Ulster Senior Football Championship Quarter-Final

Sunday, April 13 | Healy Park, Omagh | 4:15pm

Teams announced Friday – Live GAA scores on Irishscores.com

Tyrone and Cavan renew rivalries in another all-Ulster showdown this Sunday, just a year on from their extra-time thriller in Kingspan Breffni. That day, Tyrone edged out Cavan by a single point, 1-23 to 3-16, and the Red Hands will once again be favourites—despite a rocky league campaign that saw them relegated from Division 1.

Cavan, for their part, were a solid mid-table team in Division 2, winning four games and showing resilience throughout. Mickey Graham’s men will take confidence from their attacking style of play and will look to trouble a Tyrone defence that, while statistically the best in Division 1, has at times lacked bite when faced with high-tempo opposition.

Tyrone are still transitioning their squad but remain potent, with Darragh Canavan and Mattie Donnelly leading the line. Conor Meyler and Frank Burns are key men if the hosts are to progress.

Cavan will hope Paddy Lynch and Gearóid McKiernan can reproduce the form that lit up last year’s championship. But they haven’t beaten Tyrone in championship football since 1983—something that underlines the scale of their challenge.

The winners will face either Antrim or Armagh in the semi-final.

Team News

Official starting teams will be announced on Friday. Check Irishscores.com and team social media for confirmed line-ups and in-play updates.

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Dromore and Trillick will go head-to-head in the first of two Tyrone senior semi-finals when they meet at O’Neills Healy Park in Omagh on Saturday, October 30 at 7:15 pm.

Errigal Ciaran and Coalisland Na Fianna will battle it out to determine who gets the right to face the winner of Saturday’s semi-final in Pomeroy on Sunday, October 31 at 2:45 pm.

Both games are part of double-headers with the two Tyrone intermediate football semi-finals.

Owen Roe O’Neills will take on Gortin St Patrick’s in the first intermediate semi-final which will take place prior to the match between Dromore and Trillick in Omagh at 4:45 pm.

Rock St Patrick’s and Moortown St Malachy’s will play the second intermediate match-up of the weekend previous to the showdown between Errgial Ciaran and Coalisland Na Fianna in Pomeroy at 12:30 pm.

Dromore v Trillick

Trillick are aiming for a third final appearance in a row and a second Tyrone SFC title in three years but Dromore, who are searching for their first O’Neill Cup triumph in a decade, stand in their way.

The two sides come into this year’s semi-final after winning their two previous games each.

Dromore beat holders Dungannon Thomas Clarke’s by four points to set up a date with Eglish St Patrick’s.

The three-time Tyrone senior football champions squeezed into the semi-final after beating Eglish by two points.

Trillick, on the other hand, have won both their games with no absence of attacking intent, scoring three goals in each.

They defeated Galbally Pearses by five points, courtesy of two second-half goals that sunk their opponents.

The club then decimated Killyclogher in a resounding quarter-final victory to move into the final four.

A 14-point win with three more goals sent a statement of intent to the other three sides still in the competition.

Errigal Ciaran v Coalisland Na Fianna

Errigal Ciaran, who beat Dromore in the 2012 final, are on the hunt for their first county championship victory since then, and face 2018 winners Coalisland Na Fianna in the process.

2019 finalists Errigal Ciaran have posted two impressive victories in this year’s instalment of the tournament.

A 14-point win over Clonoe O’Rahilly’s and an eight-point quarter-final triumph against Loughmacrory St Teresa’s has underlined the strength of their side this year, complemented by three goals in two games.

Coalisland Na Fianna took down Edendork in the first round in a seven-goal thriller and earned their semi-final spot in a nail-biter against Carrickmore.

The side have not had wins as convincing as those of their opponents and have conceded 11 more points than them.

Where To Watch

The match between Dromore and Trillick will be shown live on RTÉ 2 with coverage starting at 7 pm on Saturday.

The second semi-final between Errgial Ciaran and Coalisland will be available to watch via live stream.

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There is an impressive spread of 11 different counties listed in the nominations, but it’s the  Red Hand’s grip on football that remains the talking point. Goalkeeper Niall Morgan and midfielders Conn Kilpatrick and Brian Kennedy are joined by seven contenders in defence and five men named in contention in the attack. 

The O’Neill County will also have a strong interest in the overall awards. A vote from among the ranks of inter-county players will choose between Tyrone All-Ireland winning heroes  Conor Meyler and Kieran McGeary as well as Mayo powerhouse Lee Keegan for the PwC  GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year award. 

Last year Oisín Mullin was the PwC GAA/GPA Young Footballer of the Year. The Mayo defender is again shortlisted in 2021, where he is joined by Galway star Matthew Tierney and Tyrone ace Darragh Canavan on the shortlist. 

Defeated All-Ireland finalists Mayo have eight nominations vying for a place on every line of the final 15.

Munster champions Kerry have seven All-Star nominations, including brothers David and Paudie  Clifford. 

After their historic run of six All-Ireland titles in a row ended last summer, Leinster champions Dublin have five nominations. There are three contenders from Monaghan and  Orchard County brothers Oisín and Rían O’Neill represent Armagh. 

Cork’s Seán Meehan, Kildare’s Daniel Flynn, Donegal’s Michael Langan, Eoin Cleary from  Clare and Galway’s Shane Walsh complete the list of 45 nominations for an All-Star. 

Congratulating the nominees, Uachtarán CLG Larry McCarthy said: “I want to salute all of those players who have been selected on the shortlist for the PwC All-Stars and also the players nominated for the PwC Footballer and Young Footballer of the Year awards.

“The competition to make it to the final list of 45 nominees was considerable after an exceptional football championship.

“This is a great honour and one that will be celebrated by the players; their families and clubs.

“The ongoing support of PwC for this illustrious awards scheme is greatly appreciated and I look forward to the deliberations around the final 15 to add to the rich All-Star history stretching back to 1971.” 

Feargal O’Rourke, Managing Partner, PwC, said: “2021 marks the 50th anniversary year of the All-Star Awards, which for five decades have recognised excellence and commitment both on and off the field.

“Congratulations to the 45 footballers who have been nominated for the 2021 PwC All-Stars from everyone at PwC.

“Their stellar performances have allowed us to enjoy a superb championship, despite the challenging year.

“These well-deserved  nominations are a testament to their abilities, both individually and as part of a team.” 

Tom Parsons, GPA CEO congratulated all of the nominees saying: “These 45 nominees represent the thousands of inter-county players across the country, male and female, who again gave us some light in an otherwise dark year because of the ongoing pandemic.

“I  want to salute every one of those players for their efforts and thank them for their commitment and for the entertainment that they provided for us all. To the nominees,  congratulations.

“To be recognised for your individual performances within a team environment is special. And to those players in the running to become the PwC Footballer and Young Footballer of the Year, the very best of luck.

“Thank you too, to the selection  committee for your work in whittling down so many outstanding players to this shortlist.”  

The nominations were chosen by a panel of Gaelic Games correspondents from across,  print, radio, TV and digital media, chaired by Uachtarán CLG Larry McCarthy. 

The PwC All-Stars for Football 2021 will be announced live on the night of the awards which will be held on December 10.

The presentation will take place in a televised ceremony that will be in line with Covid-19 restrictions and will be confirmed in due course.

PwC All-Stars Football nominations 2021 

Goalkeepers 

Rob Hennelly (Mayo) 

Rory Beggan (Monaghan) 

Niall Morgan (Tyrone) 

Defenders 

Padraig Hampsey, Peter Harte, Michael McKernan, Ronan McNamee, Kieran McGeary, Conor Meyler Frank Burns (all Tyrone) 

Stephen Coen, Patrick Durcan, Lee Keegan, Padraig Ó Hóra (all Mayo) 

Tom O’Sullivan, Gavin White, Brian Ó Beaglaoich (all Kerry) 

Michael Fitzsimons, Brian Howard (all Dublin) 

Seán Meehan (Cork) 

Ryan McAnespie (Monaghan) 

Midfielders 

Brian Kennedy, Con Kilpatrick (all Tyrone) 

Matthew Ruane (Mayo) 

David Moran (Kerry) 

Oisín O’Neill (Armagh) 

Brian Fenton (Dublin) 

Forwards 

Mattie Donnelly, Conor McKenna, Niall Sludden, Darren McCurry, Cathal McShane (all Tyrone) David Clifford, Paudie Clifford, Sean O’Shea (all Kerry) 

Tommy Conroy, Ryan O’Donoghue (all Mayo) 

Cormac Costello, Ciaran Kilkenny (all Dublin)

Jack McCarron (Monaghan) 

Daniel Flynn (Kildare) 

Michael Langan (Donegal) 

Rian O’Neill (Armagh) 

Eoin Cleary (Clare) 

Shane Walsh (Galway)  

PwC GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year 

Lee Keegan (Mayo), Conor Meyler (Tyrone), Kieran McGeary (Tyrone) 

PwC GAA/GPA Young Footballer of the Year nominees 

Matthew Tierney (Galway) 

Oisin Mullin (Mayo) 

Darragh Canavan (Tyrone) 

The post Tyrone dominate PwC All-Star nominations with 15 appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

16 teams will take part in the tournament, all of them looking to get their hands on the prize.

Dromore and Derrylaughan earned the final two spots after two-point wins over Ardboe and Moy Tír na nÓg in the preliminary round.

Some teams, such as Edendork, will include several members of the Tyrone senior football panel that went all the way this year and those players will be hungry for more.

Dungannon Thomas Clarkes are the team to beat after claiming the championship last year for the first time in 64 years.

The side beat 2019 winners Trillick 8-7 on penalties after the two teams were tied at 1-12 each after extra time.

However, they face an uphill battle to retain the O’Neill Cup as no side since 2005 has been able to do so.

Carrickmore, the team with the most championship wins in the county, were the last team to retain the cup but have not won the competition since.

Eight teams have won the championship since the record holders’ last success, with Carrickmore finishing runners-up four times – they last reached the final in 2014.

Edendork are the town rivals to Dungannon Thomas Clarkes and boast Darren McCurry, Conn Kilpatrick and Niall Morgan among their ranks – Morgan plays outfield for the side.

However, the side have never won the Tyrone senior title, having only two intermediate championships to their name.

With several All-Ireland winners in their ranks, this could be the year the side steps up a gear.

Fixtures

Round 1

Thursday, October 7 2021 – Killyclogher v Donaghmore, 7:30 pm – Healy Park

Friday, October 8 2021 – Pomeroy Plunketts v Eglish, 6:45 pm – Healy Park

Friday, October 8 2021 – Trillick v Galbally, 8:30 pm – Healy Park

Saturday, October 9 2021 – Omagh v Carrickmore, 1 pm – Loughpark

Saturday, October 9 2021 – Edendork v Coalisland, 3:30 pm – Galbally

Sunday, October 10 2021 – Derrylaughan v Laughmacroy, 1 pm – Arthur Mallon Park

Sunday, October 10 2021 – Clonoe O’Rahilly’s v Errigal Ciaran, 3 pm – Arthur Mallon Park

Monday, October 11 2021 – Dromore v Dungannon, 7:30 pm – Healy Park.

Where To Watch

All games will be streamed on Tyrone GAA TV. Click here for information

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The three-time All-Ireland winner joins the county’s U20 side after a poor year that saw the Red Hand exit the Championship after just one game.

Manager Paul Devlin signed a three-year extension in January after winning back-to-back Ulster titles with the team.

However, the side are yet to reach an All-Ireland final under their current manager – the addition of ‘Mugsy’ could improve those chances.

The pair, along with the rest of the backroom, will be responsible for the development of players as they aim to play for the senior side.

A social media announcement reads: “Paul Devlin Tyrone U. 20 Manager released details of the latest addition to the U. 20 backroom team. Owen Mulligan has been brought in to assist the U. 20 Tír Eoghain football management. Owen will be a welcome boost to the management team. Tyrone are glad to have him on board”

Mulligan won three All-Ireland titles with the county’s senior team under Mickey Harte in 2003, 2005 and 2008.

He also won four Anglo-Celt Cups and two National Football League titles and was made an All-Star in 2005.

The corner forward is best remembered for his goal against Dublin in the drawn quarter-final in 2005 – the Irish Independent described it as “one of the greatest goals of all time.”

The 40-year-old was also the Man of the Match in the 2005 All-Ireland final against Kerry and spent time abroad in Australia.

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Mayo GAA released a statement on Monday that hit out at the personal attacks that have aimed at players and management involved in their All-Ireland final defeat to Tyrone.

The county board deemed these attacks “unnecessary and unacceptable to all those involved with Mayo GAA.”

McCarthy doubles down on the stance Mayo have taken towards the comments aimed at figures that can be seen online.

“Words matter, what one says matters, what one puts in the public domain matters,” said McCarthy.

“This was a point I made at Congress in February 2021 in the context of, what Bob Costas calls, a corrosive assault on civility. That corrosive assault has been perpetuated recently by members of the ‘critics collective’ and by many people who term themselves supporters in their reaction to the All-Ireland football final.

“The criticism emanating from these people has been overly harsh, unfair and in some cases downright cowardly. It has gone well beyond fair analysis of team performance. Critical evaluation of match performance is fine and expected, but overly harsh scrutiny of amateur players is unjustifiable. It is inexcusable when it moves beyond the realm of what happens on the field.”

The GAA President added that he was surprised by the level of discord directed at players that some critics claim to support.

“It beggars belief that people who consider themselves supporters of a team would castigate members of that team, the management and the County Committee in a crude and, in some cases, personal fashion. Nobody sets out to play badly, nobody sets out to lose an All-Ireland, but it happens. Supporters, who are members of GAA clubs, who attend club games, and who know the commitment and sacrifice the players make, understand this. Unfortunately, it is a point that seems to have escaped far too many people in the last week.

“Stop unwarranted critiques of GAA members. Stop this corrosive assault on civility. Perspective is needed when commenting on games and sport in general – not least when players are amateurs. None of us know the long-lasting impact of this type of harsh criticism on amateur players and we need to be mindful of the positive mental health of others.”

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Both sides are looking to end long droughts and bring home the Sam Maguire to their county – Tyrone have not won since 2008 while Mayo have not won in 70 years.

Mayo were All-Ireland finalists last year and conceded an early goal – something not unfamiliar to them at this stage of the competition.

James Horan’s side recovered from the early setback but the power of Dublin proved too much.

However, this year, things are different – after a poor first half in the All-Ireland semi-final against their rivals, Mayo rallied and put in an exceptional performance to end Dublin’s reign over Gaelic football and progress to the final.

Tyrone also came up against a long-standing rival in Kerry – the last time the two sides had met saw the Munster champions run out 6-15 to 1-14 winners over Brian Dooher and Feargal Logan’s side.

Tyrone have been a different animal in the championship though, winning the Anglo-Celt Cup and looking hungry for more, even after a Covid outbreak within the camp.

It is Tyrone’s first appearance in an All-Ireland final since 2018, where they also fell foul to the well-oiled machine from the capital.

Yet, both sides have banished old rivals and set up an exciting showdown at Croke Park – excitement is something the predictability of Gaelic football had lacked in recent years.

This final is unpredictable and that’s what makes it such an interesting match-up – two teams who have unique traits but also some that are very similar will battle it out for the biggest achievement in Gaelic football.

And we sit and watch it unfold.

Lineups

Mayo: Hennelly; O’Hora, Keegan, Plunkett; Durcan, Coen, Mullin; Ruane, Loftus; O’Connor, O’Shea (C), Walsh; McLoughlin, Conroy, O’Donoghue.

Tyrone: Morgan; McKernan, McNamee, Hampsey; Burns, Harte, K McGeary; Kennedy, Kilpatrick; Meyler, O’Neill, Sludden; McCurry, Donnelly, McKenna.

Subs: Quinn, Bradley, Canavan, Donaghy, Kelly, McCann, McDonnell, HP McGeary, McShane, J Munroe, Shields/C Munroe.

Odds

Mayo 10/11

Draw 7/1

Tyrone 11/8

TV Coverage

The game will be available to watch on RTÉ 2 and Sky Sports Arena. Coverage begins at 3:30 pm on RTÉ with Sky starting their coverage at 4 pm.

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Tyrone’s camogie team missed out on silverware for the county while their Men’s football side went one step closer to the Sam Maguire.

The goals were crucial with two of them coming from Ciara Delaney, having been set up by player of the match Áine Charlton. Captain Helen O’Malley also raised a green flag but Tyrone almost pulled off a spectacular comeback, getting to within one of the westerners having trailed by 11 but they just could not get over the line.

Mayo led by 2-6 to 0-4 at half-time thanks to Delaney and O’Malley’s majors, the latter part of a run of 1-5 without reply as Tyrone failed to score in the second quarter. When Delaney finished after another strong run by Charlton 15 seconds after the restart, it seemed like curtains.

But with Reagan Fay in inspired form and bringing her tally to eight points, the Red Hand women rallied. Niamh McNulty’s goal after an excellent catch was a real boost but when it seemed like momentum was in their favour, Mayo dug deep and Orla Hession pointed to leave Tyrone needing a goal that they couldn’t get.

Meanwhile, champions Armagh, who beat Clare in their semi-final by 2-13 to 1-6 on Saturday, will play Wexford in the All-Ireland premier junior final at Croke Park on September 12, as a result of the Yellowbellies’ 3-18 to 0-8 victory over Roscommon.

Roscommon had two early chances but two wides resulted and once Wexford got to grips with the excellent opposition sweeper, Rachel Fitzmaurice by playing the wings, they began to make hay.

Megan Cullen got an eighth-minute goal and it was 1-2 to 0-0 at the water break. On the resumption, all the Wexford inside forwards, Emma Tompkins, Emma Codd and Lisa Firman registered points and  Ailis Neville scored to make it 2-7 to 0-1 at half-time.

The Roscommon point came from a long-distance free by Shauna Fallon just before the short whistle.

The Connacht side were awarded a penalty early in the second half but Fallon’s shot was too central and goalkeeper Lara O’Shea was able to make the stop.

With that, any hope of a spectacular comeback dissipated.

When Roscommon removed Fitzmaurice from her sweeping role as they needed to chase the game, it opened space and Wexford profited. Chloe Cashe, who had been kept to a point in the first half, got a goal at the end of an excellent move on 41 minutes and finished with 1-8.

Fitzmaurice and Niamh Watson tried hard for Roscommon but it was all about Wexford, Clodagh Jackman, Aideen Brennan, Cashe, Neville and Cullen among those to shine.

Elsewhere, the talented Áine Magill completed 24 hours she won’t forget in a hurry as she played for Antrim in the intermediate semi-final against Galway and then against Laois in the Tesco All-Ireland B semi final.

She up a star outing for Antrim in their win over Galway by scoring 1-3 from midfield as the Saffrons’ minors as they came out on top of a thriller against Laois by 3-19 to 3-12 to reach the Tesco All-Ireland B final.

Antrim will face Offaly in the final, who defeated Derry by 4-12 to 1-8 in the other semi-final.

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The side will contest their first All-Ireland in three years and will hope to win their first Sam Maguire since 2018.

Conor McKenna scored a brace and super-sub Conor McShane put up 1-3 to help their side book a date with Mayo on Sunday, September 11.

The win rounds up a month in which Tyrone suffered a Covid outbreak and the GAA were forced to postpone the fixture twice, as well as the All-Ireland final – a game initially scheduled to be played on Sunday, August 29.

Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher’s side got off to a slow start but took the driver’s seat after Kerry’s opening scores and maintained their lead for the rest of the half.

Kerry star David Clifford lost the ball and Peter Harte capitalised, with the ball eventually finding McKenna who put it past Shane Ryan for the first goal of the game.

Goalkeeper Niall Morgan scored from far out to add the side’s tenth point just before the half-time whistle and give Tyrone a marginal lead.

Kerry were frustrated time and time again by Tyrone’s defensive system and energy – boss Peter Keane got his side to adopt this system for the rest of the game.

The change initially paid off with both sides struggling to break each other down but Kerry’s powerful attack, which had scored 87 points in the championship this season leading up to the game, gave the Munster champions the advantage in the third quarter.

Tyrone kept within a goal of Keane’s side and were rewarded for their hard work with a late second goal putting them a point ahead of the 37-time All-Ireland winners with two minutes of regular time to go.

McShane punched the ball in after fellow substitute Darragh Canavan had his shot saved.

Sean O’Shea levels it before Darren McCurry and David Clifford trade blows for their side, with nothing to separate them after 70 minutes.

Clifford was replaced before the start of extra-time after an eight-point performance kept the side in the game.

However, without him, Tyrone began to pull away after another scoring spree, this time on the other side of the end of regular time, got the side a third goal.

McKenna got his second of the day to give the Ulster champions a five-point lead and the Munster champions a mountain to climb.

Logan and Dooher’s side scored 1-2 on either side of the full-time whistle (of regular time) to regain control.

Tyrone never let go of the lead but Kerry did their best to earn it back with four points bringing them just short of forcing penalties.

Tyrone persevered and will face Connacht champions and 2020 All-Ireland finalists Mayo in the biggest fixture of the footballing calendar on Sunday, September 11.

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Meath wing-forward Shaun Leonard wriggled into space to fire over the winning point in the final minutes of the game to give his county a first minor football crown since 1992.

Tyrone’s strong start was not maintained and the Leinster champions fought back to take the minor crown after a huge battle in Croke Park.

Several wides cost the Ulster champions as they failed to pull away from Cathal O Bric’s side.

The teams were tied eight times throughout the biggest match on the minor football calendar before Leonard sealed the win for the Royals.

Tyrone captain Cormac Devlin found the net in the eighth minute to give his side a four-point lead.

However, O Bric’s side responded well and the two teams were level at 1-04 just six minutes after Devlin’s opening goal.

Meath had the lead after the first half – a slender one-point margin in their favour.

The Royals increased their lead to three after substitute Conor Owens had tied things up at 1-08 a piece.

Oisin O Murchu scored his final point of the game in that stretch to bring his total to 1-02 in the game – the most of any Meath player.

Owens was involved in the final Tyrone stretch of point-scoring alongside Ruairi McHugh and Ronan Cassidy but the sub could not help his side force extra time after Leonard’s winning strike.

Meath ended a 29-year-wait for a minor football title while the 11-year wait for the Red Hand will go on.

Gerard Donnelly’s side scored 53 points en route to this year’s final and won the Ulster final by seven points.

Their semi-final win over Cork saw the side outscore the Munster champions by 14 to book a date with Meath.

They came in as favourites but Meath had other plans.

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