Shane O'Donnell of Éire Óg is tackled by Dylan McMahon of Clonlara on his way to score a goal, in the second minute of the second half, during the Clare Senior Hurling Club Championship Group 1 Round 2 match between Clonlara and Éire Óg Ennis at Pairc an Dalaigh in Tulla, Clare. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
Antrim
Reigning champions Cushendall made it two wins from two in the Bathshack Antrim SHC with a 2-14 to 1-8 win over St. John’s in Group 2. Rising star Joseph McLaughlin underlined his impressive ability once again with a personal haul of 1-10.
Dunloy also made it two wins from two in Group 2 with a 2-19 to 1-12 win over Rossa. A dominant second-quarter saw Dunloy outscore their opponents by 2-7 to 0-3, and the result was never in doubt thereafter.
Cushenall and Dunloy will now meet in two weeks’ time to decide which of them goes straight through to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, in Group 1, Ballycastle and Naomh Eanna battle to a 1-15 apiece draw. Niall O’Connor was the hero for Naomh Eanna, striking a point three minutes into extra-time to claim a share of the spoils for his team.
Armagh
Cullyhanna came from six points down to earn what had looked an unlikely 1-10 apiece draw with Silverbridge in Group A of the Armagh SFC. County star Aidan Nugent scored the all-important equaliser with an outstanding point from the sideline with the final kick of the game. The result leaves the teams tied at the top of the table on three points each with Killeavy on two points thanks to their 3-11 to 2-5 win over Culloville.
Clan na Gael are top of Group B as they made it back to back wins by defeating Granemore by 0-14 to 0-7 with Shane McPartlan especially impressive in attack.
Madden made it two wins from two in Group C thanks to a 1-11 to 0-8 win over Naomh Peadar, while Maghery kept their hopes alive with a hard-fought 2-12 to 2-11 win over Clann Eireann.
Armagh Harps continue to set the pace in Group D thanks to a 0-15 to 0-7 win over Ballymacnab. Just one point separated the teams at half-time but the winners surged clear in the second-half.
Carlow
The meeting of the reigning Carlow senior (Éire Óg) and intermediate (Clonmore) champions in the first round of this year’s Carlow SFC provided plenty of entertainment.
Clonmore got off to a flier thanks to an early Oisin Doyle goal and lead at half-time by 1-5 to 1-3.
Éire Óg dominated the second-half, though, and a well-taken Sean Gannon goal late on settled the tie once and for all.
Palatine caused something of a surprise when getting the better of Rathvilly by 0-10 to 0-8. Two fine Shane O’Neill points in the second-half gave the winners a vital edge in a close-fought game.
Old Leighlin also got their campaign off to a winning start as they defeated Tinryland by 2-12 to 1-10. Two first half goals proved crucial for the winners, with Mikey Bambrick scoring the first and David Bambrick hitting the second just before half-time.
A point with the last kick of the game from team captain, Shane Clarke, saw 14-man Bagenalstown Gaels edge out Mount Leinster Rangers by 2-7 to 1-9.
Cavan
Ballyhaise produced the upset of the Kiernans Service Station Cavan SFC championship so far when they defeated Gowna by 3-8 to 0-16 on Sunday.
First-half goals from David Brady, Michael Brady, and Martin Conaty gave the underdogs a nine-point lead that Gowna did well to reel in.
But last year’s intermediate champions found one last kick as points from David Brady and Cormac Callaghan saw them claim a famous win.
That game was preceded in Virginia by Castlerahan’s five point win over Lavey with Stephen Cooney especially impressive for the winners, scoring three fine points from play.
On Saturday, Mullahoran and Ramor United played out a 0-9 to 1-6 draw while Cavan Gaels had to work hard for a 1-10 to 0-10 win over Ballinagh with Luke Molloy scoring the all-important goal.
On Friday, Kingscourt Stars defeated Killygarry by 2-12 to 1-11 with Odhran Cunningham and Sean Burke scoring the goals. Crosserlough enjoyed a comfortable 2-18 to 0-6 win over Laragh Utd.
Clare
With just one more round to play in the group phase of the Clare SHC, there are still no confirmed quarter-finalists. Éire Óg, Kilmaley, and Sixmilebridge top their respective groups after making it two wins from two, while Scariff and Broadford also remain unbeaten after playing out a ferociously contested draw in Group 3 on Saturday.
The most significant result of the weekend saw 2022 finalists, Éire Óg, defeat reigning champions Clonlara by 1-23 to 1-20. Their goal was scored by Clare star, Shane O’Donnell, who was forced to limp off with an ankle injury in the second-half.
Going into the final round of group matches in a fortnight’s time, 15 of the 16 teams in the competition still have a chance of making it to the knock-out rounds.
Cork
Fr. O’Neill’s pulled off the biggest result of Round 2 of the Cork Premier SHC with their 0-18 to 0-15 win over St. Finbarr’s ensuring the 2022 champions won’t feature in the knock-out stages. The result was all the more impressive considering they played for half the game with 14 men, and it sees Fr. O’Neill’s through to the quarter-final stages for the first time in the club’s history.
Blackrock are also guaranteed progression to the quarter-finals from Group 2 thanks to a 3-17 to 0-21 win over Newcestown that featured sharp performances in attack from Alan Connolly, Fionn Coleman, and Robbie Cotter.
Reigning champions Sarsfields are safely through to the quarter-finals from Group 1 thanks to a 1-23 to 3-15 win over Newtownshandrum. Daniel Hogan was their main man, scoring 13 points, of which seven came from play.
Erin’s Own produced a stirring second-half comeback to beat Charleville by 1-22 to 1-17 in Group 3. The other game in the group between Kanturk and Midleton was called off due to a medical emergency in the crowd eight minutes into the contest. A refixture will be announced in due course.
Erin’s Own, Kanturk, and Midleton are all on two points, but Erin’s Own have played one game more.
Mark McArdle of Aughnamullen celebrates after scoring a goal during the Monaghan Senior Club Football Championship Group 1 Round 3 match between Corduff and Aughnamullen at Pairc Gaeltacht Corr Dubh in Corduff, Monaghan. Photo by Philip Fitzpatrick/Sportsfile.
Derry
Slaughtneil look very determined to make it 12 Derry Senior Hurling Championships in a row this year.
They swept aside Banagher by 3-22 to 0-7 with utter ruthlessness on Saturday. Gerald Bradley, Shea Cassidey, and Cormac O’Doherty were all very potent in a Slaughtneil attack that Banagher just couldn’t handle.
In the day’s earlier game at Owenbeg, an injury-time free from Paul Cleary saw Ballinascreen claim a 1-15 apiece draw with Lavey in in a hard-fought match that never saw more than two points between the teams.
There was one Derry SHC match on Sunday, as Swatragh swept aside Eoghan Rua by 6-15 to 1-6. Five of those goals came in the first-half alone.
After their draw with Kevin Lynch’s, this win gives the Davitt’s a chance of advancing to the semi-finals.
Donegal
Michael Murphy showed he remains a class act as he inspired Glenswilly to a 2-9 to 2-7 win over Four Masters in the Donegal SFC.
His team trailed by seven points early in the second-half, but then Murphy took over as he got on the ball time and again to dictate play and finished with a personal tally of 1-5.
Along with Glenswilly, St. Michael’s are the only other team with three wins from three so far in the championship. Michael Lanagan hit a 60th minute winner for them as they edged out Dungloe by 0-9 to 0-8.
Reigning champions Naomh Conaill got back on track with a 2-13 to 0-5 win over Sean MacCumhaill’s. There was only four points in it with ten minutes to go, but goals from Kevin McGettigan and Neil Francis Boyle ensured it was a comfortable win in the end for Naomh Conaill.
Kilcar also had a convincing win, as they defeated Glenfin by 0-18 to 1-8, with Donegal captain Patrick McBrearty especially sharp in attack.
Gaoth Dobhair caused something of an upset when they edged out St. Eunan’s by 1-7 to 0-9 with an early goal by Eoin de Búrca ultimately proving vital in a game of fine margins.
Downings edged the Gaeltacht battle as they defeated Clouyghaneely by 1-9 to 0-10, with Paddy McElwee scoring the all-important goal.
Down
Kilcoo started the defence of their Down senior football championship title with a hard-fought 0-12 to 0-9 win over Loughinisland.
A second quarter-surge proved vital and gave the champions a 0-8 to 0-4 half-time lead, but the underdogs never stopped battling and remained competitive throughout the second-half.
Last year’s beaten finalists, Burren, looked very sharp when beating Liatroim by 2-19 to 0-7. An Odhran Murdock first-half penalty put some daylight between the teams and then Ryan Treanor’s excellent second-half goal settled the contest.
Seamus Loughran scored 1-5 to inspire Ballyholland Harps to come from six points down and beat Downpatrick by 2-9 to 3-4.
Three goals in a 10-minute spell helped Bredagh to a 3-8 to 0-8 victory over Longstone.
A superb goal from Daniel Guinness helped Carryduff to a 1-8 to 0-6 win over Glenn.
Goals from Danny Savage, Cory Laverty, and Conall Murray saw Bryansford come from behind to beat Saul by 3-7 to 1-8.
Dublin
Reigning champions Kilmacud Crokes were very impressive when defeating St. Vincent’s by 0-17 to 0-8 to make it back to back wins in Group 4 of the Dublin SHC. You can read a full report of that match here - https://www.gaa.ie/article/dublin-sfc-mannion-inspires-crokes.
Cuala’s 2-15 to 0-8 win over St. Jude’s on Saturday saw them move to the top of Group 1. Na Fianna top Group 2 after a hard-fought 0-18 to 2-10 win over Castleknock. While a Paddy Small inspired Ballymun Kickhams are top of Group 3 thanks to a 2-11 to 0-13 win over Ballinteer St. John’s.
Galway
Tommy Larkins caused a big upset in the Galway SHC by defeating reigning All-Ireland champions St. Thomas’ by 1-24 to 0-19 in their Group 3 clash.
St Thomas’ are going for a seventh county title in a row but were well-beaten by a Tommy Larkins team inspired by team captain Ronan Murphy who scored 1-5 from play.
St. Thomas led by 0-14 to 0-12 at the break, but Tommy Larkins were comfortably the better team in the second half as Murphy and Jason Flynn cut loose in attack.
Turloughmore made it two wins from two in Group 1 thanks to a 1-29 to 0-15 win over Cappataggle.
Loughrea and Clarinbridge both made it two wins from two in Group 2 as they defeated Moycullen and Craughwell respectively. Their upcoming clash should be a cracker.
Sarsfields are in control of Group 5 after their comfortable 0-22 to 1-10 win over Castlegar.
Kildare
Reigning champions Naas made a statement of intent by starting their Joe Mallon Motors Kildare SFC campaign on Sunday with a 3-16 to 0-5 win over Confey. Tom Browne scored a goal just 14 seconds into the game, and that set the tone for the contest thereafter.
Niall Kelly scored five points from play in the first-half to help Athy to a 0-13 to 0-11 win over Clogherinkoe while Clane were always in control as they swept to a 2-14 to 0-8 win over Kilcock.
There were also four Kildare SFC matches on Saturday as Celbridge defeated Allenwood by 2-19 to 0-13, Raheens beat Carbury by 3-9 to 2-4, Moorefield edged out Maynooth by 2-10 to 1-11, and Johnstownbridge defeated St. Laurence’s by 1-11 to 0-6.
Kilkenny
Reigning champions O’Loughlin Gaels are well placed to clinch a direct route to the Kilkenny SHC quarter-finals as they made it three wins from three in Group B of the League by easily beating Erin’s Own on a scoreline of 2-33 to 1-8.
Meanwhile, Thomastown continued their impressive run in Group A, with a 0-25 to 0-18 win over Tullaroan their third in succession that also puts them in pole position for a place in the quarter-finals.
Laois
After the final round of group matches in the Laois SHC over the weekend, the quarter-final pairings have been established.
Reigning champions Camross enjoyed a comfortable 1-20 to 0-11 win over Portlaoise that sealed second-place in Group B and a quarter-final clash with The Harps.
Rathdowney Errill topped Group B thanks to a 1-32 to 2-12 win over Castletown and so advance directly to the semi-finals.
In Group B, Abbeyleix produced an incredible comeback to beat The Harps by 2-20 to 1-22, and will now play Portlaoise in the quarter-finals.
Group B table-toppers, Clough Ballacolla, advance directly to the semi-finals.
Limerick
Reigning champions Newcastlewest qualified for the knock-out stages of this year’s Irish Wire Products Limerick SFC with a convincing 2-9 to 0-8 victory over Galtee Gaels.
Rising start Emmet Rigter was their main man, scoring an impressive 1-5 from play.
Fr Casey’s are also through to the knock-out stages with one round of the group phase left to play thanks to a comfortable 1-15 to 1-5 win over Kildimo-Pallaskenry.
2023 Intermediate champions, Mungret St. Paul’s, are also through to the knock-out rounds as they made it four group wins from four with a 4-8 to 0-6 victory over Ballylanders.
Oola secured their senior status with a vital 0-15 to 1-8 win over Ballysteen. The clinical finishing of Josh Ryan who kicked nine points, two of them from play, proved decisive.
Longford
Longford Slashers kept their hopes for a place in the Longford SFC quarter-finals alive with a 0-10 to 0-7 win over Mullinalaghta.
The result means they are now one of three teams in Group B on four points along with Mullinalaghta and Carrickedmond, with table-toppers Abbeylara on six points with one round of the group phase left to play.
Clonguish on three points are still in contention too, thanks to a much needed 2-17 to 2-3 win over Dromard.
Things aren’t quite so cluttered in Group A. Killoe’s comfortable 2-15 to 0-7 win over Rathcline seems them top the group with four wins from four.
Despite that heavy defeat, Ratchline are still in a good position on six points, as are Colmcille who defeated Mostrim by 2-11 to 1-11 on Saturday.
Louth
County star Sam Mulroy showed his class when scoring 2-4 for Naomh Mairtin in their Anchor Tours Louth SFC first-round victory over Cooley Kickhams.
His first goal was something special as the chipped the ball soccer-style over Kickhams goalkeeper Neil Gallagher seconds after his kick-out was turned over.
Dreadnots had a harder time than expected against St. Bride’s but eventually got the job done, winning by 0-9 to 0-6 with Conor Faulkner and James Califf especially impressive.
St. Joseph’s also started their campaign with a win, defeating last year’s Intermediate champions Roche Emmets by 2-12 to 1-3 with both goals scored by Oisín McGuinness.
Meath
With one round of the group stages left to play, Dunshaughlin, Simonstown Gaels and St. Colmcille’s are already assured of their place in the Meath SFC quarter-finals.
Dunshaughlin registered the result of the weekend when defeating reigning champions Summerhill by 2-12 to 2-10 in Group A courtesy of a 60th minute winning goal from Mathew Costello. Summerhill must now beat Donaghmore-Ashbourne in their final group game in what will be a straight shoot-out for progression to the quarter-finals.
Dunboyne are in pole position in Group B thanks to their 0-11 to 0-7 win over Wolfe Tones and need just a draw in their remaining tie with Gaeil Colmcille to advance to the quarter-finals.
In Group C, wins for Simonstown over Seneschalstown and St Colmcille’s over Na Fianna mean they are already through to the knock-out rounds.
Group D is the most closely contested group with Skryne, Ratoath, Trim, and Rathkenny all still in with a chance of progression to the quarter-finals going into the last round of group matches on September 8.
Monaghan
Clontibret have qualified for the Monaghan SFC quarter-finals with a group match to spare thanks to a 3-14 to 0-13 win over Donaghmone.
Goals from Colum Greenan and Ryan McGuigan helped them in to an 2-7 to 0-5 lead at half-time, and they never looked like losing thereafter.
The other game in Group 2 saw Killanny beat Latton by 4-5 to 1-13 with their goals coming from Dean Connolly, Oisin Burns, Eddie Walsh, and John Gartlan.
In Group 1, Corduff made it two wins from three matches by beating Aughnamullen by 0-12 to 2-5.
Trailing by two points with four minutes remaining, the home team gritted their teeth and found a way to win the game with Diamaid Marron landing the last-gasp winner.
In the other game in Group 1, Cremartin and Ballybay played out a 0-8 apiece draw.
Declan Hogan of Tullamore contests a kickout with Ciaran Heavey of Rhode during the Offaly Senior Club Football Championship Group 1 Round 3 match between Rhode and Tullamore at Daingean GAA Club in Offaly. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.
Offaly
Newly appointed Offaly joint-manager, Mickey Harte, was an interested spectator as Tullamore defeated Rhode by 0-8 to 0-5 in the Tullamore Court Hotel SFC on Sunday.
In a cagey encounter, it was Tullamore’s ability to control possession when facing the wind in the second-half that ultimately proved decisive.
After the final round of group matches the quarter-finals are now set in stone and are as follows:
Tullamore v Durrow
Shamrocks v Ballycommon
Edenderry v Bracknagh
Rhode v Ferbane
Roscommon
Roscommon Gaels produced an upset in the Roscommon SHC quarter-finals by beating Tremane on a scoreline of 1-19 to 3-9.
Finn Killion was the main man for the winners, scoring 10 points and setting up Mark Purcell for goal.
Tremane finished strongly with two goals of their own, but it was too little, too late as the Gaels advance to a semi-final clash against defending champions Four Roads.
In the other quarter-final two late Athleague goals secured a dramatic 2-12 to 0-16 win over Oran.
First a Niall Connolly free went all the way to the Oran net, and then an Aengus Lyons goal four minutes into injury-time sealed a win that sets up a semi-final clash with St. Dominic’s.
Sligo
Reigning champions Coolera-Strandhill got their Sligo Homeland SFC campaign off to a winning start with a comfortable 1-10 to 0-4 win over Easkey.
Last year’s beaten finalists Tourlestrane, who won seven championships in a row from 2016 to 2022, registered their first win of the campaign by beating St. Molaise Gaels on a scoreline of 0-11 to 0-6.
Shamrock Gaels also got off the mark with a 0-16 to 0-10 win over Calry/St Joseph’s, while Drumcliffe/Rosses Point edged out Curry by 1-6 to 0-6.
Tipperary
The Tipperary SHC is down to the quarter-final stage after the last round of group games took place over the weekend. Toomevara, Thurles Sarsfields, Loughmore, and Kiladangan progress to the last eight as table-toppers while Kilruane, Moycarkey, Nenagh Eire Og, and JK Brackens go through as runners-up.
2019 county champions, Borris-Ileigh, find themselves in relegation jeopardy after a 0-27 to 2-19 defeat to a Seamus Callanan inspired Drom-Inch. They go into the relegation play-offs along with Roscrea, Lorrha, and Templederry.
The draws for both the quarter-finals and relegation play-offs will take place on Monday evening.
Waterford
Ballygunner are one win away from winning an incredible 11th Waterford SHC title in a row after their semi-final victory over Passage. You can read a full match report of that game HERE. https://www.gaa.ie/article/waterford-shc-impressive-ballygunner-advance
In the weekend’s other semi-final, Abbeyside proved too strong for Mount Sion as they reached their first county final for six years. They ran out 3-20 to 0-19 winners in the end, with the goals coming from team captain Michael Kiely (2) and Charlie Treen.
Westmeath
St Loman’s strengthened their position at the top of the Shay Murtagh Senior A Football Championship Section A table with a hard-fought 1-7 to 0-8 win over Coralstown-Kinnegad.
Their fourth win in as many matches puts them three points clear at the top of the table ahead of second-placed Tyrrellspass who drew with third-placed Athlone on a scoreline of 2-5 to 0-11.
Caulry notched a much-needed first win of the campaign when they defeated Tang by 1-14 to 1-6, a victory that saw them leapfrog their opponents at the bottom of the table.
Wexford
Naomh Éanna and St. Anne’s played out a thrilling 0-22 apiece draw in Group A of the Pettitt’s SHC on Sunday.
The clash of the table-toppers was a cracking contest from start to finish with both teams landing some great scores.
It finished with a fitting climax too as Cian Browne looked to have won it for Naomh Éanna in injury-time only for St. Anne’s goalkeeper Andy Kennedy to level it again for the final time.
In Group B, St. Martin’s produced the performance of the round when beating Oylegate-Glenbrien by 5-20 to 0-15.
Rory O’Connor, Darren Codd, Jack Devereux and Kyle Firman all shot the lights out in a performance that bodes well for the rest of the campaign.
The win also saw them go joint top of the Group B table with Shelmaliers, who suffered a surprisingly comprehensive 3-22 to 1-18 defeat to an excellent Cloughbawn outfit who didn’t even hit a single wide.
With the margins fine in both groups, it’s all set up nicely for the final round of fixtures that will decide the make-up of the knock-out stages.
Wicklow
Baltinglass are through to the quarter-finals of the Boom & Platform Hire SFC after a hard-fought 1-9 to 0-11 win over 2022 champions St. Patrick’s who now have no chance of making the knock-out rounds.
Reigning champions Blessington are also in dire danger of missing out on the quarter-finals after they were beaten 2-11 to 2-9 by An Tóchar.
That was An Tóchar’s fourth win in a row and it clinches their place in the quarter-finals with a round of the group phase left to play.
Group 2 table-toppers, Rathnew, are also assure of a place in the last eight as they recorded their fourth win in a row by beating Barndarrig on a scoreline of 2-11 to 0-12.
AGB, Éire Óg Greystones, Dunlavin, and Bray Emmets are all on four points in Group 2 so there’s a lot to play for going into the final round of games.