February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The margin might only have been two points, and Meath might have battled with their traditional tenacity, but Dublin were by some way the more accomplished side during the second half.
If one Dublin swallow doesn’t make a summer, there were signs that the indecision and the lack of self-belief that have stifled the capital county’s Leinster and All Ireland aspirations are beginning to dissipate.
This was a Dublin full of energy and skill, a Dublin which refused to panic when Meath built on a rollicking start to lead by two points at the interval.
In fact, it was as if some of the customary Meath qualities of stubbornness and aggression have filtered through to new manager Paul Caffrey and his players. All over the pitch there were performances to savor as Alan Brogan in attack, Ciaran Whelan at centerfield and defender Stephen O’Shaughnessy caught the eye.
And yet, it wasn’t as if Dublin sent shivers of apprehension through Ulster’s pretenders Armagh and Tyrone, and neither will Kerry be quaking in their boots. Freetaker Tomas Quinn misfired badly before being substituted and there were a series of wasteful wides in the second half when the winners had the game by the scruff of the neck.
Meath failed to register a score for 23 minutes when Dublin were at their most dominant, and still they could have stolen the result at the death.
While there is plenty of remedial work to be done before the semi-final against Wexford, Caffrey must still be pleased at how his charges responded to a tension-packed occasion in front of 65,000 spectators. When Dublin beat Meath, a provincial title is usually close at hand.
As for Meath, with five championship debutants and without the service of the injured Trevor Giles, defeat wasn’t too bitter a pill. They fizzed and bubbled for a time especially when the brilliant Graham Geraghty was on the ball, and if they never quite got to grips with Brogan’s pace and Whelan’s prowess under the high ball, they will pose a threat in the qualifiers.
“We did good things and some things that weren’t so good, but at least the old fighting spirit was back,” said manager Sean Boylan. “We were prepared to have a right good cut at it, and if we’re not na