ROBBIE BRENNAN felt the ‘buzz’ after seeing his Meath team win for the first time in Navan.
The new-look Royals crushed neighbours Cavan with two Ronan Jones goals, one from Jordan Morris and eight Eoghan Frayne points in a strong response to their loss in Cork eight days earlier.
Meath led 1-12 to 0-8 at the break after Jones booted to an empty net following a turnover.
And later, his weak shot squirmed through keeper Gary O’Rourke’s legs for the Royals’ third.
Brennan said: “We had a real buzz going on, out on the pitch and even in the build-up. Let’s try to keep that going.”
He added that he will be without Cian McBride for several weeks after he broke a bone in his hand.
Cavan shot six two-pointers, three from returning talisman Gearóid McKiernan, but still came up ten points short.
MEATH: B Hogan 0-2, 1tpf; D Keogan, S Rafferty, S Lavin; C Caulfield, E Harkin 0-1, S Coffey; J Flynn 0-1, B Menton 0-2, 1tp; R Jones 2-0, J Kinlough, C Duke; J Morris 1-4, 0-1f, S Walsh 0-1, E Frayne 0-8; 1f, 1tpf, 1tp, 1m. Subs: R Kinsella 0-2 for Menton 45mins; J Conlon for Walsh 53; C Gray for Jones 60; C O’Sullivan for Duke 63; A Lynch for Kinlough 68.
CAVAN: G O’Rourke; B O’Connell, N Carolan, C Reilly; J McLoughlin, D McVeety 0-1, O Kiernan 0-2, 1tp; P Faulkner, J Smith; G Smith, L Molloy, C Brady; D Lovett 0-9; 4f, 1tpf, 1tp, C Madden 0-2, S McEvoy. Subs: G McKiernan 0-6, 2tpf, 1 tp for Molloy h-t; L Fortune for Faulkner 48mins; N O’Donnell for O’Rourke 52; R O’Neill for McEvoy 60; E Crowe for McLoughlin 61.
REFEREE: S Mulhare (Laois).
