GAA Roundup: Kerry win — and lose

Even though Jack O’Connor’s team defeated Tyrone by 2-17 to 3-8 in Div. 1A at Killarney, they agonizingly lost out on a place in the last four to Mayo, who scored more points over the seven games.
So Tyrone will now meet a fast-improving Wexford, and Armagh will take on Mayo in the knockout stages for the title, while the Div. 2 semifinals see Derry pitted against Monaghan and Fermanagh against Meath. All four of the second division semi-finalists are promoted, while Donegal, Westmeath, Sligo and Limerick are relegated from the top division.
As for that Kerry-Tyrone game, it was rare to see convincing winners trudge off as they had just been heavily beaten. No one was to know initially that Mark Harte’s free almost four minutes into injury time would prove to be decisive, but with Tyrone assured of qualification with the best points difference in the division, Harte’s score left Kerry and Mayo on an identical points difference of plus-17.
With calculator batteries being drained in the environs of Killarney, it emerged that Mayo would in fact claim a semifinal berth on the basis that they had a superior total of points scored during the campaign.
“It’s a bit of a downer to go out of the league like that,” O’Connor said, “but the attitude is right among the lads, so we’ll get on with it.”
However, the Kerry manager will know that conceding three goals, the first by Enda McGinley and then two in the second half by Ryan Mellon, cost him dearly. In the end, it was a day when defenses struggled as Tyrone were hard pressed to contain a Kerry attack that featured contributions of 1-5 and 1-4 from Dara O Cinneide and Colm Cooper, respectively.

MAYO 3-16, WESTMEATH 1-8
Even if Mayo weren’t to know how events would pan out elsewhere, they did all within their power to secure a semifinal place with a comprehensive win over Westmeath at McHale Park. The margin could have been greater as Mayo squandered several chances, but goals by Conor Moran, Andy Moran and Ciaran McDonald put them on the right track as news filtered through that Kerry weren’t having it all their own way in Killarney.

DONEGAL 3-11, CORK 1-7
Just like Westmeath, Donegal were consigned to relegation even though they defeated Cork at Ballyshannon. Three points adrift at the interval, Donegal had by far the better of the second half as goals from Adrian Sweeney, Colm McFadden and Brendan Devenney made the game safe.

DUBLIN 1-13, OFFALY 2-6
With Dublin and Offaly just about clear of the drop zone, the battle was mainly for bragging rights at Tullamore, where the Dubs came out on top in a contest that produced no fewer than six yellow cards. Offaly never fully recovered from a slow start that saw Dublin burst into a 7-point lead even though they had goals by Niall McNamee and Neville Coughlan. Tomas Quinn top-scored for the winners with 1-2.

WEXFORD 2-12, LAOIS 0-15
More than half a century in the league wilderness ended for Wexford, whose victory over Laois at Wexford Park in Div. 1B earned them a coveted semifinal spot. Needing a draw against the same opposition this time last year, Wexford came up short. However, on this occasion they made no mistake after a nervous opening.
A goal on the stroke of half-time by substitute Darragh Breen had a calming effect, and then it was left to the outstanding Matty Forde to point his teammates in the right direction. Apart from contributing 1-5 to the cause, Forde was influential in almost every area of the pitch with a remarkable blend of defensive covering and points scoring.
“That was a big test for us and what happens next will show how far we’ve moved on from last year,” manager Pat Roe said. “We have already made an extra stride and we’re very happy to progress.”

ARMAGH 0-10, LIMERICK 0-9
Armagh made it six wins in a row to book their place in the last four, but an unconvincing victory over Limerick in Crossmaglen hardly augured well for the knockout stages. Despite being relegated, Limerick came out of the game with more comfort and they dominated the winners for spells during the second half.
It was no great surprise when manager Joe Kernan sent Oisin McConville and Paul McGrane on to boost Armagh’s challenge, and the two subs’ presence had the desired effect as Steven McDonnell struck for this third free to seal the result.

DOWN 2-11, GALWAY 0-14
Galway’s slender hopes of semi-final qualification were emphatically ended by Down, who produced some superb football in the second half at Ballinasloe. The winners were inspired by Benny Coulter, who scored 2-3, while Galway were best served by a lively Derek Savage, Paul Clancy and full-back Ciaran Fitzgerald.

KILDARE 2-14, SLIGO 1-7
With Armagh and Wexford both winning, Kildare’s comprehensive success against relegated Sligo left them adrift of the semifinals but still in the comfort of mid-table following a reasonable campaign. Tadhg Fennin, with 1-5, and John Doyle, who added 1-3, were constant threats to the Sligo defense.

Div. 2A
There was drama in Div. 2A at Clones where a Paul Finlay point three minutes into injury time saw Monaghan snatch a 2-15 to 4-9 draw with Longford which was good enough to earn them promotion to the top flight and to secure a place in the second division semifinals.
Fermanagh, who were already promoted, made sure of winning the division with a 0-14 to 0-9 victory over Carlow at Dr. Cullen Park, while Leitrim beat Roscommon by 1-13 to 0-10 and Clare were too good for London on a scoreline of 1-13 to 0-6.

Div. 2B
In Div. 2B, Meath put one over on their old rivals Cavan with a 0-17 to 0-14 win at Navan to secure promotion and a semifinal against Fermanagh, while Derry earned the right to play Monaghan with a facile 1-26 to 0-2 victory over Tipperary. In the division’s remaining two games, Antrim defeated Wicklow by 1-15 to 1-12 and Louth edged out Waterford by 1-11 to 1-9.