Kildare's character shines through for McGeeney

A sixth Championship game in as many weeks was successfully negotiated by Kildare at Croke Park yesterday as they booked their first All-Ireland semi-final appearance since 2000.

Kieran McGeeney, in his third season in charge of the Lilywhites, was rightly proud of his players' efforts in dominating Meath in the second half of the 2-17 to 1-12 victory.

Meath scored only three second half points as Kildare continued to show their prowess as 'a second-half team', with their captain Johnny Doyle (0-8, 0-3f) and Eoghan O'Flaherty (0-5, 0-2f) brilliantly coming to the fore in terms of point-taking.

"I wouldn't say it was exhibiton stuff, but the boys showed true character," McGeeney explained afterwards.

"We've come a couple of times to quarter-finals before and they have showed character in all of those games.

"It was Cork two years ago and we gave them a seven-point lead. Maybe we just hadn't the know how to claw it back.

"We missed a penalty that day. Last year (against Tyrone) we started off well and maybe succumbed to just a few things that happened throughout that game. We just didn't have that finishing touch.

"The boys showed real character. We lost Emmet (Bolton) at the beginning of the Tyrone game last year. We were already without Mikey (Foley) and those things hit the team hard.

"We lost Dermot (Earley) to injury and Peter (Kelly) was injured during the week. In fairness the boys stood up and they showed great character and I'm definitely very proud of them today."

A Leinster quarter-final defeat to Louth earlier this summer sent Kildare into the qualifiers, and McGeeney reckons his side learned some harsh lessons from that loss.

"Everybody says we got hammered by Louth. We got beat, but I didn't think we got hammered.

"Sometimes in defeat you learn more about yourself, and in fairness a lot of these boys have shown that. That's the thing about sport - you have to keep bouncing back."

Meanwhile, Meath manager Eamonn O'Brien was left struggling to figure out where it all went wrong for his side, with the Leinster champions blowing an early six-point lead and a 1-9 to 2-5 half-time advantage.

"We played very well in the first half but, having said that, we conceded two goals and probably should have gone in more ahead at half-time because they weren't good goals from a defensive point of view," he said, referring to the strikes from James Kavanagh and Alan Smith.

"It (the Leinster final controversy) was difficult for the players, in fairness, but they went back to their clubs. We prepared them as well as we could. I don't think it (this defeat) was anything to do with that.

"I'm not a psychologist so I don't know what impact it might or might not have had. I think they were ready for the game.

"It was just that Kildare were far better on the day, particularly in that second half."