NFL Division Two: Offaly 0-18 Meath 2-22
Meath were very impressive as they returned to Division One football with a predictably comfortable win over Offaly in Tullamore.
Robbie Brennan’s side didn’t have everything their own way in the first half but always had another gear in them and pulled away to secure the win and a Division Two final berth with Cork.
A very debatable 27th-minute penalty did help Meath on their way. They had started brightly and a Bryan Menton goal saw them lead by 1-3 to 0-3 after 11 minutes. Offaly played very well for the next 10 minutes, with Daire McDaid knocking over a two pointer as they went into a fully deserved 0-8 to 1-3 lead after 20 minutes.
No one was panicking in the Meath camp but there was enough happening to concern them and they put on the afterburners coming up to half-time. Jordan Morris’s penalty, harshly awarded when Shane O’Toole-Greene tried to stop Cian McBride getting in on goals, changed the whole game. Meath went on to lead by 2-9 to 0-9 at half-time and it was all over as a contest.
READ MORE
Meath played their best football in the third quarter. They powered through Offaly and their score-taking and conversion rate was a joy to watch as they led by 2-22 to 0-14 with six minutes left. They had two runs of four points without reply and one with three in this golden spell as they scored a very satisfying 1-19 from play.
They could have went for the jugular in the closing minutes but instead they eased off and Offaly finished well. The home side got four late points without reply, two of them from sub Harry Plunkett as they reached 18 points but go back to Division Three football with seven defeats out of seven.
OFFALY: C Melia (0-1-0, tpf); S O’Toole-Greene, D Dempsey, L Pearson; C Egan, D Egan, D McDaid (0-1-1); J McEvoy, E Cullen; M Dalton, J Hayes (0-0-3), R Egan; N Furlong, Shane Tierney (0-0-2, 2f), D Flynn (0-0-4).
Subs: D Hyland for Cullen (h-t), E Sawyer (0-0-1) for D Egan (both h-t); H Plunkett (0-0-3, 1f) for Tierney (50 mins); E Dunne for Furlong (58); R Gallagher for Flynn (66).
MEATH: S Brennan (0-1-0, tpf); S Lavin, S Rafferty, B O’Halloran; D Keogan (0-0-2), S Coffey (0-0-1), C Caulfield (0-0-1); B Menton (1-0-0), C McBride (0-0-1); J O’Connor, R Kinsella (0-0-1), J Flynn; J Morris (1-0-6, 1-0 pen, 1f), E Frayne (0-0-2), A Lynch (0-3).
Subs: C Hickey for O’Connor (46 mins); J Conlon (0-0-2) for Lynch, C Duke for Flynn (both 55); J Scully (0-0-1) for Menton, K Smyth for Caulfield (both 60).
Referee: S Mulhare (Laois).
