Joint captain Michael Murphy delivered an attacking masterclass as Donegal beat Meath by 1-17 to 1-15 in a superb Division Two final at Croke Park, having been eight points adrift early on.

Opposing full forward Michael Newman was the star turn in the first half but the slow-starting winners eventually got to grips with him, hitting the front for the first time on 57 minutes when Jamie Brennan planted a thunderbolt into the roof of the net and never looking back. Teenager Oisin Gallen was also outstanding for the victors, marking his first senior start at HQ with a quarter of excellent points.

Meath started like men possessed in front of 23,644 spectators and led by 1-6 to 0-1 after 13 minutes, Thomas O’Reilly firing the goal as the Donegal defence was torn apart on ten minutes, and they retired at the interval with a five-point advantage, 1-10 to 0-8. Indeed, they still led by four with 20 minutes left – 1-14 to 0-13 - but a run of 1-4 without reply when it mattered most got the Tir Chomail men over the line.

Newman carried the fight to the Ulster champions in the first half, picking holes in their defence like Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, the Meath No.14 slotting three first-half points and creating O’Reilly’s goal as well as having 1-1 unluckily ruled out.

When the sides met in the second round of the league at Ballybofey eight weeks ago, Donegal snatched a 1-13 to 0-14 victory but the Royal County bounced back to finish top of the table with six wins from seven outings. The Ulster champions, meanwhile, finished the round-robin stage strongly with victories over Armagh, Cork and Kildare to claim the runners-up spot, promotion, and a place in this evening’s decider.

Keen to avenge their only loss of the Spring, Andy McEntee’s charges got off to a flying start when co-captain Bryan Menton pointed from midfield inside 30 seconds before Newman and Shane McEntee replied to a Murphy free – three points to one after four minutes.

Newman effortlessly pointed from an advanced mark on six minutes and he then found Barry Dardis unmarked in behind the Donegal defence, Dardis in turn playing the ball on to O’Reilly, who slotted calmly to the left corner of the net on ten minutes – 1-4 to 0-1.

Ben Brennan’s excellent left-footed point had the gap at seven after twelve minutes and the rampant Newman quickly stretched it out to an eight-point match before Neil McGee was introduced for Brendan McCole at full back for the Tir Chonail men, McGee breaking the Donegal all-time appearances record (which he previously shared with Colm McFadden) by making his 174th competitive appearance. He also steadied the ship.

A run of points from Oisin Gallen and Brennan (2) had Declan Bonner’s men back within five at the midway stage in the first half and Niall O’Donnell reduced the arrears further with a fisted effort. Bryan McMahon made it double scores with the losers’ first point in nine minutes but Murphy replied with a free from his hands twelve minutes from the break – 1-7 to 0-6.

Donegal's Michael Murphy and Hugh McFadden raise the Division 2 trophy 

McMahon and Jason McGee swapped score after a Newman effort was ruled out by Hawk-Eye upon review and Gallen reduced the gap to just the goal on 31 minutes. Newman was hard done by for the second time when he redirected the ball to the net with both fists two minutes from the break only for an eagle-eyed umpire to inform Tipp referee Derek O’Mahoney that the Kilmainham man was inches inside the square before the ball was centred.

Still, the Royals finished the half confidently with injury-time points from Cillian O’Sullivan and O’Reilly to lead by five at the short whistle.

Gallen pointed upon the restart, Murphy, whose influence on proceedings grew by the minute, drawing in the defence and laying the ball off quickly, but Newman won and converted a free at the other end before Murphy pointed a Donegal free when he would have preferred if the advantage rule had been applied.

McGee had it back to a three-point game again on 41 minutes but Newman (free) replied with his fifth point. Murphy won and effortlessly converted a free straight over the black spot from the wrong side before stroking over an advanced mark to leave just two between the sides after 45 minutes.

Substitute Graham Reilly clipped over on the run off his left and Meath’s lead was back to four when Dardis brilliantly whipped a ‘45’ bullet-like between the Hill 16 uprights from close to the Cusack Stand. After O’Donnell booted over a beauty, another stylish catch and finish from Murphy (advanced mark) and a sublime Gallen strike from an unforgiving angle had the Donegal men within the minimum with 15 minutes to go.

Thirteen minutes from the end, Donegal moved ahead for the first time, and by two points, when Brennan thundered a close range shot to the roof of the Donegal net with his left foot, Murphy predictably the man who picked him out with the penultimate pass at the end of a wonderful team move.

Meath had corner back Shane Gallagher dismissed on the stroke of 70 minutes after he picked up two quick yellow cards and therefore a red, Murphy stroking over the resultant free to leave three between them. Donegal had delivered a decisive 1-4 salvo and they held on for a deserved victory, effectively playing the clock down, O’Sullivan taking his point from a late, late Meath free.

Donegal - S Patton; S McMenamin, B McCole, P McGrath; D O’Baoill, L McLoone, E Ban Gallagher; H McFadden, J McGee (0-2); N O’Donnell (0-2), R McHugh, C McGonagle; O Gallen (0-4), M Murphy (0-7, 5f, 2m), J Brennan (1-2). Subs: N McGee for B McCole, E Doherty for L McLoone, M Langan for C McGonagle, E McHugh for D O’Baoill, F McGlynn for R McHugh.

Meath - A Colgan; S Lavin, C McGill, S Gallagher; J McEntee, D Keogan, R Ryan; B Menton (0-1), S McEntee (0-1); C O’Sullivan (0-2, 1f), B Brennan (0-1), B McMahon (0-2); B Dardis (0-1'45), M Newman (0-5, 2f, 1m), T O’Reilly (1-1). Subs: G Reilly (0-1) for B McMahon, D Campion for B Brennan, J Conlon for T O’Reilly, G McCoy for S McEntee.

Referee - D O’Mahoney.

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