Meath brush Kildare aside to throw down gauntlet to promotion rivals Cork and Derry

Jordan Morris of Meath in action against Ryan Burke of Kildare. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile

Division 2: Meath 1-21 Kildare 0-10 

Over to you Cork and Derry.

That was the message from Meath who responded to their defeat to Cork by crushing Kildare in Newbridge, confirming that they're very much up for the Division 2 promotion battle.

As things stand, Meath share top spot in Division 2 with Cork, on eight points, though with John Cleary's crew scheduled to face Derry, who have six points, on Sunday afternoon, the picture will change again.

From Meath's perspective, they couldn't have done any more than win and they certainly did that, all but wrapping up the points by half time.

Jordan Morris led the destruction of Kildare with 1-5 as the Royals also boosted their scoring difference with a 14-point win.

Meath can be content with a strong performance against a Leinster SFC rival which also yielded League debuts for Charlie O'Connor and Jamie Murphy, as well as five late points from goalkeeper Seán Brennan.

Robbie Brennan's side will attack their remaining ties against Tyrone, at Croke Park on March 14, and Offaly in Tullamore with confidence.

But Tailteann Cup holders Kildare find themselves in a difficult situation with just three points now from five games with fixtures against Cork and Louth still to come.

All-Star Seán Rafferty made a welcome return to the Meath full-back line after missing the Cork game.

Jack O'Connor and Adam O'Neill were the other two additions to the lineup and O'Connor instantly made his presence felt.

The Curraha flier, who missed the 2025 season due to travel, reeled off four first-half points from play.

Kildare couldn't have been happy to spend so much time in their own half as the visitors poured forward and pinned them back.

It told a tale of Meath's supremacy that wing backs Ciarán Caulfield and Donal Keogan assisted 0-5 between them in the opening half, the evergreen Keogan playing the final pass for three points.

Keogan's high catch and pass up to the wing for O'Connor's fourth point was one of the moments of the half.

The Rathkenny man also took a ball off his own goal line in the 23rd minute after Alex Beirne had put a dangerous ball across.

The Morris goal in the 12th minute put daylight between the teams as Meath led by 1-4 to 0-1 at that stage.

Caulfield played a key role again, thinking quickly after Meath won a line ball off a Kildare kick-out by booting it long to Aaron Lynch who cleverly palmed the ball down to Morris.

Throw in the three score attempts from O'Connor, captain Eoghan Frayne and Ruairí Kinsella that dropped short and you get a feel for just how dominant Meath were.

Kildare, in turn, lived off scraps and, trailing by 0-1 to 1-7 after 17 minutes, were grateful for two-point scores from Darragh Kirwan and Brian McLoughlin which kept them just about in it.

Still, when Meath closed out the half with points from O'Connor and Kinsella to lead 1-9 to 0-5, they were in pole position.

Colm Moran and Ben Loakman struck back-to-back points for Kildare in the third quarter but Brian Flanagan's Lilywhites never really built a head of steam.

They needed goals, or at least a string of two-pointers, and neither arrived as Meath kept the foot on the accelerator with points from Morris and subs O'Connor and Keith Curtis.

Seven second-half wides frustrated Meath a little but Brennan papered over that wasteful play when he converted three late placed balls, two of which were two-point frees.

Meath scorers: J Morris 1-5, S Brennan 0-5 (2 tpf, 0-1 45), J O'Connor 0-4, R Kinsella 0-2, A Lynch, E Frayne, J Flynn, C O'Connor, K Curtis 0-1 each.

Kildare scorers: B Loakman (0-2f), B McLoughlin (1 tp) 0-3 each, D Kirwan 0-2 (1 tp), A Beirne (0-1f), C Moran 0-1 each.

Meath: S Brennan; B O'Halloran, S Lavin, S Rafferty; D Keogan, S Coffey, C Caulfield; B Menton, J Flynn; J O'Connor, R Kinsella, A O'Neill; J Morris, E Frayne, A Lynch.

Subs: Ronan Ryan for Lavin (35-h/t); C McBride for Menton (36-41); O Martin for O'Connor (43); McBride for O'Neill (49); K Curtis for Lynch (54); C O'Connor for Menton (54-59); J Scully for Kinsella (65); J Murphy for Frayne (67).

Kildare: C Burke; B Byrne, P Spillane, H O'Neill; J Harris, E Lawlor, J McKevitt; C Bolton, B Gibbons; C Dalton, D Kirwan, C Moran; B McLoughlin, A Beirne, B Loakman.

Subs: R Burke for McKevitt (21); K Feely for Beirne (h/t); E Cully for Moran (43); S Doran for Dalton (54); L Kelly for O'Neill (61).

Ref: S Hurson (Tyrone).