Meath manager Andy McEntee had a light pop at Michael Murphy’s ‘influence’ after Saturday evening’s Division 2 final.
By Chris McNulty at Croke Park
Murphy hit seven points and delivered one of his best ever performances for Donegal as they toppled the Royals, coming from eight points down at headquarters.
Meath finished the game with 14 men as Shane Gallagher was sent off late in the game.
“Michael was a huge factor,” McEntee said.
“He’s a target man and he is very influential in a lot of areas.
“He is very influential all around the field. We get a guy who gets two yellows, but the bould Michael gets booked and ticked three or four times … is that possible? Maybe I’m exaggerating, but …”
McEntee’s Meath burst from the blocks and Thomas O’Reilly’s goal had them 1-6 to 0-1 in front after only 12 minutes.
But Donegal, led by Murphy and spurred by Jamie Brennan’s goal, claimed the prize.
McEntee said: “If we are brutally honest, Donegal looked the stronger team in the second half. The goal was probably coming.
“They were running hard down the middle. We didn’t track the runner and the goal came. They had momentum at that stage.
“They have a lot of quality. They were very controlled when they got on top.”
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