Rossies brought back down to earth by rejuvenated Meath
Ciaráin Murtagh and his Roscommon team-mates lost their unbeaten league record in Navan on Sunday afternoon. Picture: INPHO/Tom Maher
Roscommon’s unbeaten record in Division Two went up in smoke at Páirc Tailteann, Navan, as Meath deservedly prevailed by seven points.
Two goals inside a minute from Seán Coffey and Ronan Jones unravelled Roscommon’s six-point buffer at the start of the second half.
From there, a resurgent Royal County never looked back, and three two-pointers from Conor Duke (2) and Eoghan Frayne (free) in the final quarter saw Meath take the spoils pulling up.
Even during the opening half, Roscommon — with a strong wind at their backs — struggled for traction as they struggled to match Meath's physicality and appetite for the battle.
In the end, it took a hat-trick of two-pointers from Ciaráin Murtagh, Conor Carroll and Dylan Ruane to establish a 0-12 to 0-8 interval lead, but the general consensus was that such an advantage wasn't enough in the conditions.
Two points on the resumption from Enda Smith and Ciaráin Murtagh suggested that Roscommon were in the mood to kick on.
However, those rapid-fire goals from Coffey and Jones turned the game on its head and a raucous home crowd roared their team to victory as Meath’s revival under Robbie Brennan gathered momentum.
For Roscommon, it’s a week to take a good look in the mirror ahead of their trip to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh next Saturday evening.
