Mayo 1-15 Donegal 2-6
By Frank Craig
Mayo advanced to the quarter-finals of TG4 All-Ireland title race while Donegal’s championship status will go on the line in the promotion/relegation play-offs.
Diane O’Hora’s side went away to Pairc Taoibhoige, Glenfin and came away with a deserved six-point victory.
James Daly’s team trailed 0-12 to 1-2 on 50 minutes but a Donegal rally down the stretch reeled that gap into just three points.
Lisa Cafferky stemmed the tide for the Connacht girls but a Susanne White goal late on again threatened to salvage matters for Donegal.
Mayo though, lifted things again and a Cafferky goal at the other end finally decided matters.
The visitors, playing with the aid of the stiff breeze inside the opening half, departed with a four-point lead at 0-8 to 1-1 at the break.
Aoife Staunton top-scored for Mayo by then with three points, while Maria Reilly, Sinead Cafferky and Lisa Cafferky also helped accumulate that midpoint haul.
Donegal’s only white flag was supplied by White but a 25th-minute goal from Abbie McGranaghan made sure they remained in contention at the changeover.
Mayo bossed the third quarter before home replacements Mia Bennett and Ulitah Boyle helped Donegal reduce arrears to just a goal with ten to go.
And with matters exploding into life there, it was Mayo that had the final say as they progressed to the quarter-finals.
Scorers - Mayo: L Cafferky 1-4, 4f; A Staunton 0-4, 1f; S Cafferky 0-3; M Reilly 0-2; A Geraghty and T Needham 0-1 each.
Donegal: S White 1-3, 1f; A McGranaghan 1-0; E Gallagher, M Bennett and U Boyle 0-1 each.
MAYO: L. Brennan; L. Wallace, S. El Massry, M. Delaney; F. Collins, L. Hanley, H. Reape; A. Geraghty, T. Needham; M. Reilly, S. Walsh, A. Staunton; L. Cafferky, C. Keane, S. Cafferky. Subs: A Kennedy for Collins (48), Kayla Doherty for C Keane (58).
DONEGAL: C. Friel; N. Carr, N. Boyle, S. McFeely; T. Hegarty, F. McManamon, S. McFadden; R. McColgan, E. McGinley; B. McLaughlin, K. Dowds, A. McDermott; E. Gallagher, S. White, A. McGranaghan. Subs: U Boyle for McFadden (ht), R Rodgers for McFeely (40), Mia Bennett for E Gallagher, C Gillespie for McDermott (both 47), Ava Walsh for B McLaughlin (58).
Referee: M. Farrelly (Cavan).
Meath 1-12 Tyrone 1-10
By Daire Walsh
Meadhbh Byrne helped herself to a haul of 1-2 at O’Neill’s Healy Park in Omagh on Saturday as Meath edged out Tyrone to secure their spot at the quarter-final stage of the TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship for the sixth year in succession.
Both teams came into this Group 4 contest on the back of comprehensive defeats to Galway, but it was Tyrone who broke the deadlock in a tentative opening when Slaine McCarroll split the posts with just under five minutes gone. The Red Hand restored their one-point lead when a Niamh O’Neill free cancelled out a similar effort by Emma Duggan at the opposite end, but Meath hit the front for the first time when Byrne and team captain Niamh Gallogly knocked over quick fire scores.
Yet Tyrone’s inside forwards O’Neill and Sorcha Gormley found the target either side of a well-worked Ciara Smyth point for the Royals, before Meath wing-back Katie Bermingham and Chloe McCaffrey traded scores in what was now turning into a lively encounter.
However, it was Meath who pushed on in the closing stages of the first half with Byrne, Bermingham, Orla Finnegan and Gallogly all raising white flags in contrast to McCaffrey’s single effort for Tyrone.
This provided the Royals with a 0-9 to 0-6 interval cushion, but this buffer was reduced to the bare minimum when dead-ball specialist O’Neill registered a superb two-point free on 38 minutes.
While this left the tie delicately poised, Meath reinforced their authority when Byrne fired into the bottom left-hand corner of the net after she was picked out by raiding defender Amy Gaffney in the 40th minute.
Even though Caitlin Campbell was on hand to bag a Tyrone point, Finnegan and Duggan later found the range to leave Meath five in front moving into the closing quarter. Swapped efforts between O’Neill and industrious Royal forward Lauren Woods meant this lead remained intact with the final whistle fast approaching, but Tyrone offered themselves a lifeline when substitute Maeve Maxwell slotted home a penalty on 58 minutes.
This was as close as Darren McCann’s charges came to pulling off a major victory and whereas Meath can now embark on the knockout rounds of the Brendan Martin Cup, 2025 TG4 All-Ireland intermediate football champions Tyrone will now enter into the relegation play-offs.
Scorers – Meath: M Byrne 1-2, E Duggan 0-2 (1f), K Bermingham, N Gallogly, O Finnegan 0-2 each, L Woods, C Smyth 0-1 each.
Tyrone: N O’Neill 0-5 (1 2ptf, 3f), M Maxwell 1-0 (pen), C McCaffrey 0-2 (1f), C Campbell, S McCarroll, S Gormley 0-1 each.
MEATH: R Murray; A Farrell, Á Sheridan, A Gaffney; O Sheehy, O Gore, K Bermingham; S Murphy, N Gallogly; L Woods, E Duggan, M Thynne; M Byrne, C Smyth, O Finnegan. Subs: Ó Smith for Byrne (47), R Casserly for Finnegan (48), K Kealy for Farrell, C Lawlor for Gore (both 52), A Sherlock for Duggan (57).
TYRONE: L Kane; E Quinn, G McKenna, J Hearty; C Canavan, M Corrigan, C Campbell; M Mallon, A McHugh; E McCanny, C McCaffrey, S McCarroll; N O’Neill, C McNamee, S Gormley. Subs: KR Muldoon for McCanny (47), M Maxwell for McNamee, J Barrett for Hearty (both 52), E McCrossan for Gormley (55), E Conroy for Canavan (58).
Referee: Philip Conway (Armagh).
Armagh 2-15 Waterford 1-15
Armagh held off a late Waterford rally to book a home quarter-final in the race for the Brendan Martin Cup after a thrilling encounter at BOX-IT Athletic Grounds.
Waterford, caught at the death by Cork last weekend, almost snatched a draw in the final play of this TG4 All-Ireland Group 1 clash but a free from Chloe Fennell was tipped off the crossbar by Niamh Reel and Lauren McConville and Armagh survived.
Armagh led by 2-13 to 0-12 with nine minutes remaining but Waterford fought back bravely having been down to 13 players at one stage during the second half after picking up a couple of yellow cards.
Armagh led by 2-7 to 0-8 at the end of an exciting opening half which began with a flurry of scores as Aine O’Neill and Kellyann Hogan landed two-pointers for Waterford in the opening four minutes either side of a goal from Lara Marsden after a Kelly Mallon free dropped short.
Points from captain McConville, Mallon and Blaithin Mackin pushed Armagh 1-3 to 0-4 in front after nine minutes.
But Waterford hit back with two points from Bríd McMaugh and one from Maeve Daly to edge them 0-7 to 1-3 in front at the end of the opening quarter.
Aoife McCoy got in for Armagh’s second goal after a good passing movement after 16 minutes, while at the other end goalkeeper Brianna Mathers did superbly to block an effort from Clare Walsh.
Armagh outscored Waterford by 0-4 to 0-1 in the closing eleven minutes of the half to lead by five at the interval.
Hogan kicked three points for Waterford after the restart but Armagh remained in front as Aimee Mackin and McCoy found the range. They extended that lead to seven points with nine minutes remaining but Waterford hit back with points from Katie Murray and Lauren McGregor before Maeve Daly blasted to the net after being set up by McGregor.
That left two points between the sides and Chloe Fennell cut that to the minimum when she pointed a free.
Caroline O’Hanlon hit back with a couple of points but Waterford almost snatched a draw only to be denied by the woodwork.
They will now go into the relegation while Cork advance to the last eight as runners-up in the group.
Scorers: Armagh: A McCoy 1-1, K Mallon 0-4 (2f), C O’Hanlon 0-3, L Marsden 1-0, A Mackin 0-3 (2f), L McConville 0-1, B Mackin 0-1, E Druse 0-1, C Henderson 0-1.
Waterford: K Hogan (0-5, 2f), M Daly 1-1, A O’Neill 0-3, B McMaugh 0-2, K Murray 0-2, L McGregor 0-1, C Fennell 0-1f.
ARMAGH: B Mathers; A Donnelly, C McCambridge, C Towe; E Druse, L McConville (capt.), G Ferguson; B Mackin, C O'Reilly; L Marsden, A McCoy, C Marley; A Mackin, C O'Hanlon, K Mallon. Subs: C Henderson for O’Reilly (37), C McNally for Marley (44), N Reel for Mallon (53),E Melanophy for Marsden (56), M Ferguson for Donnelly (59).
WATERFORD: K Gardner; C Murray, L Mulcahy, R Casey; L Cusack, K McGrath, R Browne; E Power, A O’Neill; B McMaugh, K Hogan, K Murray (capt.); M Daly, C Walsh, L McGregor. Subs: C Fennell for McMaugh (44), J Queally for Walsh (44), C Power for Cusack (52),
Referee: Gavin Finnegan (Down).
