Meath Forum

Meath V Cork - All Ireland R1

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Southmeathgael
Royalcounty1
Faithfulmeath

Talk to me. Another loss.

All extremely quick to jump down my throat and call me deluded when I said that it was realistic that this championship season is likely to be forgettable - what are you all thinking now?

How do you pick through the bones of that loss. Same old failings again being unable to defend and have no plan to shackle a marksman or how play with an extra man. 5 weeks off to fix a problem. 3 weeks knowing who you're playing and yet we still arrive at the same outcome - another championship loss.

Tell me this is just another small setback on an otherwise positive year?

Tell me this is another over the top dramatic summation of the great season?

Tell me this is another ridiculous post and that I should have had a bit more cop on before I posted.

Royalio11 (Meath) - Posts: 840 - 23/05/2026 19:25:59    2674842

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We can have no excuses Cork the better team .
Our defence struggled again and we lost midfield when they lost their best midfielder .
Brennans kickouts again were poor he invited Cork onto us at the start of the second half .
We dont seem to know how to control a game when we get a lead when Cork got ahead and even down a man they controlled the game and got away nearly all their kickouts .
Conlon was excellent and we looked good going forward in the first half but panicked in the second half and took the wrong option to often .
I still cant see what Arron Kernan has added to our play we gave away a lot of poor frees today .
Hard to know where we go now but we need to get the best draw possible to try win the next game .

Royalmc (Meath) - Posts: 33 - 23/05/2026 20:53:52    2674868

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Replying To Royalio11:  "Southmeathgael
Royalcounty1
Faithfulmeath

Talk to me. Another loss.

All extremely quick to jump down my throat and call me deluded when I said that it was realistic that this championship season is likely to be forgettable - what are you all thinking now?

How do you pick through the bones of that loss. Same old failings again being unable to defend and have no plan to shackle a marksman or how play with an extra man. 5 weeks off to fix a problem. 3 weeks knowing who you're playing and yet we still arrive at the same outcome - another championship loss.

Tell me this is just another small setback on an otherwise positive year?

Tell me this is another over the top dramatic summation of the great season?

Tell me this is another ridiculous post and that I should have had a bit more cop on before I posted."
Agree with what you're saying. There can be zero excuses now whatever about after the loss to Westmeath. How could we be so good in the first half but so bad in the 2nd? We just have to keep chipping away at score board.

The inability to take advantage of them down to 14 was scandalous. No idea what we were doing. Jack Flynn was either unfit or just doesn't like coming off bench. No impact catching kick outs and bad decisions. Morris anonymous after the point at start of the 2nd half. We like to take risks but decisions are poor at times too. Kerry in the next round and the season is over.

NYRoyal (USA) - Posts: 134 - 23/05/2026 21:09:25    2674873

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Replying To Royalmc:  "We can have no excuses Cork the better team .
Our defence struggled again and we lost midfield when they lost their best midfielder .
Brennans kickouts again were poor he invited Cork onto us at the start of the second half .
We dont seem to know how to control a game when we get a lead when Cork got ahead and even down a man they controlled the game and got away nearly all their kickouts .
Conlon was excellent and we looked good going forward in the first half but panicked in the second half and took the wrong option to often .
I still cant see what Arron Kernan has added to our play we gave away a lot of poor frees today .
Hard to know where we go now but we need to get the best draw possible to try win the next game ."
We need a Kildare or a Cavan. If it's Kerry/Tyrone/Roscommon we're goosed.

NYRoyal (USA) - Posts: 134 - 23/05/2026 21:11:31    2674875

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Replying To Royalmc:  "We can have no excuses Cork the better team .
Our defence struggled again and we lost midfield when they lost their best midfielder .
Brennans kickouts again were poor he invited Cork onto us at the start of the second half .
We dont seem to know how to control a game when we get a lead when Cork got ahead and even down a man they controlled the game and got away nearly all their kickouts .
Conlon was excellent and we looked good going forward in the first half but panicked in the second half and took the wrong option to often .
I still cant see what Arron Kernan has added to our play we gave away a lot of poor frees today .
Hard to know where we go now but we need to get the best draw possible to try win the next game ."
Conlon outstanding but we really struggled to get any bench impact with him starting. Other than Jack Flynn who battled well and had a positive impact I thought all the other subs struggled. Would have been handy to have Eoghan Frayne or Jamie Murphy on the pitch when we needed a two at the end. I thought the wrong players were shooting. Hopefully we get Kildare or Westmeath/Cavan in the next round or this is going to be a very short summer. Kernan certainly is teaching them the defend without fouling anyway, we are giving away so much scorebable frees.

Sheridan2010louth (Meath) - Posts: 333 - 23/05/2026 21:25:18    2674881

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Really strange game. We have absolutely no control and rely on individual skills wheather its super fielding or shooting the lights out to win games. There is definately a trend when both wins and losses the past two years are looked at. Of course the new rules have an impact but we just look like a really naive team. First 15 mins were very even and after Cork failed to fiinsh two goal chances Meath kicked on with a series of 2 pointers plus the goal. Coffey should have stretched that out further with a great goal chance just before half time. Even a point would have been good.
With an 8pt lead at half time and forwards firing especially Banty things looked good.
Meath started 2nd half flatly and Cork attacked everything early on. Costello fouled and interfered which cost 2 pts. Sherlock then hit form and Cork were ahead in no time.
A Brennan 2 pt free, the sending off and another free seemed to switch momentum but Meath looked lost on how to use extra man last 15 mins. Wouldnt have taken Frayne off for his decision making and perhaps would have went with Murphy ahead of Lynch for last few mins. Lynch and JOC took on and missed 2 pt attempts when Meatb had time to win with single points. Our kickout choices 2nd half were baffling especially not being able to get shorts away with extra man.
It is also clear that when we lose our own kuckout, its open country. Whats happened to the old unwritten rule of defenders standing goal side of their men on kickouts. Even Donal.Keoghan seems to be positioning himself wrongly. Why is he running into midfield contesting kuckouts? Menton started both halves at 6 but again was running out of that position contesting kickouts? These are Meath's two most experienced players so it either must be rehearesed or players not follwing instructions.
All depends on draw now where Meath will be hoping to get a Kildare or Cavan and at least get a win.
Its very disappointing as some of the forward play and shooting was excellant. We are just turning into an entertaining team that is easy on the eye but no defensive steel.

winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 1000 - 23/05/2026 21:28:00    2674884

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Replying To Royalio11:  "Southmeathgael
Royalcounty1
Faithfulmeath

Talk to me. Another loss.

All extremely quick to jump down my throat and call me deluded when I said that it was realistic that this championship season is likely to be forgettable - what are you all thinking now?

How do you pick through the bones of that loss. Same old failings again being unable to defend and have no plan to shackle a marksman or how play with an extra man. 5 weeks off to fix a problem. 3 weeks knowing who you're playing and yet we still arrive at the same outcome - another championship loss.

Tell me this is just another small setback on an otherwise positive year?

Tell me this is another over the top dramatic summation of the great season?

Tell me this is another ridiculous post and that I should have had a bit more cop on before I posted."
You were predicting that a team that got to an all Ireland semi final and won div 2 was going to have a stinker of a season off one loss.

What do you want, an apology for meath supporters not agreeing with another meath supporter that the team is useless ??? After today say what ya want but don't be coming at me I was there I watched it all too.

royalcounty1 (Meath) - Posts: 86 - 23/05/2026 23:48:25    2674916

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Think we looked like a division 2 side yesterday. Completely lost composure at the end which is not something you see with decent division 1 sides (Cork on the otherhand were composed and assured). Not capitalising on the man down was a monunmental cluster; with a man down instinctively a team will try to up the energy and go for the jugular, instead, Meath should have
slowed the game down stretched Cork and pick off scores.

RB needs to make some ruthless decisions re defensive set up- the stats will say that Cork got no goals but the amount of chances they got was criminal.

bert09 (Meath) - Posts: 1854 - 24/05/2026 09:15:05    2674953

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Replying To bert09:  "Think we looked like a division 2 side yesterday. Completely lost composure at the end which is not something you see with decent division 1 sides (Cork on the otherhand were composed and assured). Not capitalising on the man down was a monunmental cluster; with a man down instinctively a team will try to up the energy and go for the jugular, instead, Meath should have
slowed the game down stretched Cork and pick off scores.

RB needs to make some ruthless decisions re defensive set up- the stats will say that Cork got no goals but the amount of chances they got was criminal."
There was 1 guilt edge chance in the first half where Sean Brennan made a terrific save, 3 more half chances where we scrambled really well. I don't really remember any goal chances for Cork in the second half correct me if im wrong. I wouldn't say it was criminal how many goal chances we gave away. They did clean that area up from the Westmeath game, Problem yesterday was inability to defend without fouling, runners not being tracked, no pressure on the shooters.

Bit off topic but watching Westmeath in leinster semi and Final this year, I genuinely believe 4 maybe even 5 of their backs would get into the meath team whereas none of their forwards would. There's such an imbalance right now between our defenders and forwards.

Sheridan2010louth (Meath) - Posts: 333 - 24/05/2026 10:46:31    2674976

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Replying To bert09:  "Think we looked like a division 2 side yesterday. Completely lost composure at the end which is not something you see with decent division 1 sides (Cork on the otherhand were composed and assured). Not capitalising on the man down was a monunmental cluster; with a man down instinctively a team will try to up the energy and go for the jugular, instead, Meath should have
slowed the game down stretched Cork and pick off scores.

RB needs to make some ruthless decisions re defensive set up- the stats will say that Cork got no goals but the amount of chances they got was criminal."
Listening to RB he seemed to believe yesterday was better than against Westmeath which is worrying.
We lost a 9 point lead up a man for the last 20 minutes but still lost that 20 minutes 5 points to 4 .
I said it all along we play in spurts we look good going forward but when it turns we get totally out played.
Brennan is a great shot stopper and free taker but the last 2 games has exposed a serious problem with our kickouts. Firsts 10 minutes of the second half yesterday was an implosion mainly caused by our kickouts being turned over .
1-24 would have won any other game yesterday 25 points against westmeath would have won any game that weekend so its not to hard to see where our problem is and has been.

Royalmc (Meath) - Posts: 33 - 24/05/2026 11:04:20    2674980

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Replying To bert09:  "Think we looked like a division 2 side yesterday. Completely lost composure at the end which is not something you see with decent division 1 sides (Cork on the otherhand were composed and assured). Not capitalising on the man down was a monunmental cluster; with a man down instinctively a team will try to up the energy and go for the jugular, instead, Meath should have
slowed the game down stretched Cork and pick off scores.

RB needs to make some ruthless decisions re defensive set up- the stats will say that Cork got no goals but the amount of chances they got was criminal."
Listening to RB he seemed to believe yesterday was better than against Westmeath which is worrying.
We lost a 9 point lead up a man for the last 20 minutes but still lost that 20 minutes 5 points to 4 .
I said it all along we play in spurts we look good going forward but when it turns we get totally out played.
Brennan is a great shot stopper and free taker but the last 2 games has exposed a serious problem with our kickouts. Firsts 10 minutes of the second half yesterday was an implosion mainly caused by our kickouts being turned over .
1-24 would have won any other game yesterday 25 points against westmeath would have won any game that weekend so its not to hard to see where our problem is and has been.

Royalmc (Meath) - Posts: 33 - 24/05/2026 11:16:23    2674985

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It's worrying. Let's be honest, neither Cork nor Westmeath are great teams - they're decent but don't see either of them making it to the last 4. We're going to have to find a couple of new defenders if we're going to make the leap to be a serious contender.

gwanyagudthing (Meath) - Posts: 164 - 24/05/2026 12:39:16    2674996

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Replying To gwanyagudthing:  "It's worrying. Let's be honest, neither Cork nor Westmeath are great teams - they're decent but don't see either of them making it to the last 4. We're going to have to find a couple of new defenders if we're going to make the leap to be a serious contender."
We need several better defensive minded players but surely we could be setup better to defend than we are currently. Brennan was also looking for corner backs after last year but still the same players used.
Disappointing how Rafferty has not built on last year and just doesn't seem comfortable. Showing dissent too causing frees to be brought forward. Our halfbackline doesn't seem to be offering anything defensively. Caulfield showed well for kickouts, got hands on ball and attacked well. Keoghan and Coffey offering very little going forward. The one on one defending is awful but players must be marked with intent and turned further out the field before getting the run on a defender. There is a real lack of leadership defensively. Cork are not a top team but the long away trip (team travelled by train on the day), the Cork support and long lay off may not have helped.

winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 1000 - 24/05/2026 13:20:21    2675010

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Replying To gwanyagudthing:  "It's worrying. Let's be honest, neither Cork nor Westmeath are great teams - they're decent but don't see either of them making it to the last 4. We're going to have to find a couple of new defenders if we're going to make the leap to be a serious contender."
Yes Cork are no great shakes. We knew coming into the game after the league final that their 1 main threat we had to nullify was Sherlock but instead we did the complete opposite and let him score 14 points? Thats unforgivable. But even at half time when we're up is there nobody saying "ok lads, we're well up here slow the game down, keep the ball, double up on Sherlock". We play for 20 minutes with an extra man and still don't double up on him?? Donegal did it against Kerry in the exact same position. Guess that's the difference between top teams and not so top teams.

NYRoyal (USA) - Posts: 134 - 24/05/2026 13:30:05    2675013

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