Gaelic Games

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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."

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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

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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.

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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.

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All Star Rian O'Neill is a late inclusion in Armagh's panel to face Derry in their All-Ireland series opener at the Athletic Grounds on Saturday (17:00 BST).

The GAA have confirmed that they have approved a late panel change request from Armagh with O'Neill coming in to take the place of captain Aidan Forker.

The Crossmaglen forward, a key part of the Orchard County which lifted the Sam Maguire last year, has yet to feature this season after stepping away from the squad for personal reasons.

Manager Kieran McGeeney said in March that he did not expect O'Neill to feature in 2025 but he was togged out with the team before their Ulster Final defeat to Donegal in Clones two weeks ago.

The hosts' side shows three changes from that extra-time defeat in the provincial decider with Peter McGrane and Jason Duffy coming into the starting panel, the latter named in midfield.

Callum O'Neill and Greg McCabe drop to an experienced bench that also features the likes of Stefan Campbell and Conor Turbitt.

Derry are in championship action for the first time since their 1-25 to 1-15 Ulster preliminary round defeat to Donegal on 6 April.

With Odhran Lynch still missing, Ben McKinless gets the start in goals after being on the bench that day in Ballybofey.

Ruairi Forbes, Conor Doherty and Niall Loughlin also come into the side.

Derry must again do without All Stars Gareth McKinless and Conor McCluskey, although Anton Tohill returns on the bench.

Line-ups

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

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

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

Subs: Louis Regan, Ryan Mulholland, Dan Higgins, Kevin Quinn, Anton Tohill, Tommy Rogers, Ben McCarron, Charlie Diamond, Cahir McMonagle, Caolan Devlin, Danny McDermot.

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Conor Meyler will return to the Tyrone side for the first time since 2023 when the Red Hands begin their All-Ireland series against Donegal in Ballybofey on Saturday night.

The 2021 All-Ireland winner missed the entirety of the 2024 campaign after a pair of knee surgeries and an Achilles injury but will make his intercounty return from the bench against the Ulster champions (19:00 BST).

In what is the first game for Tyrone since Cathal McShane stepped away from the panel, Malachy O'Rourke is also able to name Mattie Donnelly in his starting side, the two-time All Star coming in for Joe Oguz.

Aidan Clarke is named to start, as is Peter Harte with Ruairi Canavan dropping to the bench, although that was the case for the Ulster semi-final defeat by Armagh before their roles were swapped before kick-off.

Donegal, meanwhile, have named an unchanged starting side.

Jim McGuinness' squad secured a second consecutive Anglo Celt with an extra-time victory over Armagh in Clones two weeks ago and the two-time All-Ireland champions' named side shows just one positional switch.

After starting at half-forward in the provincial decider, Hugh McFadden drops back into midfield, switching places with Ciaran Thompson.

Fit-again Eoghan Ban Gallagher returns to the bench after missing the Ulster Championship with a hamstring issue.

Line-ups

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Finbarr Roarty, Brendan McCole, Peadar Mogan; Ryan McHugh, Caolan McGonagle, Ciaran Moore; Hugh McFadden, Michael Langan; Daire O Baoill, Ciaran Thompson, Shane O'Donnell; Patrick McBrearty, Michael Murphy, Oisin Gallen.

Subs: Gavin Mulreany, Stephen McMenamin, Odhran McFadden Ferry, Caolan McColgan, Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Odhran Doherty, Aaron Doherty, Eoin McHugh, Jamie Brennan, Conor O'Donnell, Niall O'Donnell.

Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Aidan Clarke, Peter Teague, Niall Devlin; Michael McKernan, Rory Brennan, Kieran McGeary; Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick; Aodhan Donaghy, Mattie Donnelly, Ciaran Daly; Darren McCurry, Peter Harte, Darragh Canavan.

Subs: Oisin O'Kane, Cormac Quinn, Padraig Hampsey, Frank Burns, Ben McDonnell, Shea O'Hare, Conor Meyler, Mark Bradley, Seanie O'Donnell, Ruairi Canavan, Eoin McElholm.

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Antrim performance coach Neil McManus says the county face a "massive challenge" against Offaly in this weekend's Leinster Senior Hurling Championship relegation shootout.

Davy Fitzgerald's Saffrons travel to Tullamore on Sunday (14:00 BST throw-in) knowing that defeat will condemn them to the second-tier Joe McDonagh Cup for the 2026 season.

Both sides have lost all four games in this year's Leinster series. Antrim are coming off a bruising 28-point loss to Galway in Salthill last week and lost their Division One B trip to Tullamore 2-26 to 0-17.

"How ready can you ever be?," McManus said when asked if Antrim are adequately prepared to take on the Faithful County on Sunday.

"The Leinster Championship is incredibly competitive, some of the best teams in Ireland involved there and some of them going really well."

Having earned promotion to the top tier by winning the Joe McDonagh Cup in 2022, Antrim retained their Leinster status in 2023 and 2024 with last-round victories over Westmeath and Carlow.

In order to remain at the top table, they must shake off defeats by Wexford, Kilkenny, Dublin and Galway and conjure another last-ditch performance.

"We've been in this situation before. We tend to be in this situation annually," added McManus, who joined Fitzgerald's backroom team ahead of the 2025 season after retiring from inter-county hurling in 2023.

"We're fighting for survival in the Liam MacCarthy. It's a massive challenge on Sunday.

"Offaly have developed hugely over the past four, five seasons. Their county has improved massively over the past decade and everyone has enjoyed that but we'll be fully focused on ourselves on Sunday and retaining our Leinster Championship status.

"We love the fact that there's an Ulster county represented in Ireland's top flight and we want to ensure that not only Antrim Gaels but Ulster Gaels can come here to Corrigan Park and see our lads at the very, very top level."

Antrim have been plagued by injury issues this year and had defender Declan McCloskey sent off against Galway last week, with James McNaughton

Fitzgerald has been without forwards Keelan Molloy, Conor Johnston, Seaan Elliott and Conal Cunning in recent weeks, but McManus says the backroom team hope to "nurse at least one of them back to health" for Sunday's game.

On this week's GAA Social podcast, Thomas and Oisin are joined by the family of Sean Brown.

Mr Brown, a father of six, was abducted and shot dead by members of the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) as he locked gates at Bellaghy GAA club in 1997.

He was 61 years old when he died.

The family have sought to have a public inquiry heard into his murder and earlier in May, the Court of Appeal affirmed a previous court ruling, compelling the UK government to hold a public inquiry into his killing.

The government said it intends to seek a Supreme Court appeal over the ruling.

His wife Bridie and daughter Clare talk about Sean's life and legacy on the GAA Social and you can listen on BBC Sounds right here.

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Fermanagh recorded their first win in this year's Tailteann Cup with a comfortable 2-19 to 0-7 success over Longford at Pearse Park.

Kieran Donnelly's side bounced back from a shock defeat by Carlow last weekend, leading 0-9 to 0-4 at half-time with Ryan Lyons, Declan McCusker and Conor Love all on target.

Lyons and Darragh McGurn kept the scoreboard ticking over in second half either side of a two-pointed effort from Garvan Jones.

Love, who impressed in the Ernemen's Ulster quarter-final loss to Down, raced through to smash home a goal in the 53rd minute and extend his side's lead to 1-16 to 0-6.

Substitute Aoghan Kelm added further gloss to the victory with a second Fermanagh goal in injury time as the Ernesiders ran out comfortable winners.

Fermanagh will look to build on Sunday's win when they take on Wexford in their final group game in a fortnight's time.

Longford will take on Carlow - who have already booked their place in the quarter-final - needing a victory to retain their hopes of reaching the preliminary quarter-finals.

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Down opened their All-Ireland round-robin series campaign by easing past Clare in Ennis while Cavan shocked Mayo in Castlebar.

The Mourne County produced a blistering first-half display to lead by 14 points at the break before staying clear to win by 17 points in their Group Three opener.

But Cavan pulled off a huge shock result in Group One by sinking the Connacht finalists 1-17 to 1-14.

The Breffni men led 0-9 to 0-7 at the break with Mayo failing to score from play until the 32nd minute before losing defender David Neary to a black card.

Cavan took full advantage of their numerical advantage early in the second half with 1-3 in the opening five minutes with Gerard Smith scoring his side's goal.

O'Reilly kicked the Ulster side into the lead in the 39th minute and it was an advantage they refused to relinquish.

Cian Madden and Stephen Coen exchanged scores as Cavan managed to keep their noses in front.

Aidan O'Shea hit the net for the home side with the final action of the game but it was Raymond Galligan's side who claimed a shock three point win opening up group one.

Cavan host Ulster champions Donegal in a fortnight while Mayo will travel to Omagh to take on Tyrone looking to pick up their first points.

Meanwhile, Down got off to a flying start in Ennis, surging into a 1-3 to 0-0 lead after five minutes with John McGeough firing to the net.

Danny Magill kicked six first-half scores, which eased Conor Laverty's side well ahead.

They led 2-12 to 0-5 three minutes before the break as Daniel Guinness swept through to raise a green flag.

Two minutes later, Aaron Griffin hit the net for the Munster finalists but they trailed 2-17 to 1-6 at the interval.

In the second half, it was the Ulster side who held firm, adding a third goal through Caolan Mooney. Pat Havern kept the scoreboard ticking over, too, as he finished on nine points.

Having begun their campaign in style, Down will welcome Leinster champions Louth to Pairc Esler in a fortnight's time.

Odhran Crumley
BBC Sport NI Journalist at Corrigan Park

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Antrim's hopes of progression in the Tailteann Cup were dealt another blow as they were beaten 1-18 to 1-10 by Limerick at Corrigan Park.

The result means that Antrim have lost both of their opening two games in group three and will need to beat London in their final group match in a fortnight's time to secure a preliminary quarter-final spot.

Limerick will take on Westmeath in their final group fixture in a straight shootout for top spot and a place in the quarter-final.

The Saffrons trailed 0-8 to 0-5 at the break with both sides wasteful in front of goal, kicking six wides apiece.

Antrim full-back Eunan Walsh's two-point effort was the highlight of the half as Peter Nash and James Naughton led the Munster side's charge on the scoreboard.

The visitors would dominate the the middle third in the second half and started to convert that dominance onto the scoreboard with two pointed efforts from Danny Neville and captain Iain Corbett extending their lead out to seven points with just 10 minutes of the second half played.

It went from bad to worse for Andy McEntee's side as Emmett Rigter was hauled down by an Antrim defender as he entered the small parallelogram, giving referee Kieran Eannetta no choice but to award a penalty.

Corbett stepped up and sent the effort below Michael Byrne and into the net as Limerick led 1-15 to 0-8 with 20 minutes to play.

Antrim's chances of any fightback were dealt a serious setback seconds later when substitute Fionn Nagle was shown a black card for an off-the-ball shoulder charge.

Patrick McBride punched home a Marc Jordan cut back in the final minute of injury time but it was Limerick who would head home eight-point victors.

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Former Down defender Kevin McKernan says the county must expect to be drawn into a "dogfight" in Sunday's All-Ireland round-robin opener against Clare in Ennis (14:00 BST).

The Mournemen won the 2024 Tailteann Cup to earn a spot in this year's Sam Maguire series.

Conor Laverty's side are coming off an Ulster semi-final loss to Donegal after suffering relegation from Division Two earlier this year, while Clare lost the Munster final to Kerry after missing out on promotion from the third-tier of the National League.

"It's a home game for Clare and they'll look at that as a serious strength but it's a huge challenge for Down," said McKernan, who started Down's 2010 All-Ireland final loss to Cork.

"It's a long way to travel but when they go down there they will find a team very similar to themselves; finding themselves between Division Two and Division Three.

"They had a huge performance against Kerry [in the Munster final] for large periods and against a team they weren't expected to beat.

"Down going to Clare - would they be expecting a win? Absolutely, but it's going to be a dogfight as well. If they can get big Pat [Havern] and Odhran [Murdock] moving with players like Pierce Laverty and Paddy McCarthy full of running from defence, the big spaces of Cusack Park will suit Down."

McKernan also said his Burren club-mate Murdock has the mentality to shoulder the burden of expectation after establishing himself at senior inter-county level.

"Odhran was blooded at senior level in midfield as a 19, 20-year-old and he's starting to get into his rhythm in games.

"It's a big ask for someone so young but he has the right mentality. Conor and his management team have built a structure of play for the whole team, but Odhran's a huge part of that.

"If Down launch themselves into this [All-Ireland series], they'll be excited to see Daniel Guinness and Odhran Murdock carry this team forward."

Image source, Getty Images

All-Star forward Shane Walsh has returned to the Galway starting line-up for Saturday's All-Ireland round-robin opener against Dublin in Salthill.

Walsh has not played since injuring his back in the Division One loss to the Dubs on 15 March, but is named at centre-forward with Sean Fitzgerald dropping out in the only change from the Connacht final win over Mayo a fortnight ago.

Damien Comer remains ruled out for the Tribesmen after missing the Mayo game.

Dublin, in action for the first time since their stunning Leinster semi-final defeat by Meath, name 43-year-old Stephen Cluxton in goal, but Sean Bugler and Eoin Murchan are still missing.

Galway beat Dublin 0-17 to 0-16 in a nail-biting quarter-final in last year's All-Ireland series.

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

Subs: Conor Flaherty, Daniel O'Flaherty, Cian Hernon, Kieran Molloy, Sean Fitzgerald, John Daly, Sam O'Neill, Cathal Sweeney, Liam O Conghaile, Tomo Culhane, Peter Cooke.

Dublin: Stephen Cluxton; David Byrne, Theo Clancy; Conor Tyrrell; Cian Murphy, John Small, Brian Howard; Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne, Tom Lahiff; Niall Scully, Lorcan O'Dell, Ciaran Kilkenny; Paddy Small, Con O'Callaghan, Colm Basquel.

Subs: Evan Comerford, Luke Breathnach, Cormac Costello, Nathan Doran, Alex Gavin, Davy Keogh, Sean McMahon, Greg McEneaney, Killian McGinnis, Brian O'Leary, Dan O'Leary.

Down unchanged for Ennis trip

Down are unchanged from their Ulster semi-final loss to Donegal.

Clare boss Peter Keane, meanwhile, recalls Conor Meaney to midfield to replace Daniel Walsh in the only change from the Munster final defeat by Kerry.

Clare: Eamon Tubridy; Manus Doherty, Cillian Brennan, Ronan Lanigan; Ikem Ugwueru, Cillian Rouine, Alan Sweeney; Brian McNamara, Conor Meaney; Keelan Sexton, Emmet McMahon, Aaron Griffin; Mark McInerney, Eoin Cleary, Dermot Coughlan.

Subs: Tristan O'Callaghan, Fionn Kelleher, Daniel Walsh, Shane Griffin, Gavan Murray, Darragh Burns, Rory McMahon, Evan Cahill, Diarmuid O'Donnell, Jamie Stack, Brendan Rouine.

Down: Ronan Burns; Patrick McCarthy, Peter Fegan, Ceilum Doherty; Ryan Magill, Pierce Laverty, Miceal Rooney; Daniel Guinness, Ryan McEvoy; Danny Magill, Odhran Murdock, Eugene Branagan; James Guinness, Pat Havern, John McGeough.

Subs: John O'Hare, Finn McElroy, Aaron McClements, Donal Scullion, Shay Millar, Adam Crimmins, Oisín Savage, Caolan Mooney, Finn Murdock, Patrick Brooks, Conor McCrickard.

Mayo boss Kevin McStay makes one change for Sunday's Group One game against Cavan.

Diarmuid O'Connor, who started the Connacht final defeat by Galway, is replaced by Sam Callina.

Cavan are without Gearoid McKiernan with Evan Crowe, Cormac O'Reilly and Ryan Donohoe all coming into Breffni boss Raymond Galligan's line-up.

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

Subs: Adrian Phillips, Bob Tuohy, Conal Dawson, Conor Reid, Dylan Thortnon, Fenton Kelly, Fergal Boland, Frank Irwin, Kevin Quinn, Paddy Durcan, Paul Towey.

Cavan: Gary O'Rourke; Cian Reilly, Brian O'Connell, Niall Carolan; Jason McLoughlin, Ciaran Brady, Padraig Faulkner; Killian Clarke, Evan Crowe; Gerard Smith, Dara McVeety, Oisin Kiernan; Cormac O'Reilly, Ryan Donohoe, Cian Madden.

Subs: Liam Brady, Luke Fortune, Killian Brady, Barry Donnelly, Luke Molloy, Ruairi Curran, Thomas Edward Donohoe, Ryan O'Neill, Sean McEvoy, Oisin Brady, Paddy Lynch.