ORCHARD HEROES DENIED VITAL VICTORY
MEATH 3-8 ARMAGH 2-11
Richard Bullick in Navan
Gallant Armagh’s hopes of an heroic visiting victory in Navan were dashed as a late 1-1 from Meath snatched the hosts a share of the spoils in an absorbing All Ireland group game at Pairc Tailteann on Saturday.
Considering how an already depleted team had lost captain Clodagh McCambridge in the warm-up and trailed early in the second half facing into the wind away to the recent All Ireland champions, this would have been one of Armagh’s greatest ever victories.
Four points up with not much more than two minutes remaining, the Orchard crew came excruciatingly close to holding on for a valuable away win in this televised Senior Championship opener.
But Meath’s All Ireland-winning skipper Shauna Ennis, who came off the bench for her first appearance this season after a long injury lay-off, grabbed a goal and a towering strike from Vikki Wall brought the Royals level with 84 seconds left.
The hosts kept pressing thereafter from Armagh’s kickout but it would have beyond cruel if Meath had snatched an undeserved victory in the closing seconds and, thankfully, they were kept at bay by more relentless Orchard defiance.
Although the final whistle brought Orchard relief from that last siege, there was also a sense of what might have been because of the scoreline just three minutes earlier, but this was a day to take the positives from once the dust settled.
Driving home afterwards, as the rain which had held off for the game began again, your correspondent could barely recall ever feeling prouder in my many years following the team including reporting for this newspaper on Armagh’s last 153 matches.
It was no surprise to discover later that both Armagh joint managers Joe Feeney and Darnell Parkinson had likewise expressed great pride during their post-match interviews as this Orchard display epitomised sheer heart and fantastic character.
Defensive rock McCambridge’s late withdrawal was a big blow for an Armagh team already missing star sisters Aimee and Blaithin Mackin, their Shane O’Neills clubmates Louise Kenny and Moya Feehan, and Dearbhla Coleman who won an Ulster All Star last season.
Additionally, Armagh’s 2024 Player of the Year Roisin Mulligan, who missed last month’s Ulster final victory over Donegal due to a hand injury, and Ballyhegan’s Eve Lavery weren’t fit to start, meaning a total of four changes to the Orchard’s published line-up.
So Clann Eireann’s Megan McCann retained her starting spot from the Clones showpiece while former skipper Kelly Mallon, Derrynoose teenager Caoimhe McNally and Clonmore’s Sarah Quigley also came into the side with Lauren McConville taking over as skipper.
Although the Ulster champions coped well with the adversity, the disruption probably militated against Armagh’s hopes of capitalising on having a strong breeze behind them and Meath punishing two turnovers with breakaway goals didn’t help either.
It took a free from Niamh Reel right on the hooter to send Armagh into the interval on level terms and, although they retook the lead early in the second half, it felt ominous when Meath moved ahead again by the 39th minute.
However, Armagh hit back to go four points in front by the end of the third quarter and kept control thereafter thanks to encouraging composure underpinned by herculean effort before Meath finally found that lifeline late on.
They say it’s the hope that kills and Armagh had felt tantalisingly close to safety after the incomparable Caroline O’Hanlon had kicked an acute-angled free at one end to put her team four up and then caught a dropping ball under her own crossbar moments later.
The evergreen 40-year-old, in her record-breaking 24th season in the orange jersey, had also won several vital turnovers, a couple by shrewd reading of the play but one with a ruthless rip in contact that Irish rugby groundhog Aoife Dalton would have been proud of.
On an afternoon for Orchard heroes, special mention must go to the magnificent Emily Druse, weighed down with her fourth year Medicine exams at present but bringing endless energy as ever and making numerous effective contributions.
She showed determination and awareness when feeding Aoife McCoy for yet another Armagh goal by the Dromintee dynamo who battled ferociously all day as did her fellow stalwart McConville, captaining her county in a Championship match for the first time.
Having just come off the bench in the NFL final and Ulster showpiece, experienced campaigner Mallon showed her worth by banging over a superb point in the opening minute, put Armagh ahead again at the start of the second half and took her goal well.
Mallon’s major was well set up by midfielder Niamh Coleman, whose namesakes Niamh Reel and Niamh Henderson registered seven points between them, with four of the former’s five scores coming from frees.
The Ferguson sisters, Grace and Maeve, put in big shifts, Clann Eireann pair Cait Towe and McCann worked hard to compensate for clubmate McCambridge’s absence and goalkeeper Anna Carr showed her bravery in making a brilliant save in the 54th minute.
McNally, Armagh’s find of the season with her regular scoring cameos, embraced an unaccustomed starting role and did her bit before giving way to fellow Derrynoose young gun Maeve Lennon, who showed well wide on the left in that tense final quarter.
With both damaged hands strapped up, Mulligan was thrust into action at the start of the second half in place of Quigley and Armagh made just three substitutions in total, prompting one to wonder if the experienced Catherine Marley may also be on the injury list at present.
Meath goalkeeper Robyn Murray had to make a fantastic save with just 38 seconds gone as the hosts broke from the throw-in but Vikki Wall over-carried, O’Hanlon sent Druse on the first of her many scorching runs and the Harps flyer offloaded to McCoy steaming through.
McCoy’s shot was brilliantly blocked by net-minder Murray but Reel collected the ball wide on the left, played it back to Grace Ferguson and Mallon rifled over a superb point from long-range with her weaker left foot inside the opening minute.
Meath dangerwoman Duggan quickly equalised and Vikki Wall put the Royals in front for the first time with a left-footed free in the third minute but Reel replied with a huge point from out on the left after Maeve Ferguson and Druse had attacked up the right.
The early scoring spree continued when Reel converted a fifth minute free won by a determined Mallon before a speculative shot from O’Hanlon – trying to take advantage of the breeze behind her – went wide.
McNally picked off the Meath kickout and Henderson scored a composed point to put Armagh two ahead with just seven minutes gone in what was an enjoyable game between two well-matched teams on a cold and windy afternoon.
McCann picked off a pass after Vikki Wall ploughed forward but the AFLW winner hit the Orchard net in the 11th minute, brushing off McCann and Maeve Ferguson before finishing powerfully from an angle on the left.
Ciara Smyth pointed for Meath after O’Hanlon had got a hand to their initial shot but it was cancelled out at the end of the first quarter as Henderson fisted over for her second score of this tie.
Meath hit a couple of wides and a Mallon goal was disallowed for a square ball before Vikki Wall kicked a left-footed point on the turn, though Armagh went back in front two minutes later courtesy of McCoy’s major.
A darting Druse offloaded deftly to McCoy, who showed her All Star class with a clinical finish and Reel added a free when Meath infringed as Druse linked up with Henderson, though the Silverbridge forward was off target with her next set-piece effort.
The lead changed hands again when Quigley got turned over, Vikki Wall spun off Druse and Royals skipper Aoibhin Cleary slotted low past Carr in the 27th minute but Armagh got back on even terms by the break.
After patient approach play by Armagh, Druse was fouled as she burst through heavy traffic and Reel – who had been given responsibility for frees from both sides of the posts – wasn’t put off the sound of the hooter as she struck the ball.
Meath and McCann exchanged wides in the opening minute of the second half but Mallon soon nudged Armagh ahead, finishing an attack which came from a turnover won by O’Hanlon and featuring McCoy, Coleman and Henderson.
Grace Ferguson pilfered possession in deep defence and that fierce rip from O’Hanlon soon followed but Armagh got no reward, with cynical fouls perpetrated on both McCoy and McConville to stop the visiting team’s momentum.
Armagh couldn’t capitalise when the opposition keeper was dispossessed a long way upfield and Duggan kicked an equalising free before captain Cleary gave Meath a short-lived lead with a point from play.
It was cancelled out by McCoy holding off a defender to split the posts from a turnover and counter-attack by Towe, and Armagh quickly went from one down to four up towards the end of the third quarter.
McConville stormed up the middle, Druse and Henderson took over and then Coleman did well to carry in traffic and offload for Mallon, who threaded a low left-footed finish to the net under pressure from several defenders.
Having put up with both Vikki Wall and Duggan challenging decisions earlier, referee Maggie Farrelly moved the ball forward for dissent when Meath gave away a free at the kickout following the goal and Reel punished them by converting.
Duggan raised a white flag from a free at the start of the final quarter just before Lennon took over from McNally with the only subsequent Orchard change being the introduction of Lavery for McCann on 52 minutes.
Perhaps with hindsight Armagh might have been more proactive in pushing harder for further scores but they were understandably content to keep probing patiently and were managing the game well as the clock ticked down.
O’Hanlon landed the testing free awarded when McConville was hit late – Katie Newe was lucky not to be sinbinned – in the 57th minute and the Armagh great then came up with a clean catch in her own goalmouth from a free dropped in by Duggan.
But Duggan’s next tantalising delivery proved productive, Ennis netting after claiming possession and holding off Towe, with Vikki Wall’s lovely strike to equalise following less than a minute later.
Meath had grabbed a one-point win with 1-1 in the last 30 seconds when these teams met in a dead rubber NFL fixture at the end of March, having lost by the minimum margin at the Athletic Grounds in last season’s opening All Ireland group game the first Saturday in June.
The Royals sensed their chance to snatch an unlikely victory but Armagh managed to keep them at bay in a frenetic finale on a weekend which saw Dublin grab a 1-13 apiece draw with Waterford when Kate Sullivan equalised with the last kick in Dungarvan on Sunday.
So what had looked like the most intriguing tries in the first set of fixtures in this All Ireland series both finished all square whereas there were expected victories for Kerry – by 0-13 to 1-4 over Mayo in Tralee – and Galway, on a 1-13 to 0-7 scoreline against Tipperary in Tuam.
Dublin should win well against Division Four Leitrim in Parnell Park this Saturday, when Kildare host Meath, beaten Ulster finalists Donegal have home advantage against Galway and All Ireland champions Kerry travel to face Cork in Pairc Ui Chaoimh.
MEATH: R Murray; A Sheridan, MK Lynch, K Newe; A Cleary (capt; 1-1), S Wall, K Kealy; O Sheehy, M Farrelly; M Thynne, N Gallogly, C Smyth (0-1); E Duggan (0-3, 2f), V Wall (1-3, 1f), K Cole. Subs used: K Bermingham for Farrelly (38mins), S Ennis (1-0) for Cole (45), C Lawlor for Kealy (47).
ARMAGH: A Carr; M Ferguson, C Towe, M McCann; E Druse, L McConville (capt), G Ferguson, N Coleman, C O’Hanlon (0-1, 1f); S Quigley, A McCoy (1-1), C McNally; K Mallon (1-2), N Henderson (0-2), N Reel (0-5, 4f). Subs used: R Mulligan for Quigley (ht), M Lennon for McNally (47), E Lavery for McCann (52).
Referee: Maggie Farrelly (Cavan).
