Despite an exceptional performance and a well-earned triumph in Cavan for the second year running, Fermanagh was unable to keep their spot in Division Two. Even though it was an excellent showcase from full forward Garvan Jones, who scored 1-8 (1-7 from play), Fermanagh’s second victory of the season wasn’t enough to save them from relegation, thanks to Louth’s victory over Kildare.
At the half-time mark, Fermanagh led 1-6 to 0-4, despite seven wides. Captain Declan McCusker and Jones were key to Fermanagh’s dominance, powering through and scoring four significant points. Fermanagh outworked a lacklustre Cavan team from the start, despite the fact that Cavan had nothing on the line besides their pride and avoiding another loss before facing Monaghan in their upcoming championship.
Cavan had trouble dealing with Fermanagh’s robust defence and struggled with primary possession on kick-outs. Even though Paddy Lynch managed to level the playing field with a free and a mark, quality scores from McCusker and Jones increased the advantage for the visitors. The highlight of the first half was a spectacular goal by Seán Cassidy, who managed to score it five minutes before the interim.
After making three changes at half-time, Cavan showed increased determination with Paddy Lynch managing an impressive goal, which reduced the difference to just three points. However, Fermanagh prevailed and left Cavan questioning their strategy before their impending match against Monaghan in Clones.
In Cavan, the line-up included Gary O’Rourke, Cian Reilly, Brían O’Connell, Luke Fortune, Ciarán Brady, Conor Rehill (who scored 0-1), Niall Carolan, James Smith (who bagged 0-2), Killian Clarke, Dara McVeety, Oisín Brady, Oisín Kiernan, Ryan O’Neill, Paddy Lynch (who amassed 1-7, 0-5f, 0-1m) and Caoimhín O’Reilly. Substitutions included Cormac O’Reilly (who contributed 0-1) in place of Ryan O’Neill after 17 minutes and then Conor Brady for Killian Clarke, Cian (who gained 0-2, 0-1 mark) for Caoimhín O’Reilly, Tiarnan Madden for Oisín Kiernan at half-time, and finally Paddy Meade for Luke Fortune at 67 mins.
In the Fermanagh squad, the players were Ross Bogue, Lee Cullen, Che Cullen, Oisín Smyth, Declan McCusker (scoring 0-2), Shane McGullion, Cian McManus, Fionán O’Brien (securing 0-2), Joe McDade, Conor McGee, Conor McShea, Ronan McCaffrey (adding 0-1), Ultan Kelm, Garvan Jones (providing a massive 1-8, 0-1f), and Sean Cassidy (adding 1-1, 0-1f). They swapped out Josh Largo-Ellis for Cian McManus temporarily (from 20-23 mins), reintroduced him in place of Ronan McCaffrey at 47 mins, brought B Horan in for Cian McManus at 59 mins, and swapped Diarmuid King for Sean Cassidy at 63 mins, then Oisín Murphy went on for Declan McCusker at 65mins. The ref was Kieran Eannetta from Tyrone.
Looking at the Kildare v Louth match, three minutes into the second half, the two teams found themselves at the bottom of NFL’s Division Two table with relegation seemingly assured. Kildare, though down, owed their lead to Paddy Woodgate at this time. Whereas elsewhere Fermanagh was ahead of Cavan, escalating the crisis for Ger Brennan’s Louth. Louth, however, displayed an impressive comeback and dominated the game with six points out of the following seven, seizing control of the game and rescuing their season.
Ryan Burns scored a pivotal 14th-minute goal, his performance peaking with an overall score of 1-2. The highlight, however, was the team’s remarkable resilience during the second half, propelling them to their third season victory, as well as securing their place in Division Two for another year.
Following the game, Manager Brennan shared that he had painted a misleadingly bleak picture for his team during half-time, telling them that Fermanagh was leading by more than they actually were. This tactical move may have been the catalyst that sparked the ramp up in intensity once they returned to the field, their aggressive press strategy and heightened hunger to strike back proving fatal to a vulnerable Kildare.
Sam Mulroy contributed five points to the game. Despite them all coming from placed balls, his influence was evident, especially as he won several of those balls himself. Goals from Louth’s Conor Grimes and Tom Jackson also applied pressure on the opposition.
Kildare, now enduring their seventh successive loss, faces the prospect of a rematch with Louth if both teams win their Leinster SFC opening games on April 14th, leading to a possible encounter on April 28th.
In spite of Aaron Masterson’s three points for Kildare and Shane Farrell’s conversion of three frees, the total yield from Glenn Ryan’s side was disappointingly low. Late scores from Kevin Feely and Woodgate narrowed Louth’s lead, but Kildare’s desperate last-minute efforts to score a goal continued the season-long trend of unfruitful attempts.
The KILDARE team included: M Donnellan; M O’Grady, R Houlihan, S Ryan; P McDermott (0-1), E Doyle, B Byrne; A Masterson (0-3), L Killian; S Farrell, S O’Sullivan, A Beirne; P Woodgate (0-4, 0-2f, 0-1 45), D Flynn (0-1), K Feely (0-2, 0-2f). Substitutes were J Sargent for Doyle (18 mins); R Burke for Houlihan (26); D Kirwan (0-1) for O’Sullivan (50); B Coffey for Flynn (64); R Teahan for Farrell (67).
In the game between Louth and Armagh, the line-up included N McDonnell, D Campbell, P Lynch, and D McKenny among others, with L Grey, C Grimes and C Downey contributing with a few scores. R Burns and S Mulroy were the standout performers for Louth in terms of scoring. Substitutions were employed with C Lennon replacing Murphy at 40 minutes, and others happening later in the game. The match was overseen by referee Joe McQuillan from Cavan.
There was an intense bout between Cork and Armagh, ending with a tie at 2-16 each side. In a thrilling turn of events, Armagh made an impressive comeback in stoppage time, with points scored by Aidan Nugent and Oisín Conaty. Cork, having been behind, managed to rally with second-half goals from Chris Óg Jones and Luke Fahy, marking the first goals Armagh had let in all year. Despite this, Armagh managed to narrow the gap to one through Rory Grugan’s strike in the penultimate minute.
Cork’s Conor Corbett managed to score another point, but it wasn’t sufficient to secure a victory. A final attempt by Steven Sherlock of Cork went wide by a small margin. Consequently, Armagh, who have already qualified, advanced to the final in second place behind Donegal, while the Cork team secured a fourth-place finish, ensuring their spot in the top 16 for Sam Maguire football.
During the match, which was played in chilly weather, a total of 10 different Cork players secured scores, making the game as exciting as the preceding Hurling League semi-final. In the initial half, Armagh put up a solid performance using the advantage of a strong wind. Scoring began with Colm O’Callaghan and progressed with more resonating performance from Armagh, with a brilliant goal lead secured after the 19th minute. Despite a valiant attempt by Cork’s Micheál Aodh Martin, Peter McGrane of Armagh successfully scored.
During the game, the score stood at 1-9 to 0-9 at the break, but within the 43rd minute, the teams were on equal terms again after Brian Hurley lost possession leading to a powerful shot right into the net by Jones. Armagh’s shooting was impeccable until it seemed to falter in the 45th minute. This slip up opened the door for Cork to take lead in the 60th minute, following yet another slip up from Jones. Conor Corbett acted as a bridge and Fahy guided the ball past Blaine Hughes. A fumbled catch by Martin allowed Grugan to secure a goal after a deceptive shot by Nugent allowed Armagh to preserve their unbroken record at the last gasp.
The players forming the Cork squad were MA Martin; M Shanley, D O’Mahony, T Walsh; L Fahy, S Meehan, M Taylor; I Maguire, C O’Callaghan; P Walsh, S Powter, B O’Driscoll; C Óg Jones, C Corbett, B Hurley. Subs on the bench included K O’Hanlon who swapped in for P Walsh after 49 minutes, S Sherlock who replaced Hurley in the 56th minute, E McSweeney who came in for O’Hanlon in the 64th minute due to an injury, M Cronin who stepped in for Powter in the 67th minute, and finally K Flahive came in place of T Walsh in extra time.
Armagh’s side comprised of players B Hughes; P Burns, B McCambridge, P McGrane; G McCabe, A McKay, T Kelly; Connaire Mackin, B Crealey; J McElroy, R Grugan, J Duffy; C Turbitt, R O’Neill, O Conaty. On the substitute bench we saw J Óg Burns who swapped for Mackin due to an injury in the 21st minute, A Nugent who filled in for Duffy at half time, R McQuillan who took over from McElroy as well at half time; S Campbell who replaced O’Neill in the 49th minute, and finally O’Neill who stepped in for McCambridge in stoppage time.
“The official umpire for the game was B Griffin, originating from Kerry.”