2024 Allianz Football League Division 2 – Cork 1-15 Meath 1-11

Cork defeated Meath by 1-15 to 1-11 in Round 6 of the Allianz Football League Division 2 on Saturday March 16th at Páirc Tailteann, Navan.

Cork finish with a flourish in Navan to maintain upward momentum

Allianz FL Division 2: Meath 1-11 Cork 1-15

Report by John Fogarty for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Cork scored the last seven points of this affair in Páirc Tailteann to secure victory and in turn their Division 2 status.

Whether it will be enough to ensure their passage into the Sam Maguire Cup remains to be seen but they were resurgent in the closing stages having trailed Meath by three points in the 56th minute.

Steven Sherlock produced three points from the bench as Cork, fresh from their training camp in Portugal last week, illustrated their superior fitness and character to claim a third straight win to move into fourth spot in Division 2.

Two Conor Corbett points opened up the second half for Cork. Between them, a goal beckoned when Seán Powter honed in on goal but his hand-pass intended for Brian Hurley at the back post was cut out by Daithí McGowan.

A couple of converted placed balls restored parity for Meath before Powter punched another hole in their rearguard and put the visitors a point ahead in the 50th minute.

Mathre Costello then turned the game on its head. Catching a ball above his marker Daniel O’Mahony, he sent over his second point of the game and then repeated the trick seconds later for his 54th-minute goal, taking receipt of a diagonal ball from Shane Walsh to put Meath ahead for the first time since the early exchanges.

However, Cork’s finish was resounding. A brace of points from Luke Fahy began the fightback in earnest and Corbett’s second point levelled the game in the 65th minute. Sherlock, Mattie Taylor and Mark Cronin all got in on the scoring act and Cork weren’t going to be beaten.

Meath were cut open far too easily in the fifth minute when Brian O’Driscoll found Conor Corbett who delivered a composed, low finish to the net despite being off balance and coming under pressure.

It was the first of a few goal openings for John Cleary’s side in a first half that was pockmarked by awful ball handling and sloppy passes. Conditions were tricky but not so much as to mitigate the basics being butchered.

Meath themselves had a three-point opportunity in the 10th minute but Shane Walsh fired wide after Kevin Flahive passed the ball to him, one of six they put either side of Christopher Kelly’s goal in the opening half.

Points by Hurley and Chris Óg Jones, a breakaway point similar to Cork’s first goal against Kildare two weeks ago, put them three up in the 20th minute and Hurley restored that cushion in the 24th following a Ruairí Kinsella score.

Cork went four up less than two minutes later when O’Driscoll ensured Cork had something for a counterattack move that threatened to end with Donal Keogan blocking down a Hurley strike at goal.

However, most of the second quarter belonged to Meath as they claimed the last four scores of the half. All of them were from distance, two in a row from Eoghan Frayne, Walsh’s first and Seán Brennan’s second converted 45 of the game squared matters going into the interval.

Scorers for Meath: M. Costello (1-2, 0-1 free); E. Frayne (1 free), S. Brennan (all 45s) (0-3 each); R. Kinsella (0-2); S. Walsh (0-1).

Scorers for Cork: C. Corbett (1-3); S. Sherlock (0-3, 1 free); B. Hurley, L. Fahy (0-2 each); C. Jones, B. O’Driscoll, S. Powter, M. Taylor, M. Cronin (0-1 each).

MEATH: S. Brennan; D. Keogan, A. O’Neill, B. O’Halloran; C. Caulfield, D. Campion, S. Coffey; C. McBride, D. McGowan, M. Costello (c), J. O’Connor; R. Kinsella, S. Walsh, E. Frayne.
Subs for Meath: M. Murphy for D. Campion (inj 27); D. Dixon for J. O’Connor (50); A. Mac Dónaill for R. Kinsella (56); D. Moriarty for C. McBride (70); K. Curtis for D. McGowan (temp 70+1-; H. O’Higgins for C. Caulfield (70+2).

CORK: C. Kelly; K. Flahive, D. O’Mahony, T. Walsh; L. Fahy, S, Meehan, M. Taylor; I. Maguire, C. O’Callaghan; P. Walsh, S. Powter, B. O’Driscoll; C. Jones, C. Corbett, B. Hurley (c).
Subs for Cork: R. Deane for P. Walsh (44); S. Sherlock for B. Hurley (48); M. Cronin for C. Jones, K. O’Hanlon for B. O’Driscoll (both 55); E. McSweeney for R. Deane (65).

Referee: T. Murphy (Galway).

Team News

The Cork Senior Football team to play Meath has been announced;https://t.co/nadwoWyGH7 pic.twitter.com/3d4lVWtZ03

— Cork GAA (@OfficialCorkGAA) March 15, 2024

Cork (AFL v Meath): C Kelly; K Flahive, D O’Mahony, T Walsh; L Fahy, S Meehan, M Taylor; I Maguire, C O’Callaghan; E McSweeney, M Cronin, B O’Driscoll; C Óg Jones, C Corbett, B Hurley.

Meath (AFL v Cork): S Brennan; D Keogan, A O’Neill, B O’Halloran; C Caulfield, D Campion, S Coffey; C McBride, C Hickey; D McGowan, E Frayne, J O’Connor; S Walsh, M Costello, R Kinsella.