Lilies fall to royals after poor opening half display

Allianz Hurling League, Division 2B RD 1

Meath   0-18

Kildare  0-15

Kildare fell short of an enormous comeback against Meath in the Allianz hurling league on Sunday at St Conleth's Park. The Lilywhites trailed by nine just after half time but with manager David Herity’s words still ringing in their ears the home side kicked themselves into gear and began to mount some pressure of their own.

The Meath backline had a comfortable first half, mopping up anything that came their way but Kildare were now pressing with more intensity and fouls began to creep into the Meath defence. Jack Regan punished Kildare’s ill-discipline in the first half but it was now David Qualter’s turn to slot over a few free’s for his side. It was 0-16 to 0-8 as we approached the hour mark and although Kildare had vastly improved, the gap between the sides still looked insurmountable.

Two more Qualter set-pieces and a superb point from Kildare substitute Frank Bass had the home crowd daring to dream.
The momentum was all Kildare and as more and more second balls were collected by white shirts the atmosphere was building in the stadium.

Coill Dubh’s Johnny Byrne slotted one right between the sticks and from the next phase of play came another David Qualter free over the bar, it was 0-16 to 0-14 and the crowd was certain there was about to witness something truly special.
Every puck-out and breaking ball was now met with thunderous roars and passionate screams to win it back depending on who collected it first.

The first half stands filled with subdued spectators had been swapped out for die hard Lilywhites that did everything to support their side bar running on the pitch and trying to score themselves. But the clock was against Kildare and having reduced Meath to just three scores in the second half, surely a response was coming with just minutes to go.

Sure enough a long searching ball out from the Meath backline drew a foul and it was Jack Regan’s chance to crush Kildare’s comeback hopes. Just as he did all day the Kiltale man put the sliothar between the sticks.
Another Regan free followed and Meath had survived some nervy moments to close out the victory.

There was plenty to be positive and negative about for the Kildare side today. The 15 players who put together the run of scores that ran Meath so close looked like a different squad to the ones who got them that far behind in the first place.
Plenty to analyse for David Herity and his backroom but no doubt a lot to look forward to with the return of the 12 Naas squad members next weekend, all of whom have informed the manager they will be available.

Equally as important as the recounting of the comeback that never was, is the deconstruction of how they got there. At the 15 minute mark, the teams were level on five points each, when the referee blew his whistle for half time Kildare’s half of the scoreboard had not moved since. However Meath in that time amassed a further eight points, most of which came from aforementioned talisman Jack Regan.

Referee Richie Fitzsimons called for plenty of infringements throughout the game but he did so fairly and for both sides. Kildare’s sloppy defending and tackling allowed the game to drift from them so easily. There was little to report at the other end of the pitch during that 20-minute stretch, Meath picked up everything Kildare were putting down and there was little to no joy to be had for the full-forward’s in white. 

The Lilywhites barren period was in stark contrast to how they started the game and when a world class solo run from Paul Dolan resulted in a point to put the home side wo clear early on, things were looking promising. The half-back took off with a burst of speed and appeared to lose slight control of the sliothar only to flick it over the on-rushing defender's head and smash it over the bar before it hit the floor. It was a score that would have looked right at home in a ‘Best of Henry Shefflin’ compilation YouTube.

Kildare while keeping the score line ticking over were failing to build any meaningful spells of possession as they often reverted back to default and sent a long hopeful ball in corner-forward David Qualter, typically to no avail. The Meath backline had an exceptional first 35 minutes and that coupled with their opponents looking nothing short of disjointed at the back was a recipe for early success.

The home side’s and crowd’s frustrations came to a head just before the break when Andy Shanagher flattened his opposite number with a shoulder. It was the first thing that had the home fans off their sites in a meaningful period of time but that excitement was soon quelled by the sound of the referee's whistle. The decision was met with an unsurprising roar of discontent from players and supporters alike.

Ultimately it was the latter part of the first half that killed Kildare’s chances. The level of comeback that was attempted should never have been needed had the home side managed the game better when it was slipping away from them.
With the acknowledgement of that fact and the notable absentees, Kildare can also feel positive going into their next game against Kerry next weekend.

Kildare manager David Herity’s side battled hard and pressed with the desired intensity for large sections of the game but it is that consistency of performance that will be so very sought after for the Kildare management next week as they prepare for a trip to Kerry. Many fans will be pinning their hopes on the return to a near full strength squad for next week and with that should come the desired performance throughout the full 70 minutes.

The return of the Naas dozen or so players will be key and all in Kildare will hope their undoubted form and confidence will spread throughout the squad moving forward.

Main Man

There wasn’t much debate on who to pick for this one, Meath’s Jack Regan racked up 0-12 on the day. The forward dispatched his free kicks expertly throughout and sprinkle in some really sharp scores from play as well.

Turning Point

The turning point came in the first half when Meath began to rack up their huge lead. Kildare’s ill discipline partnered with some confident free taking from Jack Regan put this game nearly out of sight in the first half. Kildare failed to score between 16 minutes and half time.

Talking Point

The biggest talking point has to be what will this Kildare side look like with the return of the Naas hurlers. The addition of that quality coupled with the heart shown in the face of what looked like it could have been a hammering could be a great combination.

Referee Watch

Richie Fitzsimons did not let anything slide and Kildare’s less diligent defending early on high-
lighted that fact. Kildare gave away soft frees that cost them. The referee was sharp on over-
carrying; overall a consistent performance.

LINED OUT, Scorers

SCORERS:

Meath: Jack Regan 0-12, James Kelly 0-2, Mark O’Sullivan 0-2, Stephen Morris 0-1, David Reilly 0-1.

Kildare: David Qualter 0-8, Johnny Byrne 0-2, Jack Travers 0-2, Paul Dolan 0-1, Cian Bracken 0-1,  Frank Bass 0-1.

Meath: Charlie Ennis; Sean Geraghty, Shane Witty, Brendan McKeon; James Kelly, Michael Burke, Shane Brennan; David Reilly, Patrick Potterton; Mark O’Sullivan, Padraic O’Hanrahan, Jack Regan; Adam Gannon, Damien Healy, Stephen Morris.

Subs: Nicholas Potterton on for Adam Gannon (28 mins), Justin Coyne on for Padraic O’Hanrahan (Half time), Callum O’Sullivan (62 mins), Jack Walsh on for Patrick Potterton (64 mins).

Kildare: Paddy McKenna; Michael Hogan, Tom Finnerty, Cathal Derivan; Sean Christianseen, Mark Delaney, Paul Dolan; Jack Travers, Andy Shanagher; Cathal McCabe, Gerry Keegan, Johnny Byrne; Cian Bracken, Pat Leahy, David Qualter.

Subs: Conor Kielty on for Cian Bracken (26 mins), Frank Bass on for Pat Leahy (41 mins), Jack Higgins on for Conor Kielty (64 mins).

Referee: Richie Fitzsimons (Offaly)