Ratoath (Meath) 0-11
Rhode (Offaly) 0-9
Paul Keane reports from Páirc Tailteann
DAVID BRADY WAS at the centre of late drama again as his Ratoath side survived another Pairc Tailteann dogfight to secure their place in the AIB Leinster club SFC semi-finals.
The former Mayo midfielder, on the line for the provincial quarter-final tie after successfully appealing against a red card picked up in the county final, was shoved late on by Rhode’s Anton Sullivan.
The game was in the melting pot at that stage and there were more heated words after full-time, and another Sullivan dunt, though Ratoath ultimately survived, five points in-a- row between the 36th and 50th minutes proving decisive.
Ratoath, chasing a first ever win in the competition, trailed by two points before reeling off those those five scores from Daithi McGowan, Jack Flynn, Cian O’Brien and Cian Rogers.
That put them three ahead and while Niall McNamee’s seventh point of the afternoon for Rhode in the 55th minute reduced the gap to just one, Ratoath pinched an insurance score from Bryan McMahon to seal it.
Ratoath’s reward for the win is a semi-final clash with The Downs of Westmeath at Croke Park on 19 November.
A win there would leave the Brownstown side, dominant in Meath with three of the last four titles, just an hour from completing the rare feat of Leinster junior (2004), intermediate (2015) and senior title successes.
Minus county attacker Joey Wallace, who is preparing for knee surgery, they trailed an ultra experienced Rhode side by a point at half-time, 0-5 to 0-4.
All but one of Rhode’s points came from McNamee converted frees and an Aaron Kellaghan score stretched the gap to two points early in the second-half.
The Offaly kingpins retained that two-point lead in the 36th minute when McGowan kicked what proved to be the first of five points in a row for Ratoath.
It was a decisive burst in a low scoring game and Rhode never recovered despite two late McNamee points from frees.
Meath forward Eamon Wallace played at centre-back again for Ratoath and scored two points though was black carded in the 46th minute, making the burst of scoring from his colleagues in that period all the more impressive.
Ratoath scorers: Daithi McGowan 0-3 (0-2f), Eamon Wallace 0-2, Jack Flynn (0-1f), Bobby O’Brien, Keith McCabe, Cian O’Brien, Cian Rogers (0-1 mark), Bryan McMahon (0-1 mark) 0-1 each.
Rhode scorers: Niall McNamee 0-7 (0-7f), Conor McNamee, Aaron Kellaghan 0-1 each.
Ratoath
1. Darragh McPartlin
2. Ciaran O Fearraigh
4. Ben Wyer
3. Conor McGill
7. Gavin McGowan
6. Eamon Wallace
5. Brian Daly
9. Ben McGowan
11. Jack Flynn
12. Keith McCabe
8. Daithi McGowan
10. Cian Rogers
14. Cian O’Brien
13. Bobby O’Brien
15. Bryan McMahon
Subs:
18. Padraic Byrne for McCabe (54)
21. Andrew Gerrard for Daly (57)
28. Conor Rooney for O’Brien (61)
Rhode
1. Kenneth Garry
4. James McPadden
3. Jake Kavanagh
6. Brian Darby
7. Keith Murphy
8. Conor McNamee
2. Gareth McNamee
9. Alan McNamee
5. Dylan Kavanagh
13. Paraic Sullivan
14. Aaron Kellaghan
12. Ciaran Heavey
15. Niall McNamee
10. Anton Sullivan
11. Ruairi McNamee
Subs:
18. Stephen Hannon for Paraic Sullivan (h/t)
19. Darren Garry for Heavey (39)
17. Paul McPadden for Gareth McNamee (48)
21. Shane Sullivan for Alan McNamee (61)
Referee: Seamus Mulhare (Laois).
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