Navan O’Mahony’s 0-14 Meath Hill 0-16 AET

It was disappointed for Navan O’Mahony’s at the final whistle, pipped to the post by two points after extra time in the final of the IFC by Meath Hill.

Five minutes had passed on the clock before a flag was raised, with Darragh Maguire opening the scoring. Meath Hill responded well with a pointed free and took the lead in the eighth minute with a point from play. 

Robbie Keelaghan got his first score of the game, kicking a free in the ninth minute. Meath Hill edged ahead again in the twelfth minute, before another scoreless eight minutes. When this scoreless spell was broke, it looked like Meath Hill were through for a goal only for a deflection by Paddy Dillon to send the ball over the bar. 

In the twenty-third minute, Keelaghan kicked a free to leave one between the sides. Four minutes later, he followed this with a calmly kicked point from play, midway between the sideline and the goal. Just into injury time, Meath Hill edged ahead again and held this lead until the interval.

Navan O’Mahony’s 0-04 Meath Hill 0-05

The North Meath men were the first to score in the second half, pointing from a free sixty seconds after the throw-in. This was nullified by a free at the opposite end of the field by Keelaghan.

Five minutes in, two points separated the sides again after a Meath Hill free. Aodhán Mallon stepped up to slot a free over the bar, leaving only the bare minimum between the sides again. 

With nearly ten minutes passing without a flag being raised, Keelaghan equalised with an impressive free from the sideline in the fourteenth minute, after a foul on Oisin O’Brien. Two minutes later, Meath Hill pushed ahead with a pointed free.

Paddy Dillon made an impressive run from defence before splitting the posts to leave the sides level yet again. A 45 from Keelaghan gave O’Mahony’s the lead, which was extended by a Mallon free two minutes later.

Meath Hill responded with a point from play and only the minimum separated the sides. A point from play and a pointed free in a five-minute spell left the North Meath side with the advantage again. Maguire won possession inside the 21, converting the resulting mark.

With forty seconds on the clock, Sean Betson, with a calm head on young shoulders, kicked a point leaving O’Mahony’s defending a lead. Two minutes into injury time, Meath Hill scored the equaliser to force the game to extra time.

Navan O’Mahony’s 0-12 Meath Hill 0-12

Meath Hill enjoyed a purple patch in the first half of extra time, taking the lead in the 3rd minute. O’Mahony’s managed to win possession on several occasions, but were unable to convert this to the scoreboard.

Two late points left three points between the sides at the interval of extra time.

Navan O’Mahony’s 0-12 Meath Hill 0-15

Mallon kicked an impressive score from play in the first minute of injury time, to leave only two points between the sides. Just over a minute later, he kicked a monster of a free from forty plus yards.

With the bare minimum between the sides, it was all to play for in the closing stages. O’Mahony’s couldn’t get the score they desperately needed however and a Meath Hill point in the seventh minute proved an insurance point for them. Late attempts to land a ball into the square proved fruitless, and it was disappointment for the Brews Hill men at the final whistle.

Navan O’Mahony’s: Niall Devlin, Paddy Dillon (0-01), Brian Dillon, Sam Formosa, Sean Betson (0-01), Niall McGrane, Aodhan Mallon (0-04), Mike O’Reilly, Darragh Maguire (0-02), Shane Maguire, Robbie Keelaghan (0-06), Ronan Clarke, Oisin O’Brien, Duggie Dillon, Ivo Fitzherbert

Subs: Conor Finnegan for McGrane, Craig O’Toole for Clarke, Conor Brady for S Maguire, Evan Coffey for D Dillon, Cormac Keyes for Brady,  Louis Collins for D Maguire, Dillon for Fitzherbert. Eoin Joyce for Keelaghan 

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