Meath 0-10 Dublin 0-14
A strong second-half performance elevated Dublin to a significant win over neighbours Meath in Navan, securing Jim Lehane's side a Leinster U-20 FC final spot.
Meath were dominant when many of the same players met at the minor grade but past history counted for little at Pairc Tailteann where Dublin built on a two-point half-time lead to win by a deserved four.
It was their fourth win of the campaign having previously topped their group with wins over Wicklow, Louth and Offaly and they will play Kildare in the final next week.
Ross Keogh top scored with five points for Dublin though it was a strong overall team performance with Alex Gavin standing out in a defence that held a fancied Meath to just five points from play in near perfect conditions.
Next week's decider will be an opportunity for Dublin, chasing a 17th provincial title, to go one better than last year's final defeat.
As for the Royals, their campaign is over and they will be frustrated at their failure to build on a promising start with the goal they badly needed never arriving.
John McCarthy's home team fancied their chances with a team composed largely of Leinster minor title winners from 2020 and 2021.
With many of the same players lining out back then, the Royals beat Dublin convincingly in the 2021 provincial minor final and went on to win the All-Ireland that year.
They were the better side initially at the upper grade this time and should have been further than 0-06 to 0-05 ahead after 25 minutes.
Captain and free-taker Eoghan Frayne slotted three points while Shaun Leonard, who memorably kicked the winning point in the 2021 All-Ireland minor decider, added another.
Ciaran Caulfield, impressive for Meath in last week's quarter-final defeat of Westmeath, had a half chance for a goal as did Oisin Keogh.
Dublin were dealt a substantial blow when Luke Breathnach, who along with captain Greg McEneaney played for the Dublin seniors earlier this year, was carried off with a leg injury after 17 minutes.
The Ballinteer St John's attacker had scored Dublin's second point, bringing his tally to 0-13 for the campaign, though Joe Quigley at least proved a reliable replacement with three points before the break.
An improved Dublin outscored Meath by 0-04 to 0-01 in the 10 or so minutes before the interval to take a 0-08 to 0-06 lead.
There was a second injury setback for Dublin in the third quarter when defender Eoghan O'Connor Flanagan was also carried off.
Crucially, it didn't affect them on the scoreboard and a three-in-a-row of Keogh points propelled the visitors into a 0-12 to 0-08 lead at the three quarter mark.
Meath were painfully unable to penetrate a well drilled Dublin defence and when they eventually carved a couple of goal chances in the 58th minute, Frayne and sub Hughie Corcoran couldn't convert either.
Four Dublin points in a row from Keogh, sub Seamus Smith and Ethan Dunne between the 41st and 52nd minutes set the seal on victory for the Sky Blues.
Dublin: Andrew Smyth; Evan Nugent, Theo Clancy, Eoghan O'Connor Flanagan; Dara McGrath, Dan O'Leary, Alex Gavin; Ethan Dunne (0-01), Greg McEneaney; Conor Dolan (0-02), Luke Ward, Tom Brennan; Ross Keogh (0-05, 0-04f), Luke Breathnach (0-01), Darragh Dempsey (0-01, 0-01f).
Subs: Joe Quigley (0-03, 0-02f) for Breathnach 17, Michael McDonald for Brennan h/t, Seamus Smith (0-01) for O'Connor Flanagan 39, Bill Costello for Quigley 60.
Meath: Billy Hogan; Liam Kelly, Brian O'Halloran, John Finnerty; Killian Smyth, Brian O'Reilly, John O'Regan; Jack Kinlough (0-01), Conor Gray (0-01); Liam Stafford, Shaun Leonard (0-01), Ciaran Caulfield; Eoghan Frayne (0-05, 0-05f), Oisin Keogh, Alan Bowden.
Subs: Ruairi Kinsella for Leonard 38, Con Smith (0-01) for Stafford 48, Hughie Corcoran (0-01) for Kinsella 54, Conor Ennis for Bowden 54,
Referee: David Hickey (Carlow).
Laois 0-09 Kildare 1-20
Kildare will meet Dublin in next Tuesday's Leinster U20 decider after a very one-sided victory over Laois in O'Moore Park this evening.
Eoin Cully's goal midway through the second half essentially settled the encounter, opening up an eight-point gap and killing off the hosts' resolve.
The visitors led 0-09 to 0-04 at the break, Cully, Ryan Sinkey and Shane Farrell carrying the scoring load, Jack Byrne clipping over two points from the home side.
The gap remained in the four-five point margin over the course of an even third quarter until Cully's 44th minute goal. Thereafter, it was plain sailing for Kildare, the likes of Adam Fanning, Killian Browne, Oisín O'Sullivan and James Harris notching points as they ran out 14-point winners.
And so, having lost their opening round robin game against Westmeath, Kildare find themselves back in a Leinster final, seeking a second provincial title in a row at the grade.
