ROYALS TOUGH IT OUT

Costello inspires Meath victory

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MEATH shook off the heartbreak of their Leinster Final defeat by Louth to run out deserving winners in this Round 1 All-Ireland tie in Navan yesterday.

With an away trip to Roscommon to come next weekend and a meeting with Kerry at a neutral venue in the final round, it was vital that Robbie Brennan's men exploited home advantage to the maximum.

And they did just that in slippy conditions with some outstanding defending from the likes of Sean Coffey, Sean Rafferty and Ciaran Caulfield, who also drove their side forward.

At the other end of the pitch, Matthew Costello was in top form as he hit five points, with four of them coming from play in a man of the match display.

Jordan Morris started for the first time since March, having come on as a sub in the Leinster final, and hit the vital goal that got Meath back into the game, while also winning frees for two points.