Leinster SFC: Summerhill (Meath) 2-22 Killoe Young Emmets (Longford) 1-16
In the foothills of the AIB Leinster football championship, Summerhill did enough to progress to the quarter-finals. Given the poor record of Meath clubs in the competition that is not to be dismissed, as a strong, wind-assisted second half propelled them to a comfortable win.
It was a good performance by Summerhill, whose familiar strengths were played out from the start. Centrefield was ably crewed by Adam McDonnell and Adam Flanagan and their support lines from the back were dynamic and penetrating.
The main issue was a defence that was a bit easily breached in the first half but which tightened up afterwards, conceding only five points after the break.
Opponents Killoe, representing Longford – a county that won this championship seven years ago, far more recently than Meath – briefly threatened the outcome when they went on a scoring burst in the first half and looked as if they might take a decent lead in at half-time to insulate themselves against the wind they would be facing after the interval.
RM Block
On previous outings in Leinster they had conjured a couple of wins over Meath clubs and, although underdogs, wouldn’t have felt themselves hopeless causes.
They started briskly, getting the ball forward quickly and creating pressure. Their efficiency was admirable, with just one wide in the first half, although maybe some of the attacks were a bit long-winded, allowing the cover to gather.
Larry Moran’s goal in the 26th minute was an opportunistic raid after Summerhill failed to clear a dropping ball. Killoe won the ball back and pressed hard, with Michael Quinn, who did his best to orchestrate the team from the middle, teeing it up with a hand pass across the goal.
That gave the Longford champions a six-point lead, 1-10 to 0-7, but instead of providing a base for them to kick on, it appeared to prompt their opponents into action.
Meath captain Eoghan Frayne clipped a point almost immediately and was then instrumental in a goal, scored after he had challenged strongly for a high ball dropped in by Dermot McCabe. His touch looked like a goal but a frantic clearance off the line succeeded only in deflecting the ball off the incoming Jamie O’Shea and into the net.
With the interval looming the complexion of the contest had radically changed. Two further points, a 45 from goalkeeper Seán Muddiman and a point from O’Shea tied it up before Paddy Moran’s free gave Killoe a slender advantage. Compared to what they had, though, it looked insubstantial and so it proved.
Within a minute Kevin Ryan had equalised for Summerhill and a two-point free shortly afterwards pushed them into a lead that was never really threatened. In the 46th minute, Flanagan put it beyond reasonable doubt, tipping in a long ball kicked by his partner McDonnell for a six-point lead, 2-15 to 1-12.
Their experienced manager, David Clare, acknowledged that his team were in an excellent position by half-time.
“Yeah, we looked at them analysis-wise and how they attack. They’re an awesome side and I think 90 per cent of their scores come from inside the ‘D’ so we talked about how we’d defend narrower.
“And you have to change everything when you’re playing them, everything we’ve been working on this year, working on the arc and that, when you’re playing them you have to come inside the arc and actually defend narrow, old school like Dublin used to attack.
“They’re a really, really good side in that respect, we talked about that and we doubled down on that at half-time and it stuck to us as well then in the second half.”
Two years ago, Summerhill registered a good win over a coming Tullamore side but lost the quarter-final to Naas. On Saturday week, they will travel to Kildare again to take on Athy, who had a big win over Baltinglass.
Clare is very well informed on the opposition having managed Celbridge in the county in recent years. He contextualised the long-running problems of Meath football in this championship – the county hasn’t won it since Dunshaughlin came out on top 23 years ago and haven’t been to a final since 2004.
“Yeah, but let’s be honest about it. Robbie Brennan [current county manager, who took them to this year’s All-Ireland semi-final as well as managing Kilmacud to the club All-Ireland] has raised the standards in Meath football, and even Conor Donoghue [member of the calendar fixtures taskforce], who has been tinkering with the championship over the last couple of years. And this is what it looks like.
“I’ll be honest with you. I was looking at Kilbride [Meath intermediate champions] yesterday, and the junior side as well. They’re all winning. Why? Because standards in Meath are coming up.”
SUMMERHILL: S Muddiman (0-0-2, 2 45s); I Hughes, Ronan Ryan (capt), B Moran; J Bannon, Ross Ryan, J O’Shea (1-0-2); A McDonnell (0-1-2), A Flanagan (1-0-0); D McCabe (0-0-2), K Ryan (0-0-1), D Larkin (0-0-1); C Frayne (0-0-1), E Frayne (0-1-3, 1tpf, 1f), L Shaw (0-0-2).
Subs: P Geraghty for Bannon (43 mins); C Lyons (0-0-1) for O’Shea, J Lavelle (0-0-1) for I Hughes (both 48); B Dardis for C Frayne (55); K Lyons for Larkin (57).
KILLOE YOUNG EMMETS: M Hughes (0-1-0, 1 tpf); L Hughes, D Moffett, R Moffett; J Moran (0-0-2), N Farrelly, G Farrelly; M Quinn, R Keogh; P Kiernan (0-1-0) C Farrelly (0-0-1), D Mimnagh; L Moran (1-0-0), P Moran (0-0-7, 5f), M Hughes (0-0-1).
Subs: R McGoldrick (0-0-1) for L Moran (47 mins); C Dooner for P Kiernan (50); E Farrelly for C Farrelly (55); G Hughes for Keogh (57).
Referee: A Coyne (Westmeath).
