Meath 0-12
Fermanagh 1-9
Paul Keane reports from Navan
TAILTEANN CUP HOLDERS Meath were forced to come from behind to secure a share of the spoils in Navan, denting their hopes of promotion.
Colm O’Rourke was surely eyeing a home win over freshly promoted Fermanagh to begin the campaign though, in the end, there was relief that the hosts managed to grab a draw.
They trailed by three at the hour mark to an Ultan Kelm inspired Fermanagh and required substitute Shane Walsh, defender Adam O’Neill and debutant Eoghan Frayne to hit points that levelled it.
Mathew Costello had a late, late opportunity to win it from a free just inside the 45-metre line but dropped his effort short.
By that stage, Fermanagh were down to 14 players as midfield Joe McDade was black carded in the 68th minute.
It left Frayne as the man who rescued the draw with his 66th minute leveller and the Summerhill rookie kicked five points in total, four of those coming from play.
He was one of five players who startd their first league game for Meath while several more came on including ex-AFL player Cian McBride.
Meath will head to Armagh next weekend in Round 2 while Fermanagh, for whom Sean Cassidy kicked 1-2, will hope to go one better when they host Kildare.
It was a new year for Fermanagh without Sean Quigley and both Ryan and Conall Jones who announced their unavailability in the closed season.
Kieran Donnelly’s side, showing eight changes from the team that exited last year’s Tailteann Cup, took their time to get going too with just two points registered in the first 25 minutes despite playing with the stiff wind.
Meath, playing without injured regulars Jordan Morris, Paraic Harnan, Conor Gray, Ronan Ryan and James McEntee, led by 0-3 to 0-2 at that stage though it was a lukewarm start from both teams who got men behind the ball when defending and attempted to play a patient counter-attacking game.
Kelm struck three wides before eventually coming strongly into the game in the 10 or so minutes before half-time.
The Erne Gaels man, who missed out on an AFL deal with Fremantle in 2021 because of a hip injury, used his blistering pace to great effect with a series of runs from deep.
He scored a point with one and then played in Garvan Jones for another, leaving the scores tied at 0-5 apiece with 34 minutes played.
In the groove now, Fermanagh launched another terrific counter-attack two minutes into stoppage time after rookie Michael Murphy coughed up possession in the Meath defence.
The visitors jumped on the error and great work by Brandon Horan left the Meath defence exposed and Conor McShea in a position to play in Sean Cassidy for an expertly crafted goal.
It was a real blow for Meath who’d moved 0-5 to 0-4 ahead earlier following back to back points from Frayne.
The Summerhill youngster, who has impressed in Maynooth’s run to the Sigerson Cup quarter-finals, was getting his first taste of league action. Goalkeeper Sean Brennan, Murphy, Ciaran Caulfield and Sean Coffey were the others.
Brennan, Caulfield and Coffey did feature for Meath in last year’s Championship campaign though and lined out in July’s Tailteann Cup final defeat of Down.
Fermanagh bowed out of that competition with a surprise preliminary quarter-final loss to Laois though were in a decent position at half-time here, leading Meath by 1-5 to 0-5.
Backed by the elements after the break, Meath set about reeling in the Ulster men and wiped out the deficit by the 49th minute.
Points from Frayne, Tailteann Cup Player of the Year Costello and new captain Ronan Jones, left it 0-9 to 1-6.
Just as Meath looked set to kick on and to reward their home supporters in the 4,000 or so gathering, they were left frustrated by three more Fermanagh points in a row.
Kelm was a central figure in all three scores for Oisin Smyth, Garvan Jones and Aidan Breen, opening up a 1-9 to 0-9 lead.
A second kick from Meath and three more points in a row, this time from substitute Shane Walsh, defender Adam O’Neill and Frayne, tied it up yet again at 1-9 to 0-12.
It was anyone’s game now and both teams had opportunities to win it in the final few minutes, Costello dropping a free kick into the goalkeeper’s arms with time almost up.
Meath scorers: Eoghan Frayne 0-5 (0-1f), Daithi McGowan 0-3, Mathew Costello 0-1 (0-1f), Ronan Jones 0-1, Shane Walsh 0-1, Adam O’Neill 0-1.
Fermanagh scorers: Sean Cassidy 1-2, Garvan Jones 0-2, Ultan Kelm 0-1, Lee Cullen 0-1, Shane McGullion 0-1, Oisin Smyth 0-1, Aidan Breen 0-1.
MEATH
1. Sean Brennan (Dunderry)
2. Donal Keogan (Rathkenny)
3. Adam O’Neill (Wolfe Tones)
4. Michael Murphy (St Peter’s, Dunboyne)
5. Ciaran Caulfield (Trim)
6. Darragh Campion (Skryne)
7. Sean Coffey (Ballinabrackey)
9. Jack Flynn (Ratoath)
10. Daithi McGowan (Ratoath)
18. Eoghan Frayne (Summerhill)
8. Ronan Jones (St Peter’s, Dunboyne – Captain)
15. Jack O’Connor (Curraha)
12. Cathal Hickey (Seneschalstown)
14. Mathew Costello (Dunshaughlin)
13. Aaron Lynch (Trim)
SUBS
11. Shane Walsh (Na Fianna) for Costello (45-48, blood)
Walsh for Lynch (50)
20. Ruairi Kinsella (Dunshaughlin) for O’Connor (54)
21. Diarmuid Moriarty (Curraha) for Hickey (63)
22. James Conlon (St Colmcilles) for Frayne (67)
26. Cian McBride (St Ultan’s) for Flynn (69)
FERMANAGH
1. Sean McNally (Tigh Mhor)
2. Lee Cullen (Beal Na Leice)
3. Che Cullen (Beal Na Leice)
4. Oisin Smith (Doire O gConaile)
5. Declan McCusker (Naomh Iosaf – Captain)
6. Shane McGuillion (Doire O gConaile)
7. Josh Largo Ellis (Na Cearna)
8. Brandon Horan (Inis Ceithleann)
9. Joe McDade (Lios na Sceithe)
10. Conor McGee (Naomh Iosaf)
11. Ronan McCaffrey (Tigh Mhor)
12. Conor McShea (Inis Ceithleann)
13. Ultan Kelm (Gaeil na hEirne)
14. Garvan Jones (Doire O gConaile)
15. Sean Cassidy (Naomh Iosaf)
SUBS
23. Cian McManus (Tigh Mor) for McShea (2-5)
18. Aidan Breen (An tIompu) for McCusker (h/t)
20. Tiarnan Bogue (An tIompu) for McGee (63)
McManus for McGullion (67)
19. Diarmuid King (Achadh Ge) for Cassidy (67)
22. John Reihill (Inis Ceithleann) for Jones (75)
Referee: Jerome Henry (Mayo).
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