Honours even in Croke Park thriller

Dublin 1-11 Meath 0-14

It was just like the good old days. One of the most famous rivalries in Gaelic football was revived at Croke Park, where Meath and Dublin fought out an epic encounter in front of 78, 002 enthralled spectators.

A spectacular display of finishing by substitute Cian Ward brought the Royals back from the brink, and earned them a replay which is certain to attract a sell-out crowd back to the GAA’s theatre of dreams on Sunday week.

Conal Keaney’s brilliant attacking display appeared to have inspired Dublin to triumph, but the resurgent Royals came from four points behind to deservedly earn a draw, with five late scores from the prodigious Ward.

The Dubs dominated the opening 20 minutes, and were five points ahead when the lead could have been twice as great.

Tomas ‘Mossie’ Quinn converted a free and a ‘45’, Shane Ryan hit a long-range effort, and there were converted frees from Quinn and Conal Keaney.

Meath needed two superb reflex saves from Brendan Murphy, both following Quinn ‘45s’, reacting firstly to a fisted effort from Brogan, then to a Fay deflection.

Meath were forced to defend constantly until Joe Sheridan finally got their opening point early in the second quarter.

Graham Geraghty had a goal controversially disallowed when Armagh referee penalised the former All-Star for a push on full-back Ross McConnell.

But Sheridan, Stephen Bray, Geraghty and Peter Curran, from a free, all scored to cut the deficit back to a single point.

Dublin got in for a goal in first half stoppage time, and it too was cloaked in controversy.

Keaney banged in a long delivery, and with Murphy under pressure from Brogan, the goalkeeper fumbled and the ball dropped into the net.

Dublin led by 1-6 to 0-6 at the break, and side stretched the advantage with two Keaney scores inside a minute of the restart.

Meath were about to show that they are made of stern stuff, many chips off the old block of the successful sides of the 80s and 90s.

Wing back Caoimhin King pressed forward to shoot a point, but, at four adrift, they needed something special to swing a contest that still appeared to be slipping away from them.

The arrival of Ward on 50 minutes provided that spark, that essential ingredient added to a Royal mix of sweat, guts, and sheer class from the Wolfe Tones man.

He eased himself in gently with a straightforward 20-metre free, before setting the stadium alight with two brilliantly struck 45s.

Stephen Bray brought the sides level with seven minutes to play, and with McKeigue and Eoin Harrington harrying and chasing at the back, the Dublin attack was becoming increasingly frustrated.

The brilliant Keaney reinforced their flagging self-belief with a wonderful long range score, cancelled out quickly by another Ward free.

Just a minute remained when Moran regained the lead, but Ward was a man on a mission, and just the man to rise to the occasion when Meath won a sideline ball underneath the Cusack Stand in stoppage time.

He floated the ball between the posts with a fearless nerve, the final act in a heart-stopping finale.

Dublin: S Cluxton, D Henry, R McConnell, P Griffin, P Casey, B Cullen, B Cahill, C Whelan, D Magee, C Moran (0-1), S Ryan (0-1), D Connolly, A Brogan (0-1), C Keaney (1-5 (1 free), T Quinn (0-3, 1 free, 1 ‘45’).

Subs: R Cosgrove for Connolly.

Meath: B Murphy, E Harrington, D Fay, N McKeigue, S Kenny, A Moyles, C King (0-1), N Crawford, M Ward, P Curran (0-1, free), K Reilly, P Byrne, S Bray (0-3), G Geraghty (0-1), J Sheridan (0-3).

Subs: C Ward (0-5, 3 frees, 2 ‘45s’) for Curran, J Donegan for Crawford, S O’Rourke for Sheridan, N McLoughlin for King.

Referee: J McKee (Armagh).