Meath 1-13 Cork 0-12 

Meath edged out Cork in a tightly contested All-Ireland Senior Football Championship opener at Páirc Tailteann, securing a valuable four-point win thanks to a strong finish in Navan.

It was a game that ebbed and flowed, and while Meath held the lead for long periods, Cork were never far behind and battled gamely to stay in contention throughout.

With just nine minutes remaining, Cork were within a point of their hosts, showing resolve after an opening half that had seen them struggle for fluency. Meath had been wasteful in front of goal at times, leaving the door open — and the Rebels almost found a way through.

However, the home side found another gear when it mattered most. Mathew Costello converted a free in the 64th minute before James Conlon quickly added another, stretching the gap to three.

Cork pushed hard in the closing minutes, but were unable to break through a well-organised Meath defence. Costello capped an excellent individual display with the final point in added time to seal the result.

Ruairí Kinsella’s late block typified Meath’s commitment, drawing a huge roar from the home crowd — matched only by the first-half goal that proved crucial.

The opening stages were cagey, with both sides guilty of errors and missed opportunities. Cork coughed up ten turnovers in the first 20 minutes, while Meath hit seven wides. By the 23rd minute, there had been just one score from play.

That changed when Chris Óg Jones and Mark Cronin began to find some rhythm for Cork, helping them into a narrow lead by the 27th minute. Meath, though, responded well.

Their breakthrough came on 30 minutes. A sweeping move, capitalising on Cork’s light numbers behind the ball, saw Jordan Morris finish confidently to the net from Ciarán Caulfield’s delivery — a key moment that gave Meath a 1-3 to 0-5 lead. They added two more points before the break to lead by three, though in truth they could have been further ahead given the breeze and the chances created.

After the restart, Cork came out with renewed energy. A Matty Taylor point and two frees from Colm O’Callaghan brought them back within one. They looked poised to turn the tide, but Meath steadied and reeled off five well-constructed points to open a five-point advantage by the 57th minute.

To their credit, Cork clawed it back again, reducing the deficit to a single point, but they couldn’t push on. Meath showed composure and quality in the final stages to close out the win.

Scorers for Meath: Mathew Costello 0-5 (1f), Jordan Morris 1-1, Eoghan Frayne 0-3 (3fs), James Conlon 0-2, Seán Coffey and Billy Hogan (45) 0-1 each.
Scorers for Cork: Chris Óg Jones and Mark Cronin (1tp, 2fs) 0-4 each, Colm O’Callaghan 0-2 (1tp), Ruairí Deane and Matty Taylor 0-1 each.

Meath: Billy Hogan; Séamus Lavin, Seán Rafferty, Ronan Ryan; Donal Keogan, Seán Coffey, Ciarán Caulfield; Jack Flynn, Bryan Menton; Conor Duke, Ruairí Kinsella, Jordan Morris; Mathew Costello, James Conlon, Eoghan Frayne.
Subs: Adam O’Neill for Coffey (inj), Keith Curtis for Frayne (46), Cathal Hickey for Duke (50), Shane Walsh for Conlon (68), James McEntee for Kinsella (70+3–70+5, temp).

Cork: Mícheál Aodh Martin; Seán Meehan, Daniel O’Mahony, Maurice Shanley; Seán Powter, Brian O’Driscoll, Matty Taylor; Ian Maguire, Colm O’Callaghan; Paul Walsh, Eoghan McSweeney, Mark Cronin; Seán McDonnell, Cathail O’Mahony, Chris Óg Jones.
Subs: Ruairí Deane for Powter, Rory Maguire for McSweeney (both 51), Eanna O’Hanlon for C O’Mahony (58), Conor Cahalane for Walsh (65), Luke Fahy for Taylor (68 inj), Hugh O’Connor for Cronin (70+4).

Referee: Noel Mooney (Cavan).