The meeting of the teams placed top and bottom in Division 1 ultimately panned out as expected in Navan, Galway securing their third consecutive win and Meath slipping to their fifth loss in a row and, in the process, relegation.

There’s an undeniable feelgood factor about Galway football since Padráic Joyce took charge, but with tougher tasks on the horizon, there were enough holes in this display to ensure their supporters don’t lose the run of themselves.