Colm O'Rourke says he's delighted to have started his time in charge of Meath with a victory after they saw off Cork at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
The Royals went goal mad by the banks of the Lee as majors from Shane Walsh, Jordan Morris and Cillian O'Sullivan helped them to claim the two points on offer.
O'Rourke, speaking on RTÉ's Sunday Sport, admitted afterwards that he fancied his players to put in a big performance, having seen them in training earlier this week.
"I'm delighted, particularly for the players who have shown such commitment and enthusiasm for the task," he said.
"When I came into the job last year I didn't know what sort of response [I'd get] and it has been absolutely fantastic. I couldn't say enough about the players so it's due reward for them."
Meath trailed by two points at the break, despite Walsh's goal, but they were much stronger in the second half, outscoring their hosts by 2-08 to 0-08.
O'Rourke couldn't pinpoint the exact advice he had given in the dressing room at half-time to enact the turnabout but he said the upping of their performance pleased him.
"I can't remember, we didn't say much," he said.
"I thought the lads were a bit nervous in the first half. We were lucky to be only two behind at half time because Cork were in control of the first half.
"I more or less said, 'don't worry, go out and play.' There was a lot of nervousness with a lot of players and they brought much more energy to the second half, and kicked on.
"They got some very good goals and could have got another couple. I'd say Cork would be disappointed in that they controlled quite a bit of the game, and let us in for what they might term soft goals.
"We created about six clear goal chances. At the end of the game I was very happy with how we played. You want to see your team doing well in the last 15 minutes of a game, so that's very pleasing."
With provincial champions Derry and Dublin competing in the second tier this season, promotion looks set to be a big ask of the other six counties involved.
Meath have only played one season in the top flight since 2006. That was three years ago when they failed to register a single victory in their seven games as they were sent straight back down.
Although still early in his reign, O'Rourke says he's happy with how things have been going so far, as he attempts to bring his native county back to their 1980s and 1990s heyday.
"We prepared very well for this game today. We thought coming here that the team was in a good place after the last couple of weeks.
"It took us a long time to get to where we wanted to get but we'll go back and work hard during the week again. Today is over and we look forward."
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For O'Rourke's counterpart John Cleary, the defeat only emphasised how tricky this campaign could be.
"Meath were on the button today in the second half when it mattered," he said.
"When the game was there they got their turnovers. We made a couple of wrong decisions and they capitalised on them, and got their goals.
"We were in control of the game for large parts of the first half, particularly in the beginning. We didn't put it in the scoreboard. Meath were probably happy enough going in two points down at half time.
"They stepped on the gear in the second half, got their goals - poor goals from our point of view, we would have been disappointed with them - the goals won the game and that was it."
