Kerry do enough to dethrone Meath at quarter-final stage of the TG4 All-Ireland SFC

There will be a new name on the Brendan Martin Cup this year, and Kerry will hope they can end their famine after they knocked out the back-to-back champions Meath in Tralee.

The reigning TG4 All-Ireland champions went down fighting, closing a 10-point interval deficit to four at the finish, but it is Kerry who will face Mayo in the All-Ireland semi-final in a fortnight after coming through the proverbial game of two halves.

In wind and rain more akin to January than July, Kerry weathered that second half Meath comeback to kill off their hopes of three-in-a-row, but it says much about the conditions and Meath's resilience, that Kerry scored just a solitary point in the entire second half. But it was enough. Just.

Two goals in the opening half – the first no doubt influenced by the extremely testing wind – helped Kerry to that 10-point lead at the interval, and given the strength of the wind it felt as if the Kingdom would need every bit of that 2-7 to 0-3 lead.

Having lost the 2021 Lidl National League Division 2 final and the 2022 All-Ireland SFC Final to Meath – by 10 and nine points respectively – Kerry didn't lack motivation to make it third time lucky against the Royals.

Aided by a near gale-force wind, Kerry took an early two-point lead through Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh and Siofra O’Shea, the latter’s booming point from outside the '45’ a clear indication of the strength of the wind in the home side’s favour at Austin Stack Park.

Meath, understandably, were finding it extremely difficult to move the ball up the field, through a combination of the elements and the ferocious hard work of the Kerry players, but the visitors did win a couple of frees that the reliable Emma Duggan converted to make it 0-2 apiece after 11