FL2: Royals win ends Galway run
March 05, 2017
Meath's Donal Keogan gets in his pass as Danny Cummins, Gary O'Donnell and Gareth Bradshaw close in during the NFL Division 2 clash at Pairc Tailteann.
Meath dug out a narrow Allianz NFL Division 2 win over Galway at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday.
Meath ........1-13
Galway ....... 0-15
Just when Galway appeared to be on course to regain leadership of the division, Meath staged a late rally that roused the locals and record their second win of the campaign.
With 59 minutes gone Kevin Walsh's men looked to be moving towards their third win from four outings when leading by 0-13 to 0-10
Galway found scoring easier to come by when playing towards the town end in the second-half and outscored Meath by 0-9 to 0-2 in 29 second-half minutes.
Then, in the 66th minute Cillian O'Sullivan found Donal Lenihan inside the Galway rearguard. The Dunboyne-men netted and Meath were 1-13 to 0-14 to the good.
Better use of possession might have spared Meath some anxious moments as the clock rightflully went beyond the minimum three minutes of added time.
Meath's Donncha Tobin and Galway's Danny Cummins were blackcarded in added time. Just a single Galway score, from sub Johnny Heaney, was recorded after Lenihan's goal.
With 1-5 Lenihan accounted for half of Meath's tally en route to a result that revives their promotion bid ahead of the trip to Cork on March 19 when Galway entertain Derry.
In arrears by four points at the break, Galway set about erase the deficit from the resumption with Michael Daly points 15 seconds following the restart.
It was quickly countered by a Graham Reilly point. However, momentum was with Galway. Heading into the final quarter they regained parity when team captain Gary O'Donnell sent over one of the scores of the game.
Galway pushed on with Barry McHugh and Paul Conroy prominent. However, Meath's late rally revived memories of the glory days that are still a bit away.
In the opening half Meath were backed by a slight breeze drifting towards the town end. It unfolded as a half with two quarters. Galway bossed the opening quarter with full-forward Barry McHugh prominent.
The Galway full-forward posted two points in the opening five minute, the first from a 45. As light rain fell Galway moved 0-3 to 0-1 clear by the 17th minute. Donal Lenihan's opener for the home side was countered a fine Paul Conroy effort that left it 0-3 to 0-1 midway through the half.
Momentum moved Meath's way in the second quarter yielding seven scores on the spin. Alan Forde got the sequence going with an effort from distance when the ball was recycled after a Ciliian O'Sullivan came back off the post.
Lenihan's second score, in the 19th minute, levelled matters for the first time. Cillian O'Sullivan put Meath ahead for the first time, 21 minutes in, with assistance from Padraic Harnan.
Meath didn't let up with points from corner-back Donal Keogan, Lenihan, Willie Carry before another O'Sullivan point left it 0-8 to 0-3 after 34 minutes. Galway pulled a point back through Michael Daly to leave Meath 0-8 to 0-4 ahead at the break.
Meath - Paddy O'Rourke; Donal Keogan (0-1), Conor McGill, Donnacha Tobin; Willie Carry (0-1), Brian Power, Padraic Harnan; Bryan Menton, James Toher; Ruairi O Coileain, Cillian O'Sullivan (0-2), Alan Forde (0-1); Bryan McMahon, Graham Reilly (c) (0-2), Donal Lenihan (1-5, 0-1f). Subs - Sean Tobin (0-1f) for McMahon (48), Eamon Wallace for Forde (51), Adam Flanagan for Toher (55), Joey Wallace for O Coileain (57), Cian O'Brien for E Wallace (bc 64), Mickey Burke for Carry (bc 69), Tobin (bc 74).
Galway - Rory Lavelle; Declan Kyne, David Walsh, Cathal Sweeney; Gary O'Donnell (0-1) (c), Gareth Bradshaw, Liam Silke (0-1); Paul Conroy (0-3, 1f), Fiontan O Curraoin; Thomas Flynn (0-1), Michael Daly (0-2), Eamonn Brannigan; Shane Walsh (0-1), Barry McHugh (0-5, 3fs 1 45), Michael Lundy. Subs - Danny Cummins for Lundy (28), Johnny Heaney (0-1) for Daly (62), Gary Sice for McHugh (68), Cummns (bc 74).
Referee - Maurice Deegan (Laois)
