Jordan Morris, Meath, and Pat Havern, Down, in Allianz Football League Division Two action at Páirc Esler. Photo by Stephen Marken/Sportsfile
Allianz Football League Division Two
Meath 0-24 (0-3-18) Down 1-18 (1-3-12)
By Steve Malone at Páirc Esler
Meath became the first team to beat Down in Newry in normal time since Conor Laverty took over the Mourne senior football team with an impressive display.
The Royals enjoyed a brilliant 13-minute purple patch where they outscored Down 0-9 to 0-1 in the second half and while the Mourne men rallied late, Meath held out.
Meath’s Jordan Morris and Eoghan Frayne were in magnificent form scoring a combined total 0-16. The win gives Robbie Brennan’s men back-to-back league wins, while Down have lost two of their three opening league games.
Down made late changes to the team announced earlier in the week with Hugh Pat McGeary coming in for Oisin Savage and Shay Millar, making his first appearance this season replacing Conor McCrickard.
It was a tight tussle throughout and Conor Laverty’s side had edged in front half-time following Ryan McEvoy’s stunning 32nd minute goal in an entertaining opening half.
Meath looked like they would have been ahead at the break after Bryan Menton and Eoghan Frayne stroked over stunning points then Shay Millar delivered a long diagonal pass towards the back post where Ryan McEvoy outjumped Seamus Lavin before lashing into the bottom far corner of the net.
The sides were level on four points apiece after a thrilling opening ten minutes, with Pat Havern (free x 2), Ceilum Doherty and Odhran Murdock on target while Shane Walshe, Jack Flynn, Bryan Fenton and Ronan Jones all scored for the Royals.
Down could have bagged an early goal but Meath defender Sean Rafferty pulled off a stunning block as Caolan Mooney pulled the trigger. Jones was black carded on 13 minutes.
Points from Murdock and Daniel Guinness levelled matters as Down looked lively on the break, but Meath had the players capable of powering up-field and clever positioning for scores with Menton and Frayne kicking beauties to go in front again.
Pat Havern’s two-pointer put the game all square again with five minutes remaining of the half, but again Meath had an answer with Jordan Morris grabbing his second point of the evening.
Then came that stunning goal and Pat Havern’s third converted free stretched Down’s lead to 1-9 to 0-10 at half-time.
It was a stop-start third quarter where Meath did enough to get back on level terms with Frayne’s two-pointer most helpful and Brennan’s men then stormed into the lead with Morris striking over two two-pointers and Ciaran Caulfield tagged on another, before Morris was on target again. So, by the 54th minute the Royals had rumbled Down 0-21 to 1-11.
Doherty had ended Down’s 13 minute scoring drought, in which time they conceded 0-9 and Miceal Rooney’s two-pointer made was followed with Havern landing a two-pointer. All of a sudden the Mourne men were back in the contest and reduced the margin to two points.
However, Meath’s experience told in the closing stages when they took the sting out of the contest and even though Jones was red carded for picking up a second black card, the Leinster prevailed.
Scorers for Meath: Jordan Morris 0-9 (5fs, 1 2pt, 1 2ptf), Eoghan Frayne 0-7 (4fs, 1 2ptf), Bryan Menton 0-2, Ronan Jones 0-2 (1 2pt), Shane Walsh 0-1, Jack Flynn 0-1, Ciarán Caulfield 0-1, Billy Hogan 0-1 (45).
Scorers for Down: P Havern 0-9 (6fs, 1 2ptf), Ryan McEvoy 1-0, Daniel Guinness 0-3 (1 2pt), Ceilum Doherty 0-2, Micheal Rooney 0-2 (2pt), Danny Magill 0-1, Odhran Murdock 0-1.
Meath: Billy Hogan; Seamus Lavin, Sean Rafferty, D Keogan; Brian O’Halloran, Sean Coffey, Ciaran Caulfield; Jack Flynn, Bryan Menton; Conor Duke, Jack Kinlough, Ronan Jones; Jordan Morris, Shane Walsh, Eoghan Frayne.
Subs: Adam O’Neill for O’Halloran (45), James Conlon for Walsh (47), Keith Curtis for Duke (59), Daithi Magowan for Kinlough (64), Ronan Ryan for Rafferty (68).
Down: Ronan Burns; Peter Fegan, Peirce Laverty, Ceilum Doherty; Ryana Magill, Daniel Guinness, Patrick McCarthy; Caolan Mooney, Ryan McEvoy, Danny Magill, O Murdock, James Guinness; Aaron Pat McGeary, Pat Havern, S Millar.
Subs: Miceal Rooney for Mooney (HT), Aaron McClements for Millar (51), C Francis for Magill (54), Eugene Brannigan for J Guinness (59), Patrick Brooks for Doherty (63).
Referee: Sean Lonergan (Tipperary).
