Joe Sheridan and Farrell led the Royals first half scoring, while a late point from Ger Heneghan, who finished with 0-7, cut the deficit for John Maughan's men.

With Darren Fay in impressive form, Meath looked comfortable and Farrell's goals, a punched effort past Geoffrey Claffey and a drilled second, set up by Peadar Byrne eased them home.

Remembering last July's All-Ireland SFC qualifier meeting between theses sides, which Meath won 1-19 to 0-9, Roscommon boss Maughan admitted his side "owed Meath one" in the build-up to this tie.

Maughan's opposite number Colm Coyle was sitting in the stands at Breffni Park, owing to the eight-week touchline ban he received for "words" directed at a linesman during a league match against Wicklow last month.

In front of a 10,000-strong crowd, it took a while for both sides to settle with only two points registered inside the opening five minutes - one each from Heneghan and Farrell.

The Rossies led 0-3 to 0-2 by the twelfth-minute with scores from John Tiernan and Gary Cox cancelling out a second Farrell effort. However, Maughan's charges could not add to their tally until the third minute of first half injury-time when Heneghan flighted over a free.

Sheridan levelled the tie for the third time - at 0-3 apiece - Farrell sent over a brace of frees, Sheridan was on target again and then two further Farrell points took Meath's tally to eight.

Coyle's side could have been further ahead but Roscommon goalkeeper Claffey pulled off a good save to deny Byrne, and the westerners added some much-needed steel to their midfield when introducing Seamus O'Neill.

Heneghan opened the scoring in the second half to raise his side's hopes but Farrell grabbed his first goal in the 38th-minute. With the Roscommon full-back line failing to react, Farrell dived to palm a long through ball past Claffey and into the net.

Cox (free) and Heneghan managed to erase some of the damage at the other end, but two Sheridan scores and Farrell's second goal, a smart finish in the 51st-minute, soon ended the game as a contest.

Seamus Kenny got his name on the scoresheet and while Heneghan added three more points to his and Roscommon's tally, it was fitting that Farrell, the top scorer in this year's Division Two campaign with an impressive 8-35, cracked over the final point.

It made little difference but Meath did see out the closing stages down to 14 men - Niall McKeigue was dismissed for his second bookable offence in the 63rd-minute.