Ratoath 3-15
Summerhill 2-13
Paul Keane reports from Páirc Tailteann
EAST MEATH OUTFIT Ratoath have capped a remarkable rise up through the Royal County football ranks by claiming a breakthrough Senior championship title success.
Man of the Match Joey Wallace, sibling Eamon, and Meath attacker Bryan McMahon were all inspired for the first-time finalists who romped to a comfortable win in Navan.
Eamon Wallace, Conor Rooney and Meath U-20 forward Daithi McGowan all fired first-half goals as the Davy Byrne managed side consigned Summerhill to their third consecutive final defeat.
Ratoath were a junior outfit as recently as 2012 and only played their first senior game in 2016 though looked like seasoned campaigners as they led from early on until full-time.
They were seven clear at half-time and had moved 10 points ahead in second-half injury-time before Summerhill rallied briefly and put a late 1-2 on the board to add some gloss to the scoreline.
Ratoath will return to action in a fortnight to play Westmeath’s Garrycastle in the quarter-finals of the Leinster club championship.
They will fancy their chances if they can maintain the form they’ve shown since the second-half of the semi-final when they blitzed Gaeil Colmcille before consigning Summerhill to a similar outcome here.
Summerhill, champions in 2013 and runners up in 2017 and 2018, did score a goal after just 13 seconds through Kevin Ryan but Eamon Wallace cancelled that out with a penalty conversion in the fourth minute.
His brother Joey pointed moments later to put Ratoath into a lead they would emboss by half-time when they led 3-7 to 1-6 in perfect conditions at Pairc Tailteann.
The margin was out to nine points early in the second-half when McGowan and McMahon pointed though Summerhill did respond with four points in a row, three from top scorer Barry Dardis, to cut the gap to five.
Declan McCabe’s men couldn’t get any closer though and Ratoath reeled off a series of scores in the closing quarter to leave clear daylight between the sides and could afford to concede that late 1-2, the goal a bundled effort from Sumerhill’s Ross Ryan in a crowded goalmouth.
Ratoath scorers: Eamon Wallace 1-3 (1-0 pen), Bryan McMahon 0-5 (0-3f), Daithi McGowan (0-2f) and Conor Rooney 1-2 each, Joey Wallace 0-3.
Summerhill scorers: Barry Dardis 0-7 (0-6f), Kevin Ryan 1-1, Ross Ryan 1-0, Liam Shaw, Diarmuid McCabe, Padraig Geraghty, Sean Dalton and David Larkin 0-1 each.
RATOATH
1. Shane Duffy
5. Ciaran O Fearraigh
3. Conor McGill
2. Sean Brazil
4. Ben Wyer
6. Gavin McGowan
7. Jack Gillespie
8. Keith McCabe
9. Ben McGowan
11. Conor Rooney
12. Daithi McGowan
10. Eamon Wallace
14. Cian O’Brien
15. Bryan McMahon
13. Joey Wallace
Subs
17. Emmet Boyle for O Fearraigh (43, black card)
23. Darragh Kelly for Ben McGowan (46)
22. Brian O’Connor for Daithi McGowan (53)
24. Jack McGowan for O’Brien (57)
26. Connell Ahearne for Rooney (57)
21. Andrew Gerard for Gavin McGowan (59)
Boyle (65, black card, not replaced)
SUMMERHILL
1. Tony McDonnell
2. Padraig Jennings
3. Ronan Ryan
4. John Lavelle
7. John Keane
6. Ross Ryan
5. Padhraig Geragthy
8. Diarmuid McCabe
9. David Dalton
10. David Larkin
11. Paul Larkin
12. Kevin Ryan
13. Liam Shaw
14. Barry Dardis
15. Sean Dalton
Subs
18. Micheal Byrne for Kevin Ryan (31)
19. Conor Frayne for Shaw (41)
17. William Ryan for Paul Larkin (46)
Referee: David Gough (Slane)
