Meath manager Robbie Brennan says he was surprised to see the ball thrown in as a row broke out between the Royals and Louth in one section of it pitch at Croke Park yesterday.

Referee Brendan Griffin dished out black cards to Meath’s Seamus Lavin and Sean Rafferty and Louth pair Ciaran Downey and Sam Mulroy after the incident which started before the throw-in at headquarters.

Meath would go on to win the game by 1-20 to 0-22, with Jack Flynn again providing the heroics with a late two-pointer which spoiled the Leinster champions’ second-half comeback at headquarters.

Speaking to RTE Sport afterwards, Brennan said he hadn’t noticed that his side had started the game without their ‘keeper in goal as Sean Brennan got sucked into the row that erupted.

"I think it was all Louth's fault," he joked. "I didn't actually see it, I was watching the ref. Then I saw the schmozzzle, I was surprised he actually threw it in. He could have just left it, because then it looked like we had no goalkeeper - I was worried Louth could have scored a goal straight after [the throw-in].

"I'll have to watch it back, but I have no idea how he got four black cards out of it. Maybe it was right."

On Flynn’s late winner for the second game in-a-row, the Royals boss added: "That's what we're here for, yeah, we're here to amuse. Ah look, it was the usual game of two halves, wasn't it? We thought we looked very good in the first half. Again, missed a lot, left a lot behind us. Could have been much further ahead, I felt, at half-time," added Brennan, acknowledging the new realities in this free-scoring iteration of the game.

"And that usual 11-point lead is dangerous. And we just didn't go with that same intent."

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