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2024 EirGrid GAA Football All-Ireland U20 Championship Semi-Final – Kerry 0-12 Meath 0-11

May 11 @ 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Kerry defeated Meath by 0-12 to 0-11 in the EirGrid GAA Football All-Ireland U20 Championship Semi-Final on Saturday May 11th at FBD Semple Stadium Thurles.

Kerry U20s pip Meath to reach first All-Ireland final in 16 years

Eirgrid All-Ireland U20 Football Championship semi-final: Kerry 0-12 Meath 0-11

Report by Murt Murphy for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Kerry ended a sixteen years hiatus since the Kingdom found themselves contesting an All-Ireland under-21/under-20 decider. In fact Kerry had not emerged out of Munster for nine campaigns after their All-Ireland win in 2008, and to make matters even worse the Kingdom had lost their last five All-Ireland semi-finals.

But at FBD Semple Stadium this afternoon, despite being without regular fullback Dara O’Callaghan, Tomás Ó Sé’s charges came good but only after an epic encounter that went right down to the wire.

There was late drama as Meath, trailing by a point going into added time, tried to force extra time. Twice Conor McWeeney had chances to level the contest and twice he missed as Kerry hearts were in their mouths. Firstly McWeeney was through on goal and his punched effort struck the left hand post and down off the crossbar for a grateful Michael Tansley to collect.

But McWeeney then had an even better chance when he was right through on goal but instead of punching over the equalizer, he punched ball across goal for the inrushing Rian O’Connell but it flew over his head. Then in dying embers of the game, after a Kerry attack had been broken up, Liam Kelly blazed wide with the last kick of the game and Kerry had somehow survived.

It was end to end stuff by two superb teams with neither side able to miss in the opening half with Kerry leading 0-8 to -0-7 at half time and the wide count was only 3-1 to Meath.

The second half was played with a ferocious intensity but both sides almost kicked it away, with Meath kicking eight wides to Kerry’s seven.

Kerry gave up great goal chances in the second half. Firstly, Luke Crowley in the 37th minute – when Aidan Crowley sent him through one on one with the keeper – blazed over the bar when a goal appeared the easier option.

Then in the 50th minute Tomas Kennedy was denied by a superb save by keeper McDermott at full stretch. Two minutes later Kerry missed another gilt edged goal chance when Paddy Lane, who had been introduced and scored a point, was denied by fullback Liam Kelly, at the expense of a forty five.

Both sides only added four points each in the second half with Meath’s points coming from danger man Jamie Murphy with two and one each from midfielders jack Kinlough and Charlie O’Connor.

Cormac Dillon (2) and Luke Crowley along with Lane were the winner’s only marksmen in a half dominated by defenses and poor shooting.

Kerry made an explosive start to the game when they posted the opening point after Rob Stack turned over Meath who won the throw in and fed Eddie Healy who raced through to split the posts.

But then Meath took control and popped over three unanswered points in as many minutes from Shaun Leonard, John O’Regan and Hughie Corcoran to lead 0-3 to 0-1. But Kerry’s pressure on their Royal opponents saw Eddie Healy send Luke Crowley through but his goal bound shot was smothered by Meath keeper Oisin McDermott.

Charlie Keating was shadowing Meath danger man Eamonn Armstrong while Luke Crowley thundered into the game with some powerful runs aided and abetted by the impressive Eddie Healy.

Hughie Corcoran then added a free but Gearoid Evans made a superb block on Murphy and Kerry were soon on level terms thanks to points from Kennedy, Daniel Kirby and Dillon.

The sides were level four times in the opening half but Meath moved 0-6 to 0-4 in front at the end of the opening quarter thanks to two outrageous points from Jamie Murphy.

But Kerry dominated the second quarter and points from Eddie Healy, Ryan Diggin and Cormac Dillon saw Kerry hit the front and they maintained their one point lead until the interval before the drama of that second half.

Scorers for Kerry: C Dillon (0-42fs), E Healy and L Crowley (0-2 each), R Diggin, D Kirby, T Kennedy and P Lane (0-1 each)

Scorers for Meath: J Murphy (0-5,2fs), H Corcoran (0-2, 1f), J O’Regan, J Kinlough, C O’Connor and S Leonard (0-1 each) Teams:

KERRY: M Tansley; M Lynch, R Diggin, G Evans; C Keating, D O’Connor, C Lynch; R Stack, E Healy; D Kirby, O Ferris, T Kennedy; C Dillon, A Crowley, L Crowley.
Subs: A Segal for R Diggin (35), C Brosnan for O Ferris (43), F Murphy for G Evans (44), P Lane for A Crowley (46), L Evans for D Kirby (56)

MEATH: O McDermott; C Ennis, L Kelly, S O’Hare; E Armstrong, J O’Regan, K Smyth; J Kinlough, C O’Connor; S Leonard, R Stafford, C Duke; H Corcoran, J Murphy, R McConnell.
Subs: C McWeeney for S Leonard (h/t), S Emmanuel for R Stafford (42), H Martin for C O’Connor (42), B O’Halloran for K Smyth (45), J Harkin (54)

Referee: T Murphy (Galway).

Broadcast Details

Team News

KERRY (U20 SFC v Meath): M Tansley (Austin Stacks); M Lynch (Dr Crokes), D O’Callaghan (Kilcummin), G Evans (Keel); C Keating (Dr Crokes), D O’Connor (Kenmare Shamrocks), C Lynch (Glenflesk); R Stack (Beale) (C), E Healy (Listowel Emmets); D Kirby (Austin Stacks), O Ferris (Ardfert), T Kennedy (Kerins O’Rahillys); C Dillon (Duagh), A Crowley (Templenoe), Luke Crowley (Glenflesk)
Subs: J Hoare (Dingle), A Segal (Ballyduff), C Brosnan (Currow), F Murphy (Rathmore), R Diggin (Laune Rangers), E Boyle (Ballyduff), P Lane (Austin Stacks), I O’Sullivan (St Michael’s-Foilmore), L Evans (Keel)

Details

Date:
May 11
Time:
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Venue

FBD Semple Stadium Thurles

GAA Units

Clare GAA
Cork GAA
Kerry GAA
Limerick GAA
Tipperary GAA
Waterford GAA
US GAA