TG4 All-Ireland SFC: Kildare 0-4 Meath 0-7
Meath booked their place in the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-finals with victory over Kildare in a low-scoring game In Newbridge.
Poor conditions, with heavy rain for most of the first half, saw plenty of mistakes and poor handling by both sides.
Kildare made the better start and Lara Curran opened the scoring in the second minute. Six minutes later Róisín Byrne hit over a lovely point to put two between the sides before Emma Duggan pointed a free in the 11th minute for the Royals.
In the 15th minute Marion Farrelly’s effort was blocked, while at the other end Byrne had a shot blocked down by Mary-Kate Lynch.
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Just before half-time Duggan fired over a free to level matters at 0-2 apiece, with Meath also kicking four wides in the opening half.
A third point from the boot of Duggan edged Meath in front for the first time in the 38th minute. Three minutes later the Dunboyne woman doubled her side’s advantage when she hit over her third point of the game.
Meath were reduced to 14 players in the 44th minute when Vikki Wall was adjudged to have fouled Claire Sullivan and she was shown a yellow card.
With numerical advantage Kildare went on the attack and Ellen Dowling brought an excellent save out of Meath goalkeeper Robyn Murray in the 48th minute.
The lead was extended to four points in the 59th minute when Marion Farrelly kicked over two fantastic points in quick succession.
Kildare got their first score of the second half and their first since the eighth minute when Alannah Prizeman fired over a free. Duggan was on target again with her second point from play to restore her side’s four-point lead.
Prizeman kicked over a late free for Kildare but Meath held on for the win.
Earlier, the heavy overnight saw the game between Dublin and Leitrim, scheduled for Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon, postponed due to an unplayable pitch.
KILDARE: M Hulgraine; L Shaw, S Sargent, M Doherty; M Aspel, L Murtagh, L Lenehan; C Wheeler, R Byrne (0-1); L Reilly, A Rattigan, M Ryan; E Dowling, A Prizeman (0-2, 2f), L Curran (0-1).
Subs: C Sullivan for Ryan (h-t); L McGovern for Dowling (52 mins); G Wheeler for C Wheeler (54); C Moran for Rattigan (57); A Mahon for Curran (60).
MEATH: R Murray; A Sheridan, MK Lynch, K Newe; A Cleary (capt), S Wall, K Kealy; O Sheehy, M Farrelly (0-2); M Thynne, N Gallogly, C Smyth; E Duggan (0-5, 2f), V Wall, K Cole.
Subs: K Vermingham for Cole (47 mins); S Ennis for Sheehy (59).
Referee: Séamus Mulvhill (Kerry).
Cork 2-9 Kerry 5-7
Siofra O’Shea and Danielle O’Leary struck for 2-4 and 1-2 respectively as Kerry produced a super second half to defeat a spirited Cork by seven points at a windy Páirc Uí Chaoimh and advance to the quarter-finals of the TG4 All Ireland Championship.
Kerry outscored Cork by 4-4 to 0-3 in a power-packed second half as the home side couldn’t cope with the All-Ireland champions intensity.
Kerry, playing into the breeze, got off to the best possible start when Niamh Ní Chonchúir smashed the ball to the back of the net after two minutes.
O’Leary nearly had a second goal a minute later but shot wide and Cork punished them to the full when Áine O’Sullivan raised a green flag with a fine individual effort after initially losing control.
Katie Quirke, from a free, and a Melissa Duggan shot that came off Mary Ellen Bolger’s fingertips pushed Cork two ahead, although O’Shea replied with a free after a foul on O’Leary.
Cork were the dominant team however and Hannah Looney sliced through for a point which was followed by a superb goal from Katie Quirke in the 15th minute to push Cork 2-6 to 1-1 ahead, as the home side turned over the Kerry kick-out.
Rosie Corkery, Abbie O’Mahony, and Laura O’Mahony added points before Kerry got a welcome brace of scores from an O’Shea free and substitute Caoimhe Evans left Kerry with a more manageable 2-6 to 1-3 deficit at half time.
Quirke scored within seconds of the second-half throw-in but then Kerry got the goal they craved when after a fine turnover from Evans, O’Leary found O’Shea for a goal.
Whereas Kerry were passive in the first half, they were now much more aggressive and O’Shea scored her second goal in the 38th minute after an exchange of passes with O’Leary.
O’Shea added a free and O’Leary scored from play, followed by scores from O’Shea (free), O’Leary and O’Shea from play once more before Cork got a welcome reply from Aoife Healy.
The visitors led by 4-7 to 2-9 with 46 minutes played and another series of passes between O’Leary and O’Shea saw O’Leary finish for Kerry’s fifth goal to finish off the Cork challenge.
Kerry are now certain of a home quarter-final but Cork must travel to Mayo next weekend to keep their season alive.
CORK: S Murphy; S Kelly, S Leahy, M Duggan (0-1); A Corcoran, S Cronin, R Corkery (0-1); M O’Callaghan, A Healy (0-1); A O’Mahony (0-1), L O’Mahony (0-2), K Horgan; A O’Sullivan (1-0), H Looney (0-1), K Quirke (1-2, 2f).
Subs: E Cleary for R Corkery (H-T); A McDonough for K Horgan (41 mins); L Hallihan for A O’Sullivan, A Ring for L O’Mahony (both 49); S McGoldrick for M O’Callaghan (50).
KERRY: ME Bolger; E Lynch, E Costello, F O’Donoghue; N Broderick, A O’Connell, C Lynch; M O’Connell, A Galvin; N Carmody, N Ní Chonchúir (1-0), N Quinn; D O’Leary (1-2), R Dwyer (1-0), S O’Shea (2-4, 3f).
Subs: A Dillane for N Broderick, C Evans (0-1) for N Quinn (both 23 mins); R Rahilly for F O’Donoghue (29); J Lucey for N Carmody (47); K O’Connor for R Dwyer (55).
Referee: Shane Curley (Galway).
Donegal 1-2 Galway 1-11
Galway secured their place in the quarter-finals as Ailbhe Davoren’s goal before half-time set up this nine-point victory over Donegal in Lifford.
The Tribeswomen, having already overcome Tipperary, are now guaranteed to finish Group 1 winners and will host their next game in Tuam Stadium.
Donegal were making their championship bow five weeks after losing the Ulster final to Armagh and worked hard in keeping Galway’s attack limited. Aoife Molloy, starting her first game since an injury in the 2024 league against Mayo, opened Galway’s account on six minutes.
They didn’t score again until the 25th minute and kicked five wides. Donegal kept breaking up opposing attacks but struggled to create at the other end. Molloy also nearly set up Andrea Trill on 19 minutes.
But the breakthrough came six minutes later when 2024 player of the year Nicola Ward spotted a gap, played a one-two with Lynsey Noone, before delivering into Davoren, who kicked to the net. An Eva Noone score in the final minute gave Galway a 1-2 to 0-0 interval advantage.
Donegal pushed forward upon the restart but found themselves further behind after being intercepted. Davoren pointed on two minutes, Olivia Divilly converted a free while Trill and Leanne Coen split the posts to push Galway 1-6 to 0-0 clear.
However, the home faithful were rewarded on 37 minutes when Feena McManamon sent Katie Dowds forward and she registered a point.
The reprieve was short lived as Galway replied with scores from the three Divilly sisters. Siobhán and substitute Niamh tallied either side of Olivia’s free before Trill made it 1-10 to 0-1 on 24 minutes.
But Donegal, who travel to Tipperary next week to determine Group 1’s runners-up, finished strongly. Susanne White registered a 26th-minute free before assisting in their goal. Dowds’s ball forced a save from goalkeeper Dearbhla Gower but Mia Bennett was quickest for the three-pointer. Olivia Divilly had the final say with her third point on 28 minutes.
DONEGAL: C Friel; S McFadden, A Temple Asokuh, S McFeeley; B McLaughlin, E McGinley, C Gillespie; R Rodgers, R McColgan; S White (0-1, f), K Dowds (0-1), F McManamon; E Gallagher, J McFadden, N Boyle.
Subs: M Bennett (1-0) for McFadden (h-t); A O’Neill for Gallagher (42 mins), TR Mahon for McManamon (54); N Harkin for Gillespie (60).
GALWAY: D Gower; B Quinn, S Ní Loingsigh, K Geraghty; H Noone, N Ward, A Molloy (0-1); L Ward, S Divilly (0-1); L Noone, O Divilly (0-3, 2f), A Davoren (1-1); E Noone (0-1), L Coen (0-1), A Trill (0-2).
Subs: N Divilly (0-1) for Coen (44 mins); A O’Rourke for L Noone, A Eilian for Ní Loingsigh (both 49); M Glynn for L Ward, M Banek for Davoren (both 53).
Referee: Brendan Rice (Down).
