O'Rourke: Royals overwhelmed by storming Cork finish

Meath manager Colm O'Rourke had no complaints as his side fell to a home defeat to Cork after the Rebels reeled off the final seven points of the game at Pairc Tailteann to secure their Division 2 status.

The Royals suffered just a second loss of the campaign against a Cork side keen to put to bed any relegation fears before the final outing against Armagh.

John Cleary’s side trailed by three points with eight minutes to go before turning the screw in impressive style to win by four.

Speaking afterwards, Royals boss O’Rourke said there was little doubt the better side won, conceding that some of the younger players had "lost their way" coming down the stretch.

"We ended up getting a fair beating, but after 60 minutes, it looked as if we were in a commanding position," he told RTÉ Sport.

"We were in the driving seat, btu we were very much overwhelmed in the last 15 minutes. They finished better than we did, so no complaints from our side."

Asked whether it came down to Cork’s greater need for two points, he said: "We had lots of motivation. I wouldn’t say being safe had anything to do with it."

For Cork it marks a third win on the bounce having failed to pick up a point in the opening three games of Division 2.

Cleary said he was impressed by the way in which his charges dug out a result.

"The lads came out fighting in the last 10, 15 minutes and got some really good scores. Overall we’d be thrilled with that," he said.

"Our impact off the bench was outstanding."