A revived Meath side proved to be too much for Monaghan at Clones this afternoon, with the Royals running out victors by 2-10 to 0-12.
A revived Meath side proved to be too much for Monaghan at Clones this afternoon, with the Royals running out victors by 2-10 to 0-12.
A powerhouse first half performance from Meath provided the momentum for victory, though at stages in the second half there were whispers of a Monaghan revival. In the end, though, Sean Boylan's men displayed enough grit to maintain their lead - despite only scoring two points in the second half.
From the outset, their was a marked urgency to the Meath game, with points in the first and second minutes from Shane McCague and Trevor Giles. Thus began a period of Meath dominance which saw them stretch their lead with a fisted goal from Graham Geraghty on 15 minutes and kicked points from Daithi Regan and David Crimmins.
Any lessons Monaghan manager Colm Coyle may have learned from this days playing under Sean Boylan didn't show - Monaghan's midfield and backs appeared rattled for much of the first half, stuggling to get to grips with the rapid passing and penetration of Crimmins, Giles and Geraghty. In attack the Farney County remained unfocused, and could only clock up three scores - points provided by Damien Freeman, Paul Finlay and substitute Rory Woods.
Meath, for their part, just kept on scoring. Crimmins and Geraghty added points on 26 and 30 minutes, but what would prove to be the decisive score came in the 35th minute, when Crimmins darting run sliced through the hapless Monaghan backline, to blast the ball into the net and give the Royals a monumental 2-08 to 0-02 halftime lead.
But sometimes monuments can be pulled down - and Monaghan made an valiant attempt. They came out fighting after the break, now taking the game to the Meathmen. Despite garnering possession and placing the Meath backline under considerable pressure, Monaghan looked laboured taking many of their points, a trait not displayed by their opponents in the first half. Despite not pointing until 13 minutes into the second half Meath always looked like they could weather the storm and such a period of dominance was not to come Monaghan's way again.
Hopes of a revival were fostered in the main by the free-kicking of substitute Rory Woods, who notched up five more points in the second half. Indeed, for most the half the burly forward seemed to offer the only scoring threat for Colm Coyle's men.
As the end drew nearer it became clear that only a goal would catapult Monaghan back into the game. When the opportunity came, with a Woods free-kick in the dying seconds, the forward opted instead to point - unfortunately, it was also his last scoring opportunity.
Conceding nine points, however, and scoring only two in the second half will surely be a cause for concern when Boylan & Co look ahead to their next championship clash, the draw for which will be made tomorrow evening.
So, despite this year's poor Leinster showing, their may be some life in the old dog of Meath football yet - but the Royals will bave to learn, from here on in, that championship football clashes are games of two halves, and that future lapses in concentration will be more severely punished.
Meanwhile, All Ireland champions Armagh were pushed all the way by neighbours Antrim in Casement Park today, but ran out eventual winners by 0-15 to 0-12 win.
Although the All-Ireland champions started brightly, Antrim were in no mood to compromise and points from Kevin Madden ensured that they remained in contention - with the half time score 0-06 to 0-08 in favour of Armagh.
The second half witnessed shaky performances from both sides, and Armagh, helped on by points from Steven McDonnell, did enough to stay ahead of their rivals and secure their ticket to the next round.
It was another day of heartbreak for Cusack Park as Offaly defeated Clare by 1-12 to 1-08. Despite having the best of the play in the first half, with forward Odran O'Dwyer having a magnificent game in the forward line, Clare couldn't maintain their momentum.
A Niall McNamee goal brought Offaly back into the game, and from there the Faithful began to justify their tag as favourites, running out victors on a four-pint margin.
In Carrick-on-Shannon, home side Leitrim were condemned to a late 2-9 to 1-11 defeat after an injury time goal gave their neighbours Roscommon a one point win.
Roscommon had started the game in control, but a Fintan McBrien goal had brought Leitrim back into contention. This heralded a Leitrim comeback which placed Roscommon on the back foot for the start of the second half. As the game entered extra time, Leitrim were two points ahead, before Roscommon substitute David O'Connor scored his fateful goal, enough to put Roscommon through.
Earlier, Tipperary narrowly defeated Carlow by 1-14 to 0-13 in Semple Stadium, Thurles, thanks largely to Declan Browne. The All-star weighed in with a personal haul of 1-9.
Carlow had led 0-7 to 0-3 at the break as they took advantage of the wind at their backs. But Browne added six points in the second half and netted just after the hour to win it for the homeside.