The powerful midfielder crashed home a goal in the 31st minute to put Meath into a lead they wouldn't relinquish and his second with nine minutes to go killed the contest.

Two goals in as many first-half minutes laid the platform for favourites Meath to cruise past Carlow in Portlaoise and through to the Leinster SFC quarter-finals.

Bryan McMahon saved Meath's blushes with a late goal to turn a potential disaster into a battling Leinster SFC win for the hosts in Navan.

Kilmallock 4-27 Murroe-Boher 0-13

Meath boss Andy McEntee expressed a mixture of delight and relief after his team boosted their prospects of avoiding the drop to division three following this polished display against fellow strugglers Down at Pairc Tailteann yesterday.

Tipperary 2-15 - Meath 1-10 

Cavan are sitting pretty on the summit of Division Two of the Allianz Football League thanks to a jet-propelled first-half display at Kingspan Breffni yesterday..

St Loman’s Mullingar 0-13 Simonstown Gaels 1-8: St Loman’s, Mullingar, came from seven points down to defeat Simonstown Gaels of Navan and reach their first ever Leinster Senior Club final at TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar, yesterday.

The Dubs will be a different story altogether in the decider.

Allianz FL Division 2

Laois 1-16 Meath 2-13: A controversial late penalty saw Meath advance on Saturday night in Stradbally to the O’Byrne Cup semi-finals at the expense of hosts Laois.

Meath 2-15 DIT 0-10: Two third-quarter goals paved the way for a Meath victory in this O’Byrne Cup tie at Ashbourne last night. 

Meath 2-22 Wicklow 0-9: There was a honeymoon start for new Meath boss Andy McEntee in this O’Byrne Cup tie at Páirc Tailteann yesterday.

Simonstown Gaels 1-14 Donaghmore/Ashbourne 0-8: Simonstown Gaels made no mistake at the third time of asking when capturing their first ever Meath SFC title before a crowd of 6,000 at Páirc Tailteann yesterday.

Derry 2-12 Meath 2-12: Meath manager Mick O’Dowd admitted next week’s crunch Division Two clash away to Laois will be “do or die” for both teams after the Royal County were denied victory in Derry by an injury-time Ryan Bell free.

Offaly 0-14 Limerick 1-19: Limerick’s Shannonside derby clash with Clare in a fortnight’s time will be a promotion showdown regardless of results next weekend after Limerick eased to an eight-point win over Offaly at O’Connor Park in Tullamore yesterday.

Galway 0-15 Meath 1-12: You can only imagine the scale of the inquests in Meath this morning had Mick O’Dowd’s men not rescued a draw with a scramble of points in the closing stages of this bizarre game at a cold, wet Salthill.

Meanwhile substitute Cian O’Brien was the hero for Meath as his late equaliser rescued a draw.

Meath 1-13 Cavan 1-20: The coalition Government weren’t the only ones facing meltdown over the weekend.

Limerick 2-23 Wexford 0-15: There was a time in the third quarter at a wet and dreary Gaelic Grounds on Saturday night when you suspected that the teams had just swapped playing kits at half-time, rather than changing ends.

Limerick got their latest drive for promotion from Division 1B off to an encouraging start as they led from pillar to post in wet and cold conditions at the Gaelic Grounds.

Meath 1-10 Armagh 0-8: On goes Meath’s winter of content.

Meath 0-11 Louth 0-10

O’Byrne Cup - Meath 2-16 Laois 0-14: Laois manager Mick Lillis has dismissed the suggestion that the appointment of Bryan Cullen as Dublin GAA’s high performance manager illustrates the widening gap between the capital and other counties in Leinster.

O’Byrne Cup - Meath 1-18 Carlow 1-4: Meath recorded a resounding victory against hosts Carlow at Netwatch Cullen Park yesterday, with an early second-half goal from Mark Battersby sending them on their a facile victory.

DUBLIN 1-17 LIMERICK 1-16

Limerick 4-15 Westmeath 1-12

Andrew Tormey scored 1-9 for Meath as they worked hard to secure a Leinster SFC semi-final against Westmeath on June 28 at Croke Park.

Adare's John Fitzgibbon was the hero for Limerick but Clare were left counting the cost of their indiscipline in a niggly and sometimes ugly Munster quarter-final.