In the latest episode of the Hard Shoulder, Anthony Moyles and Niall Kelly are discussing the anarchic nature of challenge matches and the greatest goals they've ever seen.
During the podcast, Moyles recalls a story, the nature of which means it could only have one man at it's heart - Graham Geraghty.
Back in the summer of 2002, Meath, still smarting from their first championship loss to Dublin in seven years, took on Louth in a Saturday evening qualifier in Navan. The place was wedged but Meath were out of sorts. Louth led the game from the start to finish and despite a late Meath flurry, still lead 2-9 to 2-8 as the clock ticked into injury time.
In the final minute, Ollie Murphy got to the end-line, booted a lofted ball across goal, Geraghy burst onto to it to claim it and swung a 'skittery' shot goalward to steal victory for Meath. As Moyles recalls, Geraghty had a busy schedule that day.
I think he (Geraghty) was a Best Man at a wedding. He got a chopper to the game. Did very little in the game. Stuck the goal. Beat Louth, broke everyone in Louth's hearts. Took the jersey over the head and was swinging it around as he ran around the pitch. And with about five Meath lads in straw hats hanging off him, he ran out through the dugout, back into the helicopter and he was back in time for the Best Man speech in Monaghan.
As Niall Kelly said afterwards, 'It was like the man from the Milk Tray adverts.'
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The famous night...
