Donegal 2-23; Armagh 0-28
Patrick Kavanagh used to have copyright on the word ‘Epic’ but the former poet and netminder for Inishkeen would surely agree that when Donegal and Armagh meet in big matches like an Ulster Final in Clones, they have taken ownership of such a great description of a football encounter.
On Saturday evening, they had a full house and a big television audience captivated as they once again went right down to the wire in extra time before Jim McGuinness’s men got home by a short-head in the keenest of contests imaginable on a glorious and sweltering May evening in front of 30,000 fans.
This was the third of a trilogy of "epic" encounters these two counties have served up to the nation and the outcome was the same as Donegal, thanks to a late point from sub Niall O’Donnell plunged the final dagger into the contest and went home with the spoils.
These two teams have titles the other wants - Donegal want the Sam Maguire which Armagh now hold and equally, the Orchard County desperately sought a victory to become kingpins in Ulster fight for the Anglo Celt Cup which the men from Tir Conaill have now held onto in back-to-back title wins.
Previously beaten on penalties in ‘23 and last year, Kieran McGeeney and his squad wanted to make up for the 17 year drought on the provincial scene - but heartache was to be their bedfellow once more at the end of a game for the ages.
This is still the provincial championship others aim to follow and while Leinster and Connacht produced pulsating denouements, in Munster it was at the semi-final stage when Cork took Kerry to extra time that the drama was delivered.
Mind, it didn’t start out that way as both sides barely landed a glove in a cagey opening quarter in which possession for possession sake seemed to be the modus operandi.
The first significant aspect which tilted the game Donegal’s way was their ability to dominate Ethan Rafferty’s previously almost perfect restarts via kickouts.
This and the direct running of the likes of Daire Ó Baoill caused trouble in the Orchard defence especially when Peadar Mogan galloped onto a pass from his colleagues and was only denied by a fine save from the big netminder.
The first man to make a significant indent on the scoreboard was Ciaran Thompson who landed a massive two-pointer, followed later by a similar return in the first half, which gave his side the upperhand.
Talisman Michael Murphy then brought the biggest cheer of the day when he carried out a one-handed catch that yielded a point for his skipper Paddy McBrearty.
With the likes of Hugh McFadden, Caolan McGonagle and Michael Langan all over the restarts, it allowed their forward colleague Oisin Gallen the ammunition to fire over four brilliant points to give his side a five point advantage which Thompson with his second double score pushed to seven up and counting.
Armagh can play in fits and starts as we all know so now faced with such a deficit, it was time for them to step up. Which they did as Oisin O’Neill hit three, including a two-pointer, to cut the deficit to 0-14 to 0-11 at the break.
The same O’Neill and Ross McQuillan kept up the pressure to reduce the margin to the minimum by the 44th minute when McFadden volleyed home a loose ball to the net to give Donegal a massive confidence injection. With Darragh McMullan failing at the other end for a goal, Donegal went for the jugular and seemed to have found themselves going into the last stanza of the game.
Why the word epic came to apply to this game was largely due to how Armagh reacted for the second time to pull themselves back into the contest.
Another Oisin O’Neill two-pointer started the revival and sub Stefan Campbell had hardly set foot on the pitch when he was lofting over a great score which the excellent Oisin Conaty added to and so reduce the deficit second time around to two points.
Donegal sub Jason McGee landed a blow with his point but by now Armagh’s tails were up and Campbell and fellow sub Jason Duffy cut the deficit before Conaty got through for a brilliant equaliser to tie the game at 0-23 to 1-20.
Jarly Óg Burns landed what looked like a defining blow as his side held the advantage until after the hooter had sounded, when sub Niall O’Donnell hit the target to level the game again.
Donegal then got in for a goal on 83 minutes when on again after being substituted Ciaran Moore took Michael Langan’s pass to shoot home and put his side two points up.
Big Rafferty showed nerves of steel to tie the counties again on the scoreboard when he landed a two-pointer free, but Niall O’Donnell had one more trick up his sleeve when he kicked the winner two minutes from the end of extra time. And this time when Donegal got possession, they successfully ran down the clock to make it a second successive Ulster title.
Donegal: S Patton; F Roarty, B McCole, P Mogan (0-1); R McHugh, C McGonagle, C Moore (1-1); C Thompson (0-4, 2tp), M Langan (0-2); D Ó Baoill (0-1), H McFadden (1-0), S O’Donnell; P McBrearty (0-3f), M Murphy (0-3), O Gallen (0-4) Subs: C O’Donnell (0-1) for McBrearty (42), J McGee (0-1) for McFadden (49), J Brennan for O Baoill (51), E McHugh for Moore (54), A Doherty for Gallen (64),N O’Donnell (0-2) for Brennan (71), McBrearty for Murphy (76), Ó Baoill for McHugh (78), Moore for S O’Donnell (81), S McMenamin for McCole (83).
Armagh: E Rafferty (0-3,1’45, 1tpf); P Burns, B McCambridge, A Forker; R McQuillan (0-3), G McCabe, J Óg Burns (0-1); C O’Neill (0-1), B Crealey (0-1); D McMullan, R Grugan, O Conaty (0-6); T Kelly, A Murnin (0-1), O O’Neill (0-7, 1tp, 1tpf) Subs: C Turbitt for Kelly (41), S Campbell (0-03) for C O’Neill (49), P McGrane for McCabe (54), J Duffy (0-2) for O O’Neill (59), N Grimley for Forker (61), C Mackin for Murnin (71), C McConville for Conaty (78), S McPartlan for Grugan (83), T McCormack for McQuillan (87).
Ref: B Cawley (Kildare).
GAA RESULTS
Leinster SFC final
Louth 3-14 Meath 1-18
Ulster SFC final
Donegal 2-23 Armagh 0-28
(AET)
Munster SHC round 3
Tipperary 4-18 Clare 2-21
Leinster SHC Round 3
Kilkenny 4-25 Offaly 2-16
Dublin 3-25 Antrim 0-19
Galway 1-29 Wexford 2-16
Tailteann Cup Round 1
Westmeath 4-24 Antrim 1-16
Carlow 3-18 Fermanagh 2-18
Sligo 2-15 Tipperary 2-10
Wexford 2-24 Longford 1-18
Kildare 0-36 Leitrim 0-11
Laois 0-28 Waterford 1-16
Offaly 2-13 Wicklow 0-11
Limerick 0-25 London 1-15
Joe McDonagh Cup
Westmeath 2-24 Down 0-20
Kildare 2-23 Carlow 1-20
Laois 5-28 Kerry 1-21
Christy Ring Cup
Wicklow 3-17 Meath 0-16
Derry 1-30 Tyrone 0-11
London 2-19 Donegal 1-15
Nicky Rackard Cup
Roscommon 4-27 Fermanagh 0-22
Mayo 1-32 Sligo 1-17
Armagh 2-15 Louth 0-19
Lory Meagher Cup
Cavan 3-29 Longford 3-17
Warwickshire 2-17 Leitrim 0-18
Monaghan 4-15 Lancashire 2-14
Connacht Ladies SFC
Galway 2-13 Mayo 0-9
Leinster Ladies SFC final
Dublin 2-13 Meath 1-12
Munster Ladies SFC
Kerry 1-6 Tipperary 1-6
Waterford 3-12 Cork 1-9
