2010 O'Byrne Cup Final___An Lú vs DCU

[thejuice]

No team named yet but this was in the independent:

Meath manager Eamonn O'Brien is expected to make a number of changes. O'Brien will not risk Seamus Kenny after he picked up a dead leg in the drawn game, while Eoghan Harrington is also expected to sit out the match as a precaution.

Gary O'Brien, who replaced Kenny at Parnell Park, is expected to start tonight while Brian Meade, Stephen Bray and Cormac McGill are all also in line for selection. David Lyons should continue in goals as both Paddy O'Rourke and Brendan Murphy recover from slight knocks ahead of what is Dublin's first trip to Navan in 21 years.

[Jinxy]

Meath 1-10
Dublin 1-09

Nice to win a close game.
Sounds like it should have been over at half-time but Dublin came back into it well in the 2nd half.
Last kick of the game to win it.
Sounds like Ollie Lewis and Davy Dalton jr did very well for us.
We could do with a sticky corner back!

[thejuice]

Semi-Finals

Kildare v Louth

DCU v Meath


Louth are playing good football so far putting up good scores. I would reckon they'll beat Kildare actually.

Does anyone know who is on the DCU team. I think there might be some Meath men on it. 

[Dinny Breen]

I would reckon they'll beat Kildare actually.

Well they are the reigning champs, the Lily-whites will do well to get within 6 points.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Meath 1-10
Dublin 1-09

Nice to win a close game.
Sounds like it should have been over at half-time but Dublin came back into it well in the 2nd half.
Last kick of the game to win it.
Sounds like Ollie Lewis and Davy Dalton jr did very well for us.
We could do with a sticky corner back!

So could we. 

What club is he with? Blackhall Gaels? Summerhill?

I would reckon they'll beat Kildare actually.

Well they are the reigning champs, the Lily-whites will do well to get within 6 points.

We haven't a prayer Dinny. Flats and JD suspended with more likely to be ruled out tomorrow night. We'll struggle to keep it kicked out to them.

[Jinxy]

Summerhill.
Saw plenty of it this evening.

[Billys Boots]

Is this a new Lilywhite strategy - pretend to be Kerrymen.  Is it a Micko hangover? 

[INDIANA]

Meath 1-10
Dublin 1-09

Nice to win a close game.
Sounds like it should have been over at half-time but Dublin came back into it well in the 2nd half.
Last kick of the game to win it.
Sounds like Ollie Lewis and Davy Dalton jr did very well for us.
We could do with a sticky corner back!

Game to 2 halves. We were brutal in the first and very good in the 2nd.
dean kelly did very well. Brogan came into the game well- despite marking a good player. Mc Connell did a good job on Queeney at full back.
Fennell had  a decent shift at midfield as well. Hard to know how many lads will make the squad becasue of the the colleges involvement.
Thought the meath number 3 did well. Didn't really know the other Meath lads who did well. But I think Meath could be in decent shape this year. the substitutions worked against them when they brough on their recognised players surprisingly.

[Jinxy]

I don't really understand why Bray and Ward were brought on when we already had the upper hand.
We know what they can do, leave the new lads on and give them a chance to show what they can do.
Did Macken play well Indiana?
I thought he did ok in Parnell Park but he tended to hang onto the ball a bit longer than I'd like for a full back.
Coughed up a good bit of possession that day.
I'd be all for giving himself and Dalton plenty of game-time and let them learn as they go.

[INDIANA]

I don't really understand why Bray and Ward were brought on when we already had the upper hand.
We know what they can do, leave the new lads on and give them a chance to show what they can do.
Did Macken play well Indiana?
I thought he did ok in Parnell Park but he tended to hang onto the ball a bit longer than I'd like for a full back.
Coughed up a good bit of possession that day.
I'd be all for giving himself and Dalton plenty of game-time and let them learn as they go.

Macken has the physical attributes and pace as well in my view but he can be brain dead coming out with the ball. Thats his biggest weakness.
Thought Dalton did well. That was good from Brogan last night because Dalton was well on top early on. Bernard usually doesn't come into games he starts badly in. Hopefully now with a bit of experience he's getting better at that. Both teams had as many newcomers as each other.

Still the best player over the 2 games was Queeney- still popped up with a nice goal despite being under the cosh. For Dublin probably Dean Kelly over the 2 games was our best find with Mc Menamon.

Big problem last night was lads couldn't play midweek due to work. Wouldn't have been a problem 2-3 years ago.

[INDIANA]

Semi-Finals

Kildare v Louth

DCU v Meath


Louth are playing good football so far putting up good scores. I would reckon they'll beat Kildare actually.

Does anyone know who is on the DCU team. I think there might be some Meath men on it.

Juice-

M Boyle-don't know; P McMahon- dub, K Gavin- westmeath, D Mooney- don't know; K Nolan-dub, B Cullen-dub, J Cooper-dub; B Sheridan-meath, D Sheridan- don't know; P Flynn-dub, R Flanagan-cavan, P Byrne; W Mulhall-offaly, D Shine-ros, D Kelly-sligo. Subs: C Cregg-ros for Byrne (h-t), S Johnston-cavan for Mulhall (h-t), H Gill-dub for Gavin (h-t), P Andrews-dub for Kelly (62

[Jinxy]

Macken has the physical attributes and pace as well in my view but he can be brain dead coming out with the ball. Thats his biggest weakness.

Yeah it was the same in Parnell Park.
Running into trouble and losing possession.
I still think there is a lot to be said for driving the ball as far down the field as you can if you are feeling the heat in defence.
Better than trying to hand pass your way out of trouble anyway.

[Declan]

McGuinness is good for you

Profile by Conall Collier

Meath 1-10 Dublin 1-9


Cormac McGuinness fired Meath into the semi-final of the O'Byrne Cup in front of 5,500 fans at Pairc Tailteann tonight.

Meath were ahead by 0-7 to 0-2 at the interval and survived a third-quarter fade-out which included a penalty save by David Lyons.

Dublin levelled in the 70th minute, but McGuinness got forward to claim the crucial score in a game that produced a number of flashpoints on and off the pitch.

Meath dominated the opening half and were well worth that five-point interval advantage.

The Royal County players worked very hard to deny Dublin any clear-cut chances which resulted in only a brace of first-half Bernard Brogan points for the men from the capital who were visiting Navan for the first time in over 20 years.

Dublin's ace forward had to wait all of 23 minutes to open his account from play and he managed to double his tally in the third minute of injury-time.

Dublin's opportunities were restricted by an impressive Meath full-back line in which Davy Dalton, James Macken and Niall McKeigue were solid and uncompromising.

Meath lost midfielder Maurice Kennedy to a 16th minute injury (thought to be a dislocated knee) and as he was stretchered-off and brought to hospital there was a flare-up on the sideline.

Gilroy was trying to talk to full-forward Colin Daly near the sideline, but outside his technical area and Macken had followed the Skerries man as pat of his marking duties.

The linesman had to intervene as an elbow was raised and the Westmeath referee Pat Fox cautioned (yellow card) both players.

That incident fired-up the Meath supporters who had voiced their disapproval when Daly escaped censure for a high challenge on Peadar Byrne after only 25 seconds.

Meath were ahead by 0-2 to 0-0 at that stage after Jamie Queeney opened the scoring and Joe Sheridan claimed an opportunist point from what looked like a hopeless ball into the square.

Mark Ward replaced Kennedy and produced a fine performance. He claimed some mighty possession as Meath continued to dictate to half-time with further points from David Bray (two), Queeney, Ollie Lewis and Brian Meade.

Cian Ward replaced Stephen Kennedy at half-time, but the second-half was scarcely 30 seconds old when Macken fouled Daly and the referee pointed to the spot. Brogan's shot was spectacularly saved (at the expense of a '45') by Lyons.

Meath lost their shape subsequently, due in part to the departure of Joe Sheridan (hamstring injury) after only 60 seconds of the second-half (Stephen Bray replaced him).

The Dublin points flowed from Eamonn Fennell, Dean Kelly and Brogan which reduced the deficit to two points (0-5 to 0-7).

David Bray and Brogan traded points before Brogan finished to the net for a crucial Dublin goal, but by the end of the third-quarter Queeney had drawn the sides level again (0-9 to 1-6).

Central to a lot of Meath attacks was Na Fianna's Ollie Lewis who survived a series of robust challenges which included a blatant hand trip by Kevin Bonner who saw yellow.

Brogan pointed Dublin ahead, but Meath found the perfect response when David Bray and Cian Ward released Queeney and the net bulged.

This might only have been the O'Byrne Cup at the end of January, but Pairc Tailteann erupted.

Dublin showed commendable character to get back on terms with points from Fennell and Bonner, but when substitute goalkeeper Paddy O'Rourke fielded a high ball, it set in motion the move for the winning point.

Cian Ward and Lewis were involved in keeping possession and it fell to McGuinness to show some composure and split the posts.

Meath - David Lyons; David dalton, James Macken, Niall McKeigue; Gary O'Brien, Cormac McGuinness (0-1), Stephen Sheridan; Maurice Kennedy, Brian Meade (0-1); Peadar Byrne, Joe Sheridan (0-1), Ollie Lewis (0-1); David Bray (0-3), Jamie Queeney (1-3), Stephen Kennedy.

Subs - Mark Ward for Maurice Kennedy, Cian Ward for Stephen Kennedy, Stephen Bray for Joe Sheridan, Paddy O'Rourke for David Lyons, Graham Reilly for Byrne.

Dublin - Craig Reilly; Paul Conlon, Ross McConnell, Conor McCormack; Paul Casey, Brian Sexton, Chris Guckian; Denis Carrigan, Eamonn Fennell (0-2); Dean Kelly (0-1), Stephen O'Shaughnessy, Kevin Bonner (0-1); Andrew Kerin, Colin Daly, Bernard Brogan (1-5).

Subs - Dan Watson for Kerin, Sean Murray for Guckian, Tiernan Diamond for O'Shaughnessy, Niall O'Connor for Conlon, Liam Fleming for Sexton.

Referee - Pat Fox (Westmeath)

* Navan Gardai also had to intervene to separate Meath and Dublin supporters as a melee threatened to escalate at the O'Mahonys end of the ground during the game.

Lads anyone notice this at the end of the game? Not a good sign

[INDIANA]

Didn't see any trouble myself.

[thejuice]

I don't really understand why Bray and Ward were brought on when we already had the upper hand.

Bray was brought on for Joe who tweaked his hamstring.

Pity about Marice Kennedy. sounds like an awful injury.

Very dissappointed to read about the crowd trouble, I don't know how serious it was  but Meath and Dublin's rivalry is not one built on animosity between either the players or supporters. Lets keep it that way