In a sluggish beginning, the Tailteann tournament favourites, Kildare, managed to rally, scoring five goals in the second half, wrapping up a 5-15 to 0-6 victory over Dungarvan’s Waterford. Kildare, known as the Lilywhites, were leading 0-8 to 0-3 at half-time, then shifted things up a gear post-half time; substitute Shane O’Sullivan netting two goals and Kevin Flynn, Niall Kelly, and Paddy Woodgate also managing to signal goals. Darragh Kirwan scored half of their first-half total, all from in-play.
The Déise significantly fell behind in the final quarter after midfielder Michael Curry, on his 100th game, received his second yellow card. Down demonstrated some notable form in Ruislip, leaving London trailing by 17 points. Down started the second half with a lead of 0-8 to 0-5, scoring four straight points before Odhran Murdock scored a penalty at the 50th minute. Pat Havern (three free kicks) and Daniel Guinness were the top scorers for the visitors with 0-6 each, leading to a 1-24 to 0-10 victory.
Sligo, another team predicted to do well, had a hefty 16 points against Tipperary at Semple Stadium (3-22 to 1-12). The Sligo team were always ahead, securing a 2-11 to 1-5 lead at half-time. Captain Niall Murphy scored 2-6, and they had the luxury to take him out with more than 20 minutes spare.
In the meantime, Antrim fought off Wexford, thanks to a fourth-minute goal from Ruairi McCann, bringing his Tailteann goal count to three this year, which put Antrim in the lead they wouldn’t surrender. However, despite trailing by four points at half-time, Wexford rallied in the second half, scoring five of the first seven points. But it was primarily down to the defensive efforts of newbie goalie Will Foley and full-back Gavin Sheehan that kept them in the competition. Antrim’s Ryan McQuillan contributed 0-6 (3f), giving them a narrow win of 1-15 to 0-17.
In the intense match between Fermanagh and Carlow, a crucial first-half goal from Conor McShea gave Fermanagh the edge, leading 1-4 to 0-6 by half-time. The game was ultimately clinched by Kieran Donnelly’s team, when replacements Conor Love and Darragh McGurn contributed points, taking the final score to 1-13 to 0-13 in favour of Fermanagh.
Elsewhere, Offaly suffered another hard blow after being defeated resoundingly on home ground in the second round by London, losing again in Rathkeale. Two sterling goals post-break from Emmett Rigter assisted Limerick in notching their inaugural victory of the season, with a comfortable lead of eight (2-10 to 0-8).
At Pearse Park, it was a 73rd-minute free shot by Barry McNulty that distinguished Leitrim from Longford, with the final score at 2-12 to 0-17. Despite Dessie Reynolds’ charge, Longford couldn’t match up. Leitrim held a narrow lead of one point at half-time, thanks to Ryan O’Rourke’s penalty, and crucial goals from the goalie Nevin O’Donnell and McNulty early in the second half.
Meanwhile, Laois managed a tense victory over Wicklow, nudging them out by 0-11 to 0-10. McConville’s team initiated the scoring spree and took the lead by three points twice in the first half. However, efforts from Evan O’Carroll and Killian Roche tightened the scoreline. It was Mark Barry’s goal in the 50th minute that equalled the match, and subsequent scores from O’Carroll and Roche gave Laois a three-point advantage. A nail-biting ending saw Conor Fee and Mark Kenny rally to score points, but it wasn’t enough to steal the victory from Laois.