling semi-final defeat of Dunshaughlin following the birth of his daughter, Isla, that same afternoon.

Powerful Flanagan linked up with Adam McDonnell to give the eight-times champions a strong midfield axis and control of the game.

Current Meath midfielder Jack Flynn and Ben McGowan lined up in Ratoath's midfield and after winning the throw-in, the Brownstown side held onto possession for nearly two minutes.

But it told a tale of their inability to turn possession into points in the first-half that they failed to even get a shot away in that early period.

Their lack of penetration was an issue but Summerhill's miserly defence wasn't easily breached.

One passage of play in the 22nd minute summed up just how determined Summerhill's effort was - both Ronan Ryan and McDonnell putting their bodies on the line to execute morale boosting blocks on Ratoath players.

Ratoath probably had more of the ball in the first 10 minutes but didn't make it count and when Summerhill finally found their range, they pulled decisively clear.

It was tied at 0-1 apiece after 13 minutes but three two-pointers in the next 15 minutes or so, struck by Eoghan Frayne, the influential Liam Shaw and Conor Frayne, put significant daylight between the teams.

Summerhill had the wind advantage and used it well with Conor Frayne coming strongly into the game and finishing the first half with 0-4.

Summerhill reached the interval with a 0-10 to 0-4 advantage but while they were the dominant force, they would face into the stiffening breeze in the second-half.

Galvin responded at half-time by taking off both of Ratoath's corner-backs, reasoning that Conor Frayne and Liam Shaw were doing too much damage inside for Summerhill.

Two minutes after the restart, Shaw collected a long delivery and fed Eoghan Frayne for a one-on-one with the goalkeeper but Ratoath stopper Conor Rooney saved well.

Ratoath had their goal chances too, the best of which was Ben McGowan's early on when he palmed straight at goalkeeper Sean Muddiman.

It wasn't until the last quarter that Ratoath really got it going, lofting over two two-pointers from Gavin McGowan and Flynn.

Crucially, they were chasing the game at that stage as Summerhill had pulled 0-15 to 0-6 clear with 49 minutes on the clock.

It was too little too late for Ratoath who got the margin down to two points in the closing minutes before Eoghan Frayne converted a 60th minute free to leave three in it.

Ratoath still had one last go at it, lofting a long ball into the danger area after the hooter had sounded but Summerhill's Diarmuid McCabe won possession and booted it out of play to secure victory.

Summerhill scorers: Eoghan Frayne 0-8 (1 tpf, 6f), Conor Frayne 0-4 (tp), Liam Shaw 0-2 (tp), Diarmuid McCabe 0-1, Kevin Ryan 0-1.

Ratoath scorers: Daithi McGowan 0-3 (0-2f), Jack Flynn 0-3 (1 tpf, 1 45), Bobby O'Brien 0-2, Gavin McGowan 0-2 (tp), Bryan McMahon 0-1, Cian Crawford 0-1, Eamonn Wallace 0-1.

Summerhill: Sean Muddiman; Ben Moran, Ronan Ryan, Iarla Hughes; Jack Bannon, Ross Ryan, Jamie O'Shea; Adam McDonnell, Adam Flanagan; Diarmuid McCabe, Kevin Ryan, David Larkin; Conor Frayne, Eoghan Frayne, Liam Shaw.

Subs: Padhraig Geraghty for O'Shea 40, John Keane for Bannon 44, Conor Lyons for Shaw 45, Barry Dardis for Kevin Ryan 55.

Ratoath: Conor Rooney; Callum Brady, Conor McGill, Sean Brazil; Gavin McGowan, Ben Wyer, Liam Kelly; Jack Flynn, Ben McGowan; Cian O'Brien, Glen O'Reilly, Daithi McGowan; Bryan McMahon, Bobby O'Brien, Cian Rogers.

Subs: Cian Crawford for Considine h/t, Eamonn Wallace for Brady h/t, Joey Wallace for Cian O'Brien 43, Ronan Byrne for Bobby O'Brien 45.

Referee: Keith Sheerin (Castletown).