All-Ireland Ladies Football Championship: Donegal and Armagh win group openers

Niamh Hegarty scored 1-3 as Donegal beat Waterford

Ulster champions Donegal got their All-Ireland campaign underway with a 2-10 to 1-8 victory against Waterford.

Maxi Curran's side had the perfect start in Group Two, with goals from Niamh Hegarty and Amy Boyle Carr helping them to claim the points.

Armagh, who lost the Ulster final to Donegal, sealed a battling win in their first Group One game against Laois.

A late goal from Aoife McCoy saw them survive a Laois fight-back to record a 3-12 to 2-8 victory.

At Lifford, after an early exchange of points, Waterford capitalised on a mistake in the Donegal defence which culminated in Lauren McGregor firing home on eight minutes to give her side the lead.

Their advantage would be short-lived, however, as Niamh Hegarty converted a penalty for Donegal just a minute later to bring them level.

Donegal opened up a two-point advantage with scores from Susie White and Boyle Carr, before Kelly Ann Hogan fisted the ball over the bar to bring it back to a one point game for Waterford.

Donegal, who clinched their first provincial title since 2019 with last month's triumph, dominated the closing stages of the half.

A free from White and further quick-fire scores from Hegarty and Kate Dowds gave them a four point advantage at the interval.

The away team extended their lead six minutes after the restart, with Boye Carr's low finish into the corner taking Donegal to 2-7.

A series of frees from Lauren McGregor brought Waterford to 1-6 on 49 minutes, but points from Hegarty and Ciara McGarvey, who scored the winning goal in the Ulster final, gave Donegal a healthy advantage.

The last two scores would go to Waterford, but Donegal saw out the closing stages of the game to start their All-Ireland campaign positively.

Armagh survive Laois rally

Reel scored Armagh's first goal in their victory against Laois

Armagh raced out of the blocks at Portlaoise with a flurry of early points, from Kerry Mallon, Niamh Reel, Blaithin Mackin and Lauren McConville.

Reel then slammed home the first goal of the game to stretch their advantage to 1-5 to 0-1 with just 15 minutes played.

McCoy added their second goal on 25 minutes, but that would prove to be the Orchard County's last score for a while as Laois began to grow into the game.

Mo Derney and Orla Hennessy pointed in the closing stages of the half to bring their side to 0-5 and leave them trailing by eight points at the break.

Laois would go onto record the opening two scores of the second period too, with Katie Donaghue converting a point and Nerney then scoring a goal, finishing the rebound after good work from Laura Marie Maher.

Eve Lavery pointed on 42 minutes to stretch Armagh's lead back to six, before Blaithin Mackin's powerful strike was saved by Eimear Barry three minutes later.

Donoghue blasted home Laois' second goal on 51 minutes to bring her team within four points of Armagh.

A late goal from McCoy, her second and Armagh's third of the game, however, would extinguish Laois' hopes of a comeback.

Aimee Mackin set up McCoy and she hit the net to secure a hard-fought opening win for the Orchard County.