The shadow cast by the Meath footballers stretches with every Sunday outing. Yesterday, the iron-fisted pragmatists put the squeeze on Offaly and chances are that both Dublin and Laois will contemplate life after their replay with dry throats.

The winners were by no means flawless over the 70 minutes - their midfield, despite some airy moments of sheer majesty from John McDermott, dominated only in patches, they fired a plethora of painful wides in the period immediately after half-time and on numerous occasions suffered in attack due to poor passing.

But for all that, they have a shudderingly solid earthiness about them and although matched by Offaly for long periods, they always looked more likely to burrow or bulldoze or simply will their way to daylight. So it went.

Meath's solidity stemmed once again from the cohesiveness of the full-back line and the apparent indomitability of full back Darren Fay. Although Roy Malone explored every avenue in a bid to get hold of the ball, Fay tailed him remorselessly and won possession with a frequency that must have been depressing for Offaly. He had worthy company in Mark O'Reilly and Cormac Murphy - the highly-regarded Offaly full forward trio didn't score from play. The Meath half-back line displayed a similar capacity and keenness for tigerish defensive shadowing.

Against that, however, the Offaly defence also brought with them an uncompromising sense of purpose. Twice early on Meath pumped early ball to Graham Geraghty and both times Barry Malone emerged with possession. John Kenny and Finbar Cullen initiated many of Offaly's first-half attacks (the team thumped eight wides over that period), firing direct ball for David Connolly and James Stewart to chase. Connolly and Stewart also benefited from many of the breaks made by Ciaran McManus and James Grennan.

With defensive thrift in the ascendant and neither side establishing any sort of stranglehold over a swaying first half, it always seemed likely that the game would hinge on a half-chance.

In this regard, Meath looked more likely to profit. They did warm slowly - Trevor Giles fired some uncharacteristically loose passes and McDermott and Nigel Crawford only began to assert themselves after 10 minutes - but gradually they fashioned scores with more ease and imagination.

While Geraghty was bottled up, Ollie Murphy and Tommy Dowd, the two bullet-headed corner forwards, roamed the field with menace.

These dog days are made for Dowd anyhow and he sucked Cathal Daly deep outfield to collect ball and, as ever, turned garbage into gold, ferreting into space and nailing four points from play with typical economy.

Murphy, his emergent doppelganger, gave David Foley an even more torrid time, dragging him down field and scurrying to meet the increasingly perceptive passes played from deep.

Offaly, while matching their opponents with scores, did so through more diverse means. McManus galloped down field from the throw in and blasted a first-minute score, James Grennan lofted a fine individual score after 24 minutes and Connolly converted two frees. But rarely could the forward unit ignite as they did two summers ago.

With the scores at 0-7 apiece at the break, Meath began to stretch themselves immediately after the restart. Offaly struggled to cope with the wind in their faces - they were under siege in their own half for a good eight minutes as Meath blasted a series of wides.

Thus, when McManus stepped up and launched a fine free from the 45-metre line nine minutes into the second half, there seemed a chance for them to wrestle momentum.

Then all changed. In the 48th minute, Offaly felt they should have had a free deep in Meath territory but neither referee Michael Curley nor their opponents were hanging around to hear the case. McDermott pumped a long ball forward, Geraghty rose and made a fetch, whipped past Malone and glided effortlessly down on goal, freezing Padraig Kelly with a perfectly timed hand-pass. Ollie Murphy finished unfussily to the net and that was it.

Meath were rampant throughout the subsequent sequence of play. Dowd met a pass and curled a through ball for Murphy, who burnt along the endline before fisting a point. McDermott fetched the kick out, his pass was flicked on by Giles and Dowd thumped another score. Three minutes later, Murphy latched on to a ball broken by Geraghty and fired over another, leaving matters at 1-11 to 0-8. Although there was still 12 minutes left, Offaly looked done.

They continued to chase manfully - Vinnie Claffey hit a snap-shot after 57 minutes which might have found the net on kinder days but, overall, there was a mutedness to Offaly's response.

They also left themselves dangerously exposed on occasion - Hank Traynor ambled upfield, took a ball from Geraghty and forced a fine save from Kelly after 60 minutes. Giles and Claffey traded frees late in the half, but Offaly knew their spirit was spent.

Fay rumbled off with four minutes left after taking a rap on the head, but there were no real worries about him. For Fay, like the rest of this Meath team, is possessed of some inherent steeliness.

Offaly threw their best at them and came away with the battered look of men who had at last realised the futility of hurling themselves at rocks. Other teams will encounter a similar world weariness before this season is out.