JACK FLYNN RODE to Meath’s rescue yet again with another late, late two-point score to secure a sweet National Football League win, moving the Royal County top of Division 2 on their own.
Just as he did in Cavan in Round 2, midfielder Flynn stole the headlines by raising an orange flag in the very last minute to secure the win for Meath.
With three wins from three having also defeated Derry in Round 1, when Flynn was man of the match with 0-7, Robbie Brennan’s side have taken pole position in the promotion race.
Ruairí Kinsella’s 1-3 contribution was important too while Jordan Morris fired over six points.
But the 2025 All-Ireland semi-finalists came so close to suffering another agonising defeat to old rivals Louth, who memorably defeated them in last summer’s Leinster final, as well as in last season’s league.
Louth trailed by 11 points at half-time but turned it around with four second half two-pointers from captain Sam Mulroy, and 0-4 from former All-Star Craig Lennon, to lead by a point at the death.
That’s when Flynn took matters into his own hands, lofting over what is now becoming a trademark score, his fourth two-pointer of the campaign so far.
Jack Flynn celebrates his late winner. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
Anybody wondering beforehand about the validity of the Meath-Louth rivalry got their answer within seconds of the throw-in.
Referee Brendan Griffin had his eye on a scuffle among a number of players at the Hill 16 end and stopped the clock after just nine seconds to dish out four black cards.
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All-Star Meath defender Seán Rafferty and his colleague Brian O’Halloran were sent to the line along with Mulroy and Ciarán Downey.
Later in the half, just as Kinsella had got the ball away for a point, he took a big hit from Peter Lynch that earned the Louth defender a booking. Lynch ended up being taken off in the 32nd minute with an injury after a foul by Morris that drew a booking. There were four yellow cards and four black cards in total in the first half alone.
That Kinsella point in the 23rd minute was an inspirational score that ignited a storming passage of Meath play, yielding 1-7 in total without response.
Louth's Ciaran Downey and Bryan Menton of Meath. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
Meath had been 0-7 to 0-6 ahead, thanks in part to an early two-pointer from Kinsella, but the blitzkrieg of scoring between the 23rd and 29th minutes opened up a 1-14 to 0-6 lead for the hosts.
Meath took over completely at midfield in this period, laying waste to the Louth kick-out with catch after catch to create score after score.
If it wasn’t Cian McBride pulling balls from the air, it was Bryan Menton or Donal Keogan, the latter fetching well and setting up Morris for a two-pointer.
Earlier in the half, there was concern when Morris crumpled in agony after contorting his body to get a pass away that was intercepted. Louth worked a score off the turnover and counter-attack for Lennon, but the real worry was Morris as he suffered a serious knee injury in the corresponding fixture last spring. Thankfully for Meath, the Kingscourt man got back going again and played a key role.
Kinsella struck Meath’s goal in the 24th minute, cutting through the centre of Louth’s defence after being released by Mathew Costello.
Meath's Jack O’Connor and Padraic Trinelly of Louth collide in the air. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
There was drama just before half-time when Louth were awarded a penalty for a Costello foul on Downey, who was just about to pull the trigger.
Mulroy stepped up to take the kick, but his shot was poor and Meath goalkeeper Seán Brennan got down to his left to save, ending the half with Meath 1-15 to 0-07 ahead as the siren had already sounded.
Meath didn’t escape entirely as the influential Costello had to be replaced at half-time with an apparent leg injury from throwing himself into the challenge.
Louth, now playing with the stiff wind, reeled off the first four scores of the second half, amounting to 0-6 as Mulroy converted two two-point frees.
Meath didn’t manage another point until Morris executed a textbook backdoor cut in the 50th minute and fisted over.
Flynn has kicked four two-pointers so far in the league. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
Louth continued to eat into the deficit and two more Mulroy two-pointers from frees left his side just a point behind with four minutes to go.
Lennon then struck back-to-back points to move Louth ahead for the first time in the game.
It seemed like they’d done enough to steal the win but Flynn took on the responsibility yet again for Meath with his game-clinching, last-gasp two-pointer.
Elsewhere in Division 2, Kildare and Derry both played most of the match with 14 men as the Ulster men headed home from Newbridge with a three-point win.
Derry captain Conor Glass and Kildare forward Alex Beirne were sent off in separate first-half incidents, while Derry duo Niall Loughlin and Conor Doherty also saw black cards which saw the visitors reduced to 12 for a spell.
A goal from Shane McGuigan, and an early second-half double from Paul Cassidy and Lachlan Murray, helped Derry to a 3-15 to 1-18 win.
In Division 3, Down won the battle of the unbeaten sides as they beat Westmeath 2-15 to 1-15 in Newry, while Laois earned a comfortable seven-point win over Sligo, while Wicklow beat Waterford in Division 4.
Substitutes: 10. Conor Duke (Dunshaughlin) for Costello (h/t); 20. Jack O’Connor (Curraha) for Lynch (49); 22. Adam O’Neill (Wolfe Tones) for Menton (56); 18. Killian Smyth (Castletown) for Keogan (65)
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Jack Flynn kicks another last-minute two-pointer to wrestle Meath win away from Louth
LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago
Allianz Football League – Results
Division 2
Division 3
Division 4
JACK FLYNN RODE to Meath’s rescue yet again with another late, late two-point score to secure a sweet National Football League win, moving the Royal County top of Division 2 on their own.
Just as he did in Cavan in Round 2, midfielder Flynn stole the headlines by raising an orange flag in the very last minute to secure the win for Meath.
With three wins from three having also defeated Derry in Round 1, when Flynn was man of the match with 0-7, Robbie Brennan’s side have taken pole position in the promotion race.
Ruairí Kinsella’s 1-3 contribution was important too while Jordan Morris fired over six points.
But the 2025 All-Ireland semi-finalists came so close to suffering another agonising defeat to old rivals Louth, who memorably defeated them in last summer’s Leinster final, as well as in last season’s league.
Louth trailed by 11 points at half-time but turned it around with four second half two-pointers from captain Sam Mulroy, and 0-4 from former All-Star Craig Lennon, to lead by a point at the death.
That’s when Flynn took matters into his own hands, lofting over what is now becoming a trademark score, his fourth two-pointer of the campaign so far.
Anybody wondering beforehand about the validity of the Meath-Louth rivalry got their answer within seconds of the throw-in.
Referee Brendan Griffin had his eye on a scuffle among a number of players at the Hill 16 end and stopped the clock after just nine seconds to dish out four black cards.
All-Star Meath defender Seán Rafferty and his colleague Brian O’Halloran were sent to the line along with Mulroy and Ciarán Downey.
Later in the half, just as Kinsella had got the ball away for a point, he took a big hit from Peter Lynch that earned the Louth defender a booking. Lynch ended up being taken off in the 32nd minute with an injury after a foul by Morris that drew a booking. There were four yellow cards and four black cards in total in the first half alone.
That Kinsella point in the 23rd minute was an inspirational score that ignited a storming passage of Meath play, yielding 1-7 in total without response.
Meath had been 0-7 to 0-6 ahead, thanks in part to an early two-pointer from Kinsella, but the blitzkrieg of scoring between the 23rd and 29th minutes opened up a 1-14 to 0-6 lead for the hosts.
Meath took over completely at midfield in this period, laying waste to the Louth kick-out with catch after catch to create score after score.
If it wasn’t Cian McBride pulling balls from the air, it was Bryan Menton or Donal Keogan, the latter fetching well and setting up Morris for a two-pointer.
Earlier in the half, there was concern when Morris crumpled in agony after contorting his body to get a pass away that was intercepted. Louth worked a score off the turnover and counter-attack for Lennon, but the real worry was Morris as he suffered a serious knee injury in the corresponding fixture last spring. Thankfully for Meath, the Kingscourt man got back going again and played a key role.
Kinsella struck Meath’s goal in the 24th minute, cutting through the centre of Louth’s defence after being released by Mathew Costello.
There was drama just before half-time when Louth were awarded a penalty for a Costello foul on Downey, who was just about to pull the trigger.
Mulroy stepped up to take the kick, but his shot was poor and Meath goalkeeper Seán Brennan got down to his left to save, ending the half with Meath 1-15 to 0-07 ahead as the siren had already sounded.
Meath didn’t escape entirely as the influential Costello had to be replaced at half-time with an apparent leg injury from throwing himself into the challenge.
Louth, now playing with the stiff wind, reeled off the first four scores of the second half, amounting to 0-6 as Mulroy converted two two-point frees.
Meath didn’t manage another point until Morris executed a textbook backdoor cut in the 50th minute and fisted over.
Louth continued to eat into the deficit and two more Mulroy two-pointers from frees left his side just a point behind with four minutes to go.
Lennon then struck back-to-back points to move Louth ahead for the first time in the game.
It seemed like they’d done enough to steal the win but Flynn took on the responsibility yet again for Meath with his game-clinching, last-gasp two-pointer.
Elsewhere in Division 2, Kildare and Derry both played most of the match with 14 men as the Ulster men headed home from Newbridge with a three-point win.
Derry captain Conor Glass and Kildare forward Alex Beirne were sent off in separate first-half incidents, while Derry duo Niall Loughlin and Conor Doherty also saw black cards which saw the visitors reduced to 12 for a spell.
A goal from Shane McGuigan, and an early second-half double from Paul Cassidy and Lachlan Murray, helped Derry to a 3-15 to 1-18 win.
In Division 3, Down won the battle of the unbeaten sides as they beat Westmeath 2-15 to 1-15 in Newry, while Laois earned a comfortable seven-point win over Sligo, while Wicklow beat Waterford in Division 4.
Meath scorers: Ruairí Kinsella 1-3 (1 tp), Jordan Morris 0-6 (1 tp, 0-1f), Mathew Costello 0-3 (1 tp), Aaron Lynch 0-2, Bryan Menton 0-1, Eoghan Frayne 0-1 (0-1f), Jack Flynn 0-3 (1 tp), Jack O’Connor 0-1
Louth scorers: Sam Mulroy 0-9 (4 tpf, 0-1f), Craig Lennon 0-4, Paul Mathews 0-3 (1 tp), Ciarán Downey 0-2, Conor Grimes 0-1, Dara McDonnell 0-1, Tadhg McDonnell 0-1, Ciarán Keenan 0-1
MEATH
1. Seán Brennan (Dunderry)
2. Seamus Lavin (St Peter’s Dunboyne)
3. Seán Rafferty (Na Fianna)
4. Brian O’Halloran (Ballivor)
5. Donal Keogan (Rathkenny)
6. Seán Coffey (Ballinabrackey)
7. Ciarán Caulfield (Trim)
19. Cian McBride (Downings, Donegal)
9. Jack Flynn (Ratoath)
12. Mathew Costello (Dunshaughlin)
11. Ruairí Kinsella (Dunshaughlin)
8. Bryan Menton (Donaghmore Ashbourne)
13. Jordan Morris (Kingscourt Stars, Cavan)
15. Eoghan Frayne (Summerhill – Captain)
21. Aaron Lynch (Trim)
Substitutes: 10. Conor Duke (Dunshaughlin) for Costello (h/t); 20. Jack O’Connor (Curraha) for Lynch (49); 22. Adam O’Neill (Wolfe Tones) for Menton (56); 18. Killian Smyth (Castletown) for Keogan (65)
LOUTH
16. Niall McDonnell (St Fechins)
2. Padraic Tinnelly (Dundalk Gaels)
3. Dermot Campbell (Dreadnots)
4. Donal McKenny (Ardee St Marys)
7. Craig Lennon (St Mochtas)
6. Peter Lynch (Roche Emmets)
18. Emmet Carolan (Newtown Blues)
8. Dara McDonnell (Naomh Mairtin)
9. Conor Early (Na Fianna)
10. Paul Mathews (St Fechins)
11. Sam Mulroy (Naomh Mairtin – Captain)
12. Conor Grimes (Glen Emmets)
22. Tadhg McDonnell (Ardee St Marys)
14. Ciaran Downey (Newtown Blues)
15. Ryan Burns (Hunterstown Rovers)
Substitutes: 23. Conall McKeever (Clan Na Gael) for Lynch (32); 20. Kieran McArdle (St Brides) for McDonnell (h/t); 5. Eoghan Callaghan (Naomh Mairtin) for Grimes (48); 13. Ciaran Keenan (Ardee St Marys) for Burns (48); 25. Daire Nally (Newtown Blues) for McDonnell (63)
Referee: Brendan Griffin (Kerry).
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