Meath…2-17
Tyrone…0-08
Second half goals from Eamon Og O’Donnchadh and substitute Paddy Barnwell put a coat of gloss on a polished Meath performance in O’Neill’s Healy Park, Omagh as the visitors booked their place in the Allianz NHL Div. 2B Final with a game to spare.
On a weekend that, locally at least, was a complete washout for sport, the Royal stickmen gave Gaels in the county an occasion to look forward to when they will take on one of Wicklow, Donegal or today’s opponents. And as it happened, Seoirse Bulfin’s side had two very appropriate goal scorers securing their passage. O’Donnchadh as an Gaelteacht has been one of the standout performers in the drive to the Final while the latter-named Kildalkey clubman has also made some notable contributions along the way as well.
Being qualified early for the showpiece, there may be at least a temptation to give lads a run out against London – who garnered their first reward of the season today – but the pragmatic approach may be to leave well enough alone.
The visitors had a lot of the heavy lifting done by half time here, at which point they had carved out a lead of 0-15 to 0-05. What might be of slight concern to the Meath camp is the fact that they only added four scores after the resumption. Though any such misgivings will surely be offset by the fact that half of them were majors. Goals which bookended the second 30 minutes.
SCORERS – E. O’Donnchadh (1-4), P. O’Hanrahan (0-6), P. Barnwell (1-1), S. Quigley (0-2), K. Donnelly, S. Ennis, P. Ryan, S. Morris (0-1 each).
MEATH: C. Ennis; G. Dwane, D. Healy, B. McKeon; K. Donnelly, J. Toher, S. Ennis; P. Ryan, S. Geraghty; S. Morris, J. Regan, N. McLarnon; S. Quigley, E. O’Donnchadh, P. O’Hanrahan. Subs; S. Brennan for Donnelly, P. Kelly for McLarnon, D. Shine for Geraghty, E. Fitzgerald for Quigley, P. Barnwell for O’Donnchadh.