Gaelic Games

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Tyrone manager Malachy O'Rourke felt his side did not "get to the pitch of the game" in their 2-17 to 1-13 defeat by Mayo.

Coming into the All-Ireland round-robin contest off an impressive win over Ulster champions Donegal seven days prior, the Red Hands found themselves 1-9 to 0-4 down at half-time.

Although they would cut the deficit to a point in the second half, Mayo, under the charge of Stephen Rochford after Kevin McStay stepped away for health reasons, pulled away to bounce back from their opening-round loss to Cavan.

"We'd a great win last week and we came here knowing, after the disappointment of the Cavan game, Mayo would be coming here with real hunger," said O'Rourke.

"We knew we'd have to meet that head on and I suppose that's the most disappointing thing, we felt in the first half we didn't get to the pitch of the game.

"We were a bit flat and left ourselves with a lot to do. In fairness to the boys, we dug in well, we got it back to a point but we made too many mistakes, we weren't playing well enough and Mayo deserved the victory. We've no excuses."

While Tyrone were in action on consecutive weekends, Mayo had a week's break from their last outing, although O'Rourke did not feel that was the telling reason for his side's flat performance.

"There's no doubt that the week turnaround is very small and it could have some effect, but we're not using that as an excuse either," he added.

"We knew what the story was, we knew exactly what Mayo would bring and we were hoping we'd be able to meet that and get another really good performance.

"For all of us in the changing room, we didn't get to the level that we need to get to and the level we expect of ourselves."

Tyrone will conclude their round-robin action against Cavan at a neutral venue during the weekend of 14/15 June.

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Down made it two wins from two in the group stage of the All-Ireland series as they survived a late Louth fightback to win 0-25 to 0-24 at Pairc Esler.

After a delayed start to the game in Newry, Odhran Murdock kicked a fine two pointer a minute into the game to set Conor Laverty's men on their way.

They added two more points before a free from Sam Mulroy got Louth on the board after eight minutes.

Two two-pointers from Danny Magill and Murdock further stretched Down's lead and they eventually moved nine clear before Niall McDonnell was thwarted by Ryan McEvoy in front of goal.

Louth rattled off four points in a row to cut the gap, but a late scoring blitz helped Down to lead 0-16 to 0-7 at half-time.

Two two-pointer and another effort from Mulroy helped the Leinster champions to chip away at Down's lead, reducing it to six points, but three in a row from the hosts helped them to re-establish their advantage.

Donal McKenny hit the post for Louth with Mulroy, Craig Lennon and Tommy Durnin scoring three straight two-pointers for the visitors as they moved to within three points of the Mournemen.

Louth had the momentum and got back to within one, before Mulroy's attempt after the hooter was blocked as Down held on for a narrow win.

Having comfortably dispatched Clare in their first game, the Mournemen are in a commanding position ahead of facing Monaghan at a neutral venue in the final round of group games in a fortnight.

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Derry boss Paddy Tally has urged his players to rise to the challenge of facing a fired-up Galway in Sunday's crucial All-Ireland Group Four game at Celtic Park (14:00 BST).

With Dublin to come in a fortnight, the Oak Leafers must beat last year's All-Ireland finalists to keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages.

Derry are winless in 2025, having struggled to cope with injuries to key players, but Tally says there will be no excuses when they host a Tribesmen outfit who lost to Dublin last time out.

"Galway are one of the top teams in the country," Tally told BBC Sport NI after his side's defeat by Armagh in round one.

"They got their shock against Dublin. You'll not see that Galway team again. You'll see a much more motivated and focused Galway.

"But we have them at home. It's on us to make sure we perform. There is no other way of looking at it. There will be no excuses so the performance is key and let's hope we can get a result."

Tally insisted Derry must improve their kick-outs after being dominated by Armagh in the middle third at the Athletic Grounds.

His hand may be strengthened, however, by the return of goalkeeper Odhran Lynch, who has been named on the bench for the Galway game.

"Armagh looked good, at times they were cutting us open and getting scores," added former Tyrone and Kerry coach Tally.

"We were loose defensively at times, which wasn't good enough. We struggled on kick-outs. Armagh are strong around the middle and it's something we have to work on.

"You can see at times where our players were coming into it. I do think it comes down to not playing for a while but that will not be an excuse against Galway."

Derry rallied from nine points to draw against Galway at Celtic Park in Division One earlier this year, but lost 2-14 to 0-15 in last year's All-Ireland round-robin tie.

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Antrim hurling boss Davy Fitzgerald has been handed an eight-week ban for comments he made after his side's defeat by Galway in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship earlier this month.

Fitzgerald criticised officials after Declan McCloskey was sent off for an off-the-ball incident in the game in Salthill, which Antrim lost by 28 points.

The former Clare and Wexford boss was subsequently charged by the GAA with "misconduct considered to have discredited the association".

At a hearing on Friday, which was requested by Fitzgerald, the Central Hearings Committee (CHC) upheld the infraction and handed him an eight-week suspension.

Fitzgerald has the option of appealing the decision.

The ban came into effect from the date of the hearing (29 May).

Antrim suffered relegation from Leinster to the Joe McDonagh Cup for the 2026 season with last week's defeat by Offaly.

Following the game, Fitzgerald said he needed time before making a decision on his Antrim future. He took over as boss last year following Darren Gleeson's departure.

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Dublin captain Con O'Callaghan has not been included in Dessie Farrell's squad for Sunday's All-Ireland round-robin contest against holders Armagh at Croke Park (16:00 BST).

The three-time All-Star forward was forced off injured in Dublin's win over Galway on 17 May and has been replaced by Tom Lahiff.

Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney has also been forced into a change with Oisin O'Neill replaced by Conor Turbitt in attack.

Crossmaglen club-man O'Neill was withdrawn after just 11 minutes in the Orchard's opening Group Four win over Derry at the Athletic Grounds last week.

Rian O'Neill - Oisin's brother - has been named to start at corner-forward after making his return against Derry.

Having not featured since last year's All-Ireland final, O'Neill replaced Aidan Forker just prior to throw-in last week.

Dublin: Stephen Cluxton; David Byrne, Theo Clancy, Sean MacMahon; Alex Gavin, Brian Howard, Tom Lahiff; Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne, Killian McGinnis; Ciaran Kilkenny, Lorcan O'Dell, Sean Bugler; Brian O'Leary, Cormac Costello, Colm Basquel.

Subs: Evan Comerford, Luke Breathnach, Nathan Doran, Lee Gannon, Davy Keogh, Greg McEneaney, Eoghan O'Donnell, Dan O'Leary, Niall Scully, John Small, Paddy Small.

Armagh: Ethan Rafferty, Paddy Burns, Barry McCambridge, Peter McGrane; Ross McQuillan, Tiernan Kelly, Jarly Og Burns; Jason Duffy, Ben Crealey; Darragh McMullan, Rory Grugan, Oisin Kelly; Rian O'Neill, Andrew Murnin, Conor Turbitt.

Subs: Blaine Hughes, Tomas McCormack, Greg McCabe, Connaire Mackin, Cian McConville, Joe McElroy, Niall Grimley, Callum O'Neill, Stefan Campbell, Shane McPartlan, Jemar Hall.

Derry unchanged for Galway encounter

Derry boss Paddy Tally has named an unchanged starting line-up for Sunday's Group Four game against Galway at Celtic Park (14:00 BST).

Goalkeeper Odhran Lynch and forward Lachlan Murray return to the Oak Leafers' bench after recovering from their respective injuries.

There is one change for the Tribesmen after their opening defeat by Dublin with Jack Glynn named to start at left corner-back as Cian Hernon drops to the bench.

Glynn was also originally named to start against Dublin but was replaced by Hernon before throw-in.

Derry: Ben McKinless; Diarmuid Baker, Eoin McEvoy, Patrick McGurk; Conor Doherty, Padraig McGrogan, Ruairi Forbes; Conor Glass, Brendan Rogers; Ethan Doherty, Paul Cassidy, Ciaran McFaul; Shane McGuigan, Anton Tohill, Niall Toner.

Subs: Odhran Lynch, Niall Loughlin, Ryan Mulholland, Danny McDermott, Dan Higgins, Tommy Rogers, Ben McCarron, Lachlan Murray, Caolan Devlin, Charlie Diamond, Cahir McMonagle.

Galway: Connor Gleeson; Johnny McGrath, Sean O Maoilchiaran, Jack Glynn; Dylan McHugh, Sean Kelly, Liam Silke; Paul Conroy, John Maher; Matthew Thompson, Cillian McDaid, Cein Darcy; Matthew Tierney, Robert Finnerty, Shane Walsh.

Subs: Conor Flaherty, Daniel O'Flaherty, Cathal Sweeney, Kieran Molloy, Sean Fitzgerald, Sam O'Neill, Peter Cooke, John Daly, Johnny Heaney, Colm Costello, Cian Hernon.

Harte named on Tyrone bench

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Fresh from stunning Ulster champions Donegal in Ballybofey, Tyrone boss Malachy O'Rourke makes one change for Mayo's visit to Omagh on Saturday (19:00 BST).

Peter Teague is drafted into the full-back line as Padraig Hampsey drops to the bench. Teague was named to start against Donegal but was replaced by Hampsey before throw-in.

Peter Harte is again named on the bench after making a significant impact when he was introduced against Donegal, while Eoin McElholm is among the substitutes after starring in Tyrone's All-Ireland Under-20 triumph on Wednesday.

Stephen Rochford, who is leading Mayo while Kevin McStay steps back to focus on health issues, makes one change from the loss to Cavan as Rory Brickenden replaces Sam Callinan at left corner-back.

Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Cormac Quinn, Peter Teague, Niall Devlin; Michael McKernan, Rory Brennan, Kieran McGeary; Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick; Seanie O'Donnell, Mattie Donnelly, Ciaran Daly; Darren McCurry, Mark Bradley, Darragh Canavan.

Subs: Oisin O'Kane, Padraig Hampsey, Aidan Clarke, Frank Burns, Shea O'Hare, Ben McDonnell, Aodhan Donaghy, Conor Meyler, Peter Harte, Ruairi Canavan, Eoin McElholm.

Mayo: Colm Reape; Jack Coyne, Donnacha McHugh, Rory Brickenden; Stephen Coen, David McBrien, Enda Hession; Dylan Thornton, Matthew Ruane; Jack Carney, Darren McHale, Jordan Flynn; Aidan O'Shea, Davitt Neary, Ryan O'Donoghue.

Subs: Adrian Phillips, Bob Tuohy, Conal Dawson, Eoin O'Donogfhue, Fenton Kelly, Fergal Boland, Frank Irwin, Paddy Durcan, Paul Towey, Sam Callinan, Sean Morahan.

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Eoin McElholm has had a busy few weeks chasing trophies with Tyrone at two different grades.

On Saturday, the Loughmacrory talent was with the senior panel as they stormed Ballybofey and beat Ulster champions Donegal to begin their All-Ireland series in the best possible manner.

While McElholm came off the bench for the last 15 minutes in Ballybofey, he played a starring role in Armagh on Wednesday evening as the Tyrone Under-20s retained their All-Ireland crown with a thumping 5-16 to 0-17 win over Louth.

McElholm hit 2-4 for Paul Devlin's youngsters, eclipsed only by Noah Grimes' 2-6, after hitting 0-7 in last year's final victory over Kerry.

"I'm absolutely over the moon, just a pure euphoric feeling," said McElholm, whose sparkling performances attracted interest from the Australian Football League (AFL) last year.

"Coming back to the 20s for another year and doing back-to-back is absolutely massive."

McElholm is now expected to make a swift return to the senior panel for Saturday's Sam Maguire contest against Mayo in Omagh and help Malachy O'Rourke's side tighten their grip at the top of Group One.

"It absolutely doesn't [get much better than this," he added.

"It was a great win against Donegal but it's only two points at the end of the day so now we have to focus on Mayo.

"It was an unbelievable night. All the things I dreamt of when I was younger have become reality."

Tyrone have now won three All-Ireland U20 titles in the past four years, and with the minors winning the Ulster title on Sunday, the county's conveyor belt of young talent showing no signs of stopping.

"There's great footballers in every position," said McElholm.

"That's what you need. You need the whole thing flowing in the right direction and it looks like it is."

On this week's GAA Social, the duo are joined by Mickey Niblock.

As you can probably guess, Mickey is related to podcast host Thomas but this chat is more than a family reunion as the trio get stuck into Mickey's career on both sides of the Atlantic.

The former Derry player won an Ulster title for the Oak Leafers in 1970 before a stint playing football in the USA for the famous New York Cosmos in North American Soccer League where he was replaced by none other than footballing royalty Pele!

You can listen to the GAA Social right now on BBC Sounds.

Odhran Crumley
BBC Sport NI Journalist at the Athletic Grounds

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Tyrone retained the All-Ireland under-20 title with a 5-16 to 0-17 win over Louth at the Athletic Grounds.

The victory marks a third title in four years for the Red Hands at the grade.

Tyrone's ability to find the back of the net proved the difference against a Louth side appearing in their first ever final at the level.

Noah Grimes (2-6) and Eoin McElholm (2-4) along with a late goal from substitute Shea McDermott marked a blistering attacking display.

Paul Devlin's side led 2-7 to 0-8 at half-time, Grimes hitting his first goal on 12 minutes after a fine pass from Matthew Quinn.

Louth responded to lead by one with five to the break, Sean Callaghan's two pointer the pick of their efforts.

McElholm latched onto a poor kick-out to feed a composed Grimes, who scored a second goal as the Red Hands landed 1-3 just before the whistle.

Tyrone could have ended the game as a contest early in the second half but Conor O'Neill had his effort for a goal remarkably saved by Tiarnan Markey.

Louth responded with a two pointer from Tadgh McDonnell and scores from Lennon and McDonnell to cut the deficit to three.

Despite the fright, McElholm who featured for the senior side in Saturday's win over Donegal showed his class with two goals in five minutes before substitute McDermott added gloss with a classy fifth goal on the whistle.

Tyrone: C McGarvey; F Nelis, B Hughes, C Devlin; C Daly, J Clarke (0-1), C Donnelly (0-1); C Devlin, C O'Neill (0-1); C Sheehy, E McElholm (2-4), M Quinn; N Grimes (2-6), R McCullagh (0-2 1f), L Og Mossey.

Subs: Eoin Donaghy for Sheehy (52), Cormac Mallon for L Og Mossey (55), Shea McDermott (1-1) for C Devlin (58), Liam Lawn for McCullagh (60), Sean Broderick for Nelis (60).

Louth: T Markey; M Reid, K Martin, P Tinnelly; T McDonnell (0-3 1 2pt), C McGinty; S Callaghan (0-3 1 2pt), J Maguire (0-2 1 2pt); S Lennon (0-1), C Mac Criosta, P Grimes-Murphy; A Gillespie (0-1 1f), T McDonnell (0-2 1f), D Dorian (0-1).

Subs: Ben McKeown for Reid (43), James McGlew for McGinty (50), Dylan Shevlin (0-1) for D Dorian (50).

Referee: N Mooney (Cavan)

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Mayo manager Kevin McStay says he is stepping back from his role for the immediate future to deal with some personal health issues.

In a statement issued by Mayo on Monday night, they confirmed that assistant manager Stephen Rochford would take charge in the interim and that McStay intends to return to his role when he has recovered.

"We extend our best wishes to Kevin and thank him for all his work to date," said Mayo county chairman Seamus Tuohy.

"We look forward to him returning to the role as soon as it is practical for him to do so. We also stand fully behind Stephen and everyone involved in the set-up."

McStay is in his third season in charge of the Mayo senior team, having led his native county to the Football League Division One title in his first term at the helm in 2023.

Mayo lost their opening All-Ireland group match to Cavan and will face Tyrone in Omagh on Saturday, before playing their final game of the round-robin series against Donegal on 14 June.

McStay offered his support to Rochford taking over the reins during his period of absence.

"Mayo GAA Board and I are in strong agreement that current Assistant Manager/Head Coach Stephen Rochford will lead our preparations for upcoming games," said the 63-year-old.

"We are blessed to have a man of Stephen's calibre and, as a valued member of the management team for the past three seasons, he ensures continuity.

"While I will not be on the training field or on the sideline on match day, I will be with management and players in spirit every step of the way."

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Armagh legend Oisin McConville said Rian O'Neill played "quite well" in the county's All-Ireland round-robin win over Derry on Saturday after manager Kieran McGeeney's "brave" decision to start him.

Having initially not been named in the matchday squad, O'Neill was a late replacement for Aidan Forker at the Athletic Grounds, marking the Crossmaglen club-man's first competitive appearance since last year's All-Ireland final.

O'Neill stepped away from the panel for personal reasons earlier, and while McGeeney previously said he did not expect him back this year, the All-Star returned to help the team begin their Sam Maguire defence with a 2-21 to 2-17 win.

"It was great to see him back," McConville said on The GAA Social of his nephew.

"He got a great reception and for a lad that's missed so much football, he actually played quite well, was on the ball a good bit, got a score.

"It was a brave decision from Geezer to throw him straight back in there. Most people would have thought 'yeah, he'll be on the bench, he'll get 20 or 30 minutes' but he actually got 50-plus minutes under his belt, which is a massive help going into the Dublin game."

McConville, an All-Ireland winner with the Orchardmen in 2002, added that while Armagh were "disjointed" in the second half against Derry, it was a "fairly perfect" precursor to Sunday's game against Dublin in Croke Park.

The Wicklow boss also said Derry can take positives from the game, having kept Armagh within reach despite trailing by 13 points with 20 minutes left, but argued that Oak Leaf boss Paddy Tally must address his side's kick-outs.

"They need to sort out their own kick-outs," McConville said of Derry, who are yet to win under Tally.

"That's an area that needs sorted quickly and that'll give them much more of a platform.

"Armagh went to town on it at times in the first half and especially the first 15 minutes of the second half.

"I turned to the lad beside me and said 'this could be anything'. Armagh were 2-19 and I was thinking it could be 2-30.

"For Derry to avoid that and do what they did at the other end should give them enough without trying to patronise anybody."

Listen to the latest GAA Social on BBC Sounds

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Davy Fitzgerald said he was "extremely proud" of his Antrim players after they suffered a 3-15 to 1-16 loss to Offaly in Sunday's Leinster Hurling relegation shootout in Tullamore.

Having lost Niall O'Connor to a straight red card inside the opening 10 minutes, Antrim refused to wilt and retained hopes of snatching a comeback victory when James McNaughton's 65th-minute goal brought them back to within a point.

But while Offaly's third goal ensured a win for Johnny Kelly's side, Fitzgerald was buoyed by what he saw from Antrim.

"We were definitely the better team in the second half," Fitzgerald told GAA+.

"Playing against that wind, we ran the ball well, worked the ball well. We probably had two goal chances that we needed to take.

"Offaly have improved immensely and you have to give them credit, their fight and work is good."

Fitzgerald also said he did not blame referee Michael Kennedy for dismissing O'Connor for what appeared to be a stamp on Offaly's Charlie Mitchell.

"Anyone that knows Niall O'Connor knows he's not a dirty player," added the former Clare and Waterford boss.

"It might have looked bad, I can tell you he's not a dirty player, and he said to me afterwards, 'honestly, I didn't mean to stamp' and I said, 'fair enough, it looks how it looks'. I don't blame the referee for that exact thing."

After three seasons in the Leinster Championship, Antrim will return to the Joe McDonagh Cup - a competition they won in 2020 and 2022 - for the 2026 campaign.

But Fitzgerald, who joined Antrim on a two-year term before this season, does not doubt his squad's ability to bounce straight back.

"There will be no fear in them boys no matter what the story is," said Fitzgerald, who led Clare to the 2013 All-Ireland title.

"We held ourselves in the league, we wanted to hold on, very unlucky that we didn't.

He added: "They have the potential to come right back up again, but they know what they need to do, we've had a good chat about that recently.

"Antrim will bounce back. They showed massive resilience today and that's very important."

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Antrim lost Niall O'Connor to an early red card as their three-year stint in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship was ended with a 3-15 to 1-16 defeat by Offaly in Tullamore.

Brian Duignan (1-7), Dan Ravenhill (1-2) and Killian Sampson (1-0) scored Offaly's goals to help the Faithful County retain their top-flight championship status for 2026 while condemning Davy Fitzgerald's side to the Joe McDonagh Cup.

Knowing that only victory would keep his team at hurling's top table, Fitzgerald received a pre-match boost when he was able to reinstate James McNaughton and Keelan Molloy to the starting line-up after suspension and injury.

However, having already conceded a second-minute goal from Offaly marksman Brian Duignan, the Ulster county's hopes were further hit when O'Connor was shown a straight red card after just seven minutes at O'Connor Park.

O'Connor was sent off by referee Michael Kennedy, who adjudged that the corner-back had stamped on Offaly forward Charlie Mitchell after consulting with his empires.

It was the third game in a row in which Antrim were reduced to 14 men following Declan McCloskey and McNaughton's dismissals in defeats by Dublin and Galway respectively.

To Antrim's credit, they worked hard to stay in touch after a disastrous start, but Offaly were able to move three clear through Dan Ravenhill's penalty after Mitchell went down in the square under Conal Bohill's challenge.

Antrim, who had the wind advantage in the first half, again showed resilience and levelled the score at 2-4 to 0-10 with four unanswered points, which included two from the returning Molloy.

Offaly, however, finished the half strongly with five of the last six scores to establish a 2-9 to 0-11 cushion at the break.

Following the interval, Offaly were initially unable to capitalise on their wind or numerical advantage, going 20 minutes without a score as Antrim retained slim hopes of a fightback.

Those hopes were given a shot in the arm when McNaughton - who finished with 1-8 - lashed a brilliant shot to the Offaly net.

McNaughton's 65th-minute strike brought Antrim back to within one at 2-14 to 1-16 down, but after Stephen Rooney immediately denied Duignan with a superb goal-saving block, Sampson's green flag three minutes from time sent Offaly on their way to victory.

Antrim have been the escape artists in Leinster over the past few years, earning last-round wins over Westmeath and Carlow in 2023 and 2024 to stay up, but they drop out of the top tier after losing all five of their matches in Fitzgerald's first year at the helm.

Offaly: Mark Troy; Ben Conneely, Ciaran Burke, Sam Bourke; Ross Ravenhill, Donal Shirley (0-2), Jason Sampson; Cathal King, Colin Spain; Killian Sampson (1-0), Daniel Bourke (0-2), Oisin Kelly; Dan Ravenhill (1-2), Charlie Mitchell (0-3), Brian Duignan (1-7, 7f)

Subs: Jack Clancy for D Ravenhill '38, Eoghan Cahill for J Sampson '64.

Antrim: Ryan Elliott; Stephen Rooney, Paddy Burke (0-1), Niall O'Connor; Conall Bohill, Joe Maskey, Conor Boyd; Gerard Walsh (0-2), Eoghan Campbell; Ryan McCambridge (0-1), Nigel Elliott (0-1), Scott Walsh (0-1); James McNaughton (1-8, 8f), Eoin O'Neill, Keelan Molloy (0-2).

Subs: Cormac McKeown for McCambridge '55.

Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary)

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Donegal selector Neil McGee admitted the Ulster champions "weren't at it from the start" as they fell to a 2-17 to 0-20 defeat by Tyrone in Saturday's All-Ireland round-robin opener in Ballybofey.

In a game that ebbed and flowed, Donegal led with seven minutes remaining, but Tyrone rallied late, hitting the last five scores - including Peter Harte's two-pointer - to hand Jim McGuinness a first defeat at Ballybofey in league or championship football.

Seanie O'Donnell scored both of Tyrone's goals while Darren McCurry chipped in with seven points.

"We took the ball into contact too many times, turned the ball over too many times, we weren't at it from the start and Tyrone probably deserved it," McGee told GAA+.

"It's a long season. You're going to the well every week and trying to get up there every day, we just didn't get to the pitch of it today and Tyrone were at it.

"At 66 minutes, we were two points up, we had possession and give it away, Tyrone went up and I don't think we touched the ball again after that.

"We had the game in our hands, give it away and they got three points. Slim margins but we only have ourselves to blame."

In contrast, Tyrone boss Malachy O'Rourke hailed the character his side showed after losing experienced duo Brian Kennedy and Padraig Hampsey to injury.

"We got a good start but at half-time we lost two leaders (Brian Kennedy and Padraig Hampsey) and it could have been a night where we said, 'we've put in a good show but it wasn't going to be our night'," O'Rourke, the only manager to have beaten McGuinness in the Ulster Championship, told GAA+.

"The way Donegal came back and we always knew they would as they are a quality team. They went ahead and again, we could have folded up our tents, but the composure the boys showed and willingness to fight for each other, get back ahead and hold it was really pleasing.

"It only gets us two points, but it's a good start to the group and we just have to settle down and look towards next week."

Next week in Group One, Tyrone host Mayo in a rerun of the 2021 All-Ireland final while Donegal will attempt to bounce back away to Cavan.

David Mohan
BBC Sport NI contributor

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Tyrone struck late in Ballybofey to snatch a 2-17 to 0-20 win over Donegal in Group One of the All-Ireland SFC round-robin series on Saturday.

Ulster champions Donegal led with eight to play, but Tyrone responded to get level and Peter Harte cracked over a sublime two-pointer to inspire his team to victory and end Jim McGuinness' perfect record as Donegal manager at MacCumhaill Park.

This was a game which swung this way and that, but two first-half goals from Seanie O'Donnell - one of four late changes to the Tyrone team - helped the Red Hands into the lead at the break.

In tricky conditions, it was Michael Langan and Michael Murphy who carried much of the fight for the hosts, with Langan hitting seven points from play and Murphy eight in total, including three two-point frees.

Donegal enjoyed a good start with a couple of early scores, but Tyrone hit back with the first of O'Donnell's goals in the eighth minute when he was quickest to react to Michael McKernan's dropping shot.

The second goal came seven minutes later as Conn Kilpatrick put O'Donnell through and he thumped low past Gavin Mulreany - a late change for the injured Shaun Patton.

Tyrone led by five, but Donegal ate into the lead with a couple of two-point frees from Michael Murphy, helping them draw level, but Darren McCurry hit back with one of his own at the other end as Tyrone led 2-7 to 0-11 at the end of the opening half.

The second half was a slow burner as the sides swapped points before Darren McCurry, who became increasingly influential and finished with 0-7 to his name, hit three on the spin to push the gap out to five, but two-pointers from Murphy and Langan brought Donegal back in before Langan levelled.

They were level heading into the final straight when Donegal captain, Patrick McBrearty, was sprung from the bench to land a two-pointer.

But Tyrone didn't panic and got themselves back on terms before that inspirational two-pointer from Harte.

They managed to drain the clock with Cormac Quinn kicking the insurance late on to seal a huge win as they get ready for the visit of Mayo to Omagh next week, while Donegal will seek to bounce back when they head to Cavan for another Ulster derby.

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Derry manager Paddy Tally conceded that he had "mixed emotions" as his battling side went down 2-21 to 2-17 to Armagh in their opening game of the All-Ireland round-robin series at the Athletic Grounds.

The All-Ireland champions led 2-16 to 0-13 midway through the second half thanks to goals from Barry McCambridge and Conor Turbitt before Conor Glass and Dan Higgins hit the net for Derry cutting the deficit to four.

Despite that Derry comeback, Armagh steadied the ship however to secure the victory.

Tally told BBC Sport NI that he believed his side had carved out enough scoring chances to win the game.

"Immensely proud of the effort the players put in, especially in the second half when it looked like the game could get away from them," reflected the Derry boss.

"Delighted that they showed the heart and spirit that was required to come back but also very disappointed that we didn't win the game with the chances that we created.

"We had enough chances to win the match but some of our decisions and shot selection was poor, and even some of our execution.

"We scored two goals in the second half but could have had another four, so mixed emotions, disappointed, but proud of the effort."

Tally expressed satisfaction with the manner in which the Oak Leafers fashioned their opportunities but bemoaned a lack of a clinical edge on occasions.

"Every chance we got was a worked move but you've got to take them. A lot of these matches are decided on fine lines.

"We hadn't played for seven weeks since losing in the Ulster SFC and you could see a bit of rustiness but that is out of our system now.

"We were loose defensively at times which wasn't good enough and we struggled with kick-outs at times."

Next up for Derry is a Celtic Park encounter on 1 June against a Galway team who lost out to Dublin in their first All-Ireland outing.

"I've never doubted the character of this team. We've got to stick at it and we have a massive game against Galway next week."

Odhran Crumley
BBC Sport NI Journalist at the Athletic Grounds

Image source, Inpho

Armagh opened their All-Ireland round-robin series with a 2-21 to 2-17 win over Ulster rivals Derry at the Athletic Grounds.

The All-Ireland champions led 2-16 to 0-13 midway through the second half thanks to goals from Barry McCambridge and Conor Turbitt before Conor Glass and Dan Higgins hit the net for Derry cutting the deficit to four.

Despite that Derry comeback, Armagh steadied the ship however to secure the victory.

The Oak Leafers really struggled on their own kick-out through the first half and this accounted for much of the home side's success, rattling off four scores in a row with Oisin Conaty, Ross McQuillan and Andrew Murnin on target.

Rian O'Neill, turning out for his county for the first time since last year's All-Ireland final, also landed a score as Armagh led 0-12 to 0-9 at the break playing with the aid of the breeze.

The Orchard County flew out of the blocks in the second half, hitting an unanswered 1-4 in just six minutes, with Murnin's attempt at a point dropping short only to be punched into the net by McCambridge.

Derry replied with an effort from Niall Toner before Shane McGuigan landed a two-pointer.

The Armagh reply was emphatic, hitting 1-5 in less than 10 minutes, Turbitt burning past Patrick McGurk before rolling to the net to give his side a 13-point lead.

It looked like the game was dead and buried before Derry hit two goals inside one minute.

Ethan Doherty cut through the heart of the Armagh rearguard before slipping it to Glass who fired an exceptional finish to the roof of the net.

Derry claimed possession from the very next kick-out and it was the goal scorer who turned the provider as Glass found Higgins the substitute who rolled the ball low beyond Ethan Rafferty to the net.

Paul Cassidy and Shane McGuigan fired over two pointers either side of a Joe McElroy fisted point for the home side as Paddy Tally's men outscored Armagh 2-4 to 0-2 in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Glass and McGuigan had two-pointed efforts tail wide at the death as Armagh held out for a vital two points.

Next Sunday, Armagh return to Croke Park to take on Dublin in a meeting of Group Four's unbeaten sides.

Derry will welcome Galway to Celtic Park with both sides wrestling for their first win of the campaign.

Image source, Getty Images

Monaghan defeated Louth 1-23 to 4-8 in their opening Group Three match of the All-Ireland round-robin series at Newbridge on Saturday.

The game quickly sparked into life with two goals in the first six minutes.

First, Stephen O'Hanlon got the better of Niall McDonnell to put the Farney men in the lead, then Sam Mulroy made the most of Tommy Durnin's pass to respond for the Leinster champions.

Mulroy and O'Hanlon both added points to their goals while goalkeeper Rory Beggan came forward to knock over a two-pointer.

Louth's second goal made it 1-10 to 2-01, Durnin smashing home Ciaran Downey's rebounded effort.

Monaghan's advantage at the break was 1-11 to 2-5, the Ulster side having been the better team, but Ryan Burns' two-pointer keeping Louth within touching distance.

Monaghan began the second half strongly with four unanswered points from O'Hanlon (2), Dessie Ward and Stephen Mooney.

Louth battled back however and when Conor Grimes was brought down after a surging run, Mulroy dispatched the penalty despite Beggan going the right way.

That reduced the arrears to 1-16 to 3-7 but Monaghan responded well with points from Micheal Bannigan, sub Jack McCarron and Conor McCarthy, then two-pointers from Beggan and Bannigan.

In the final minute, Ryan Burns' pass set up Durnin for Louth's fourth goal but it was their opponents who held on for a deserved win.

Next up for Monaghan will be a meeting with Clare, while Louth will face Down in their next fixture.