Tyrone 2-17; Donegal 0-20
One by one, predicted early season favorites to win Sam Maguire are being taken down.
It was Galway who lost that air of invincibility the previous week against Dublin and, on Saturday, Tyrone claimed the prize scalp of the previously ebullient Donegal in their own backyard of MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey - something that had never previously happened in the Jim McGuinness eras.
Only Kerry remain unblemished so far into the season and with their easy group, they should go untested until the quarter-final stage.
Despite the reversal, Saturday in Ballybofey was more a case of Tyrone putting their hands up to be taken as serious All Ireland contenders rather than writing off Donegal as something of a spent force like Derry appears to have become.
They aren’t - and in some ways the Ulster champions might look back on this reverse as the perfect time to reboot before they plunge into the upcoming games against Mayo and Cavan. McGuinness will feel they can win those two tricky encounters but with Mayo already one game down, that clash could be a case of do or die for both counties.
While not always true, the old saying that goals win matches was again on the money in this contest as Seanie O’Connell got in for both first-half green flags to give Malachy O’Rourke’s side the confidence they needed to kick on for victory.
This they managed to do despite both Michael Murphy and Michael Langan producing outstanding displays and scores with the midfielder emerging as MVP thanks to his seven points from play.
Even Patrick McBrearty chipped in with a great two-pointer when he came on but collectively it wasn’t enough against a Red Hand outfit which appears to have their mojo back working in pursuit of Sam.
Despite the two goals, Donegal had played themselves back into the game but like a boxer on the floor a few times in a round, you sensed they were more vulnerable and less imperious than normal.
Two points behind facing into the second half and then it was Donegal 0-11, Tyrone 2-7, when Ciarán Thompson swung his ciotóg to land the opening point of the second half, the thought struck you that they had had sufficient time for their heads to clear and now they might kick on.
Instead it was their arch rivals who hit a purple patch with four points from Ben McDonnell and three from the incredibly accurate and clinical Darren McCurry.
As mentioned, the Murphy-Langan show kept Donegal in the frame as each kicked two-pointers before lanky Langan leveled affairs.
Kieran Daly fisted over when a goal was a possibility before Langan raised another white flag and sub McBrearty put his side ahead with a two-pointer.
It looked like the home side had timed their run to perfection but Tyrone’s fire was there to see as the excellent McCurry, the subdued Darragh Canavan with a free and the indefatigable super sub Petie Harte all found the range - the last-named with a two-pointer that raised the roof as it sailed over to embellish a famous away win.
Tyrone: N Morgan; C Quinn (0-1), P Hampsey, N Devlin; M McKernan (0-1), R Brennan, K McGeary (0-1); B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick; S O’Donnell (2-0), M Donnelly, C Daly (0-1); D McCurry (0-7 1 2pt f, 0-2f) , M Bradley, D Canavan (0-2f) Subs: B McDonnell (0-1) for Kennedy (h-r), P Harte for Donnelly (53), E McElholm for Bradley (55), F Burns for Brennan (57).
Donegal: G Mulreany; F Roarty, B McCole, E Gallagher; R McHugh (0-1), C McGonagle, C Moore; H McFadden, M Langan (0-7); D Ó Baoill, C Thompson (0-2, 0-1f), S O’Donnell; C O’Donnell, M Murphy (0-8, 3 2pt f, 0-1f, 0-1 '45) , O Gallen Subs: O McFadden-Ferry for McGonagle (31). Subs: E McHugh for Ó Baoill (half-time), P McBrearty (2pt) for McFadden (42), P Mogan for O’Donnell (50), O Doherty for Gallagher (60).
Ref: M McNally (Monaghan)
Armagh 2-21; Derry 2-17
Heartache and hope existed side by side for Derry following this four-point defeat by Armagh in the first round of their All Ireland Series Group 4 campaign played out in front of almost 15,000 fans at the Athletic Grounds on Saturday.
Seven weeks since previously in action, the Oak Leaf men’s first-half performance had signs of real encouragement for their large following in Armagh when they were just three points behind at the interval, having played into the wind.
Derry, the nearly men of the current posse in search of Sam, could either bloom or wilt on the changeover. Maybe without having a choice in the matter, Armagh upped their game and hit four points on the trot which half-buried the Derry hopes of a shock.
Then before you could say “What’s another year” green flags from Barry McCambridge and Conor Turbitt pushed the All Ireland holders a massive 13 points ahead with still 12 minutes to play.
A lesser team would have thrown in the towel but to Derry’s credit they fought for every ball as if they were still contending.
It looked game over and after a season in which Derry has yet to win, you feared what a heavy defeat might mean to Oak Leaf confidence that has been severely tested over the past 18 months. But confidence is a fickle thing. It seeps away to sow the seeds of doubt and nothing makes you double guess yourself like doubt. Yet necessity, desperation - call it what you like - can often be the catalyst to rediscover what you've been looking for. Conor Glass' 59th minute goal was that for Derry. It signalled a kitchen-sink approach that failed to be a true comeback and upset but showed great character as Armagh were relieved to hear the final whistle with a lead that by then had been cut to four points.
Armagh: E Rafferty; P Burns, B McCambridge (1-0), P McGrane; R McQuillan (0-4), R O’Neill (0-1) J Óg Burns (0-1); J Duffy (0-1), B Crealy; D McMullan (0-1), R Grugan (0-3, 0-2f), O Conaty (0-4, 0-1tp ); T Kelly, A Murnin (0-3), O O’Neill Subs: C Turbitt (1-2, 1tp) for O O’Neill (12’), S Campbell for J Duffy (51’), N Grimley for R O’Neill (55’), J McElroy (0-1) for R Grugan (60’), G McCabe for McQuillan (62’).
Derry: B McKinless; P McGurk, E McEvoy, D Baker; Ri Forbes (0-1) B Rogers, P McGrogan (0-1, 45’); C Glass (1-3), C Doherty; C McFaul, P Cassidy (0-5, 1tp), E Doherty (0-1); A Tohill, S McGuigan (0-5, 1tp, 1tpf), N Toner (0-1f) Subs: D Higgins (1-0) for Tohill (38’), R Mulholland for McGurk (54’), C Devlin for McFaul (59’), T Rogers for N Toner (62’), D McDermott for P McGrogan (65’),
Ref: S Hurson (Tyrone).
Monaghan 1-23; Louth 4-8
Winning Leinster is one thing - competing with the Big Boys from Division One is something entirely different as Louth found out when they faced Monaghan at Newbridge on Saturday.
They ended up losing by six points but really it was a day of men against boys as the Farney men shocked the Leinster winners and near neighbors with the intensity of their tackling and the sustainability of their power running over the course of the 70 plus minutes.
Louth Manager Ger Brennan put his hands up after the game and described his charges as lacking energy in this encounter. He went on to say that if they repeat such a display in their next outing against Down, they will be literally down and out for the rest of the series.
The game showed the difference in standard between Ulster and Leinster for while Louth managed to eclipse Meath who had done the same to Dublin, Monaghan lost narrowly to ultimate Northern victors Donegal back in April and you could see they are primed to wring as much out of summer play as is humanly possible.
The intensity with which they hit the Louth team left their opponents reeling - and only for the losers’ ability to get goals through big midfielder Tommy Durnin and talisman Sam Mulroy, the interest in the game would have waned long, long before the final whistle.
Truth is they were chasing a hopeless cause from the second minute when the spritely Stephen O’Hanlon had the ball in the back of the net and how they were only three points ahead at the interval 1-11 to 2-3 is something of a small miracle, such was their overall dominance.
They put that right on the changeover with a six-point unanswered period which saw skipper Micheál Bannigan leading from the front.
Mulroy was unusually awry with his place-kicking but a successfully converted penalty gave Louth a smidgen of hope while by the time Durnin’s second goal arrived late in the game, the score was more about respectability on the scoreboard than meaningfully reconstituting the encounter as a proper duel among neighbors.
Monaghan: R Beggan (0-4, 0-2tpf); R Wylie, K Lavelle, D Byrne; D Ward (0-3), R O’Toole, K Duffy (0-1); M McCarville, G Mohan; R McAnespie, S O’Hanlon (1-3), C McCarthy (0-1); M Bannigan (0-6, 0-1tp, 0-1f), A Woods, S Mooney (0-3) Subs: C Mulligan for Beggan (Blood 26-28), J McCarron (0-2, 0-1f), for McAnespie (45), C McNulty for Woods (49), D Garland for Mooney (59), D Hughes for McCarville (64), K O’Connell for Ward (69), J Irwin for O’Hanlon (70).
Louth: N McDonnell; D Corcoran, E Carolan, D McKenny; C McKeever, D Nally, C Lennon; B Duffy, T Durnin (2-0), C Downey, S Mulroy (2-2, 1-0pen, 0-1f), C Grimes; C Keenan, K McArdle, R Burns (0-5, 0-2tp, 0-1f) Subs: C Byrne (0-1) for Downey (ht), D McDonnell for McArdle (ht), L Jackson for Corcoran (40), A McDonnell for Duffy (42), C Branigan for A McDonnell (55).
GAA RESULTS
All-Ireland SFC Round 1
Tyrone 2-17 Donegal 0-20
Armagh 2-21 Derry 2-17
Monaghan 1-23 Louth 4-8
Meath 1-13 Cork 0-12
Leinster SHC Round 5
Wexford 2-19 Kilkenny 1-15
Galway 0-29 Dublin 3-15
Offaly 3-15 Antrim 1-16
Munster SHC round 5
Clare 3-20 Limerick 0-24
Cork 2-25 Waterford 1-22
Joe McDonagh Cup
Carlow 2-17 Laois 1-20
Kildare 1-26 Down 1-14
Westmeath 2-28 Kerry 1-14
Lory Meagher Cup semi-final
Monaghan 2-13 New York 1-29
FIXTURES
Saturday 31 May
All-Ireland SFC Round 2
Tyrone v Mayo, Healy Park, 7pm
Roscommon v Meath, Dr Hyde Park, 6pm
Down v Louth, Newry, 5.30pm
Cork v Kerry, SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh, 4.45pm
Tailteann Cup Round 3
Wicklow v Waterford, Wexford Park, 6pm
Offaly v Laois, Newbridge, 6pm
Westmeath v Limerick, O'Moore Park, 2pm
Christy Ring Cup final
Derry v London, Croke Park, 5pm
Lory Meagher Cup final
Cavan v New York, Croke Park, 3pm (10am New York time)
Nickey Rackard Cup final
Mayo v Roscommon, Croke Park, 1pm
All-Ireland U20HC final
Kilkenny v Tipperary, UPMC Nowlan Park
Sunday 1 June
All-Ireland SFC Round 2
Dublin v Armagh, Croke Park, 4pm
Monaghan v Clare, Clones, 4pm
Derry v Galway, Celtic Park, 2pm
Cavan v Donegal, Kingspan Breffni
Tailteann Cup Round 3
Kildare v Sligo, Dr Hyde Park, 2pm
Leitrim v Tipperary, Mullingar, 1.30pm
Carlow v Longford, O'Connor Park, 1.45pm
Fermanagh v Wexford, Croke Park, 1.45pm
Antrim v London, Newry, 1.45pm
