National Football League Division Two final/ Monaghan 3-13 Meath 3-12: They probably got a little bit carried away but given the circumstances this was a truly sensational result for Monaghan football.
Obviously, winning the Division Two title means a lot more when you've gone 20 years without success on the national stage, but it was Monaghan's style of victory - including the classic last-minute goal - that produced possibly the most stunning of spectacles in Croke Park in recent years.
It was a game that started at a relentless pace and never once seemed to let up. With all three minutes of injury-time played down, Monaghan won a free close to the 45-metre line.
With Meath leading by two points it was a goal or nothing. Paul Finlay dropped in the standard Hail Mary ball and everyone in Croke Park held their breaths. The ball dropped harmlessly towards two Meath defenders standing on the line, with Mark Ward rising to collect it. He appeared to have two choices - catch it, or fist it over the bar. Somehow he went for a third option - and fisted it into his own net. For the Meath players around him it was like the devil had got a hand to it. For the Monaghan players it was the Hand of God.
There was time for a Meath kick-out and nothing more. While the Monaghan players fell to their knees in total euphoria, Ward took the lonely walk away from the Meath goal, impervious to his team-mates' words of consolation.
Finlay is officially credited with the goal, and it was no less than he deserved. He was a tireless source of energy, ending up with 1-3, and also playing the key role in Monaghan's first goal. Alongside him at centre forward was the game's true revelation, Tomás Freeman, who collected 2-3.
It was probably the best Monaghan display since they won the league in 1985. Three years after that they collected their last Ulster title. They're out in the Ulster championship on June 5th against Derry, whom they beat in the league semi-finals last week.
It would be unfair to suggest Meath didn't fear them enough yesterday. While they didn't quite maintain their higher standards of late, Meath still produced enough quality football to have won. They played at a higher gear for most of the second half, with Ollie Murphy showing vintage Meath form. But they couldn't put Monaghan away.
Meath lost Nigel Crawford before the throw-in with a recurrence of a groin injury, and Darren Fay didn't quite rise to the task of seamless replacement. The full-forward line of Trevor Giles, Daithi Regan and Joe Sheridan didn't get quality ball with the sort of frequency they've been used to of late.
Monaghan's intentions were clear from the start - they were going to play fast and furious. Freeman and Raymond Ronaghan created a two-man full-forward line and the ball was soon coming to them thick and fast. It wasn't always economical football, and at times Monaghan resembled the inexperience distance runner pressing the pace too early.
Freeman pointed after 30 seconds, and it was more or less score for score for the rest of the half. Monaghan's first goal on 14 minutes resulted from an awesome long pass from Finlay to Freeman, and that put them 1-2 to 0-2 in front, but Meath soon responded with a solo effort from Anthony Moyles.
On 30 minutes Gary McQuaid started a chain of passes that went from Dermot McArdle to Ronaghan to Freeman, and ended with Monaghan's second goal, but Meath responded immediately, with Giles finishing off a fine pass from Niall Kelly. There was no let-up until the call for a breather when Monaghan led 2-6 to 2-5.
Murphy drove Meath to fresh heights in the second half, starting with his goal on 37 minutes. They eased four points clear shortly after that, but that only inspired Monaghan to dig deeper. Damien Freeman, brother of Tomás, epitomised that spirit, and it was no great surprise when they drew level again on 60 minutes.
A fisted point from Regan, and then a point from Ward, edged Meath in front. Hugh McElroy's last point for Monaghan could easily have been a goal, so when Brian Farrell pointed on 34 minutes for Meath it looked like closing time. Little did we realise there was one more champagne score to come.
MONAGHAN: S Duffy; G McQuaid, V Corey, C Flanagan; D Freeman, J Coyle, J Ward; F Duffy, J McElroy; P Finlay (1-3, all frees), T Freeman (2-3), S McManus; D McArdle, R Ronaghan (0-1), D Clerkin (0-3, one free) Subs: M Daly for McManus (half-time), N Corrigan (0-1) for Ward (45 mins), D McKernan (0-1) for Ronaghan (49 mins), H McElroy (0-1) for J McElroy (64 mins), F Smith for Corey (65 mins, yellow card).
MEATH: D Gallagher; B O'Reilly, K O'Reilly, S McGabhann; N McLoughlin, D Crimmins, C King; D Fay, A Moyles (1-0); N Kelly (0-2), G Geraghty, P Byrne; D Regan (0-3, one free), T Giles (1-2, one free), J Sheridan (0-1). Subs: O Murphy (1-2) for Geraghty (30 mins, inj), N McKeigue for McGabhann (44 mins), M Burke for Byrne (50 mins, yellow card), M Ward (0-1) for B O'Reilly (55 mins), B Farrell (0-1) for Regan (64 mins), C Brennan for Crimmins (70 mins, yellow card).
YELLOW CARDS: Monaghan: V Corey (65 mins, replaced by F Smith); Meath: P Byrne (50 mins, replaced by M Burke), D Crimmins (70 mins, replaced by C Brennan).
Referee: A Mangan (Kerry).
