Meath……………………..1-13

Cork……………………… 0-12

A spectacular solo goal from Jordan Morris and five points from Matthew Costello were the main reasons Meath won their first group game in the All Ireland series. Five poor wides in the first eleven minutes were the reason they nearly didn’t.

It would be accurate to say the home side were the least bad of the two teams in this Saturday slog, and the Royals relied on a smart stop by Billy Hogan to deny O’Mahony a 20th minute goal and moments later when Hogan was beaten Sean Rafferty saved Walsh’s effort on the line.

In the 30th minute Morris soloed and slalomed into space before scorching a shot to the net, that the entire Fianna Fáil parliamentary party wouldn’t have saved let alone the Taoiseach’s son who was wearing the Rebels number one shirt.

That superbly struck shot saw the winners go in 1-5 to 0-5 ahead at the break.

Cork levelled inside four second half minutes but when corner forward Chris Óg Jones hit the aside netting with only Hogan to beath the tide turned against the Leesider’s

Brian Menton started to dominate aerial exchanges centrally and with Jamie Conlon proving a mobile target man alongside Costello Meath eased home and face Roscommon away next Saturday in round 2

Meath: Billy Hogan (0-01 ’45); Séamus Lavin, Seán Rafferty, Ronan Ryan; Donal Keogan, Seán Coffey (0-01), Ciarán Caulfield; Jack Flynn, Bryan Menton; Conor Duke, Ruairí Kinsella, Jordan Morris (1-01); Mathew Costello (0-05 0-01f), James Conlon (0-02), Eoghan Frayne (0-03, 0-03fs).

Subs: A O’Neill for Coffey, K Curtis for Frayne (both 46), C Hickey for Duke (50), S Walsh for Conlon (68), J 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 (0-01); Ian Maguire, Colm O’Callaghan (0-02, 1tp); Paul Walsh, Eoghan McSweeney, Mark Cronin (0-04, 2tp, 0-02fs); Seán McDonnell, Cathail O’Mahony, Chris Óg Jones (0-04).

Subs: R Deane (0-01) for Powter, R Maguire for McSweeney (both 51), E O’Hanlon for C O’Mahony (58), C Cahalane for Walsh (65), L Fahy for Taylor (68 ), H O’Connor for Cronin (70+4).

Referee: Noel Mooney (Cavan).