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All-Ireland Round 1 winners and losers - provincial pain as Sligo buck the trend

Updated / Tuesday, 30 May 2023 06:20
Karl O'Connell celebrates his equaliser for Monaghan against Derry
Karl O'Connell celebrates his equaliser for Monaghan against Derry

Eight games into the new All-Ireland group stage format and the GAA have been gifted exactly what they wanted – competitiveness.

There may still be qualms about the system and question marks about how hard teams were going in some fixtures, but after the eight first-round games, we've had three draws, Division 3 Westmeath coming close to making that an even 50% and no team winning by more than five points.

As far as opening skirmishes go, that’s exactly what the association desired when this new style was adopted.

What they would not have wanted is the very clear evidence that teams that didn’t fare as well in the provincial arena appeared better placed to attack in round one.

Let’s look at the evidence – and we’ll start with the four provincial champions who all started with home fixtures.

  • Dublin, so dominant in claiming 13th Leinster title in-a-row against Louth, were lucky to leave Croke Park with a point against Roscommon with the Connacht side leading for the majority and missing a late chance to earn a first championship win at HQ in 43 years.
  • Derry’s route to back-to-back Ulster titles saw them dismiss Monaghan with relative ease. On home turf on Saturday, they struggled for so long and it took a late surge to turn a probable loss into a winning position before Karl O’Connell earned the Oriel men a deserved point.
  • Kerry were hoping to make it 40 unbeaten home championship games when Mayo visited Killarney, but Mayo had a comfortable five-point cushion at full time.
  • Even Galway, the only provincial champion to win in round one, had an extra man for 42 minutes in their three-point win over Tyrone after Frank Burns’s early dismissal, and 10 minutes with two extra players after Niall Morgan was black carded.
Mayo lead the way in Group 1

It was much the same for the provincial finalists. Louth may have beaten Cork in the league, but the Rebels dominated much of Saturday’s clash and held on to win despite a final-quarter stumble.

Armagh were finding Westmeath an unsolvable conundrum – Dessie Dolan’s men owning the ball for almost the entirety of the second half – until a brilliant moment from Andrew Murnin saw him flick the ball into Conor Turbitt’s path for a game-changing goal in the final minutes.

Clare welcomed a confidence-sapped Donegal to Ennis but were overrun by Aidan O’Rourke’s side in the second half with the Ulster men taking until the break to realise that the Banner were there to be exposed.

There, of course, is one obvious exception – and that comes in the form of Tony McEntee’s Division 4 side Sligo.

Humbled by Galway, many were anticipating another heavy defeat when a Kildare side visited not long off the back of pushing Dublin all the way in the Leinster semi-final. The script wasn’t followed though with a Niall Murphy brace and a David Quinn last-gasp leveller ensuring that spoils were to be shared.

So after round one, here’s how we see them teams:

SATISFIED

Sligo

Arguably the team of round one, especially after you consider the performances of the other provincial finalists. Tony McEntee’s side looked in trouble late on against Kildare, but they kicked the last three points to earn an impressive home draw.

Mayo

Mayo made the most of their six-week break after losing to Roscommon in Connacht as they laid down a marker in Kerry. The match was open, suspiciously open, but it’s still the exact reaction Kevin McStay would have wanted. What’s more, it leaves them in pole position to top Group 1 and head straight to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

Donegal

A win over a Clare side heading to Division 3 next term may not seem that notable, but for Donegal it was given how tumultuous their season has been. The resignation of manager Paddy Carr, relegation to Division 2 and an Ulster loss to Down, they were at a low ebb. However Aidan O’Rourke’s side showed in the second half that there is life in them yet. Paddy McBrearty is nearing a return too.

Oisin Gallen kicked 0-04 against Clare

Roscommon

Roscommon’s long wait for a championship win at Croke Park goes on – it's up to 43 years now – but they would have happily settled for a point against Dublin pre-match. That view may have changed when they led by four points with half an hour remaining, but in the end it was still an excellent point.

Cork

Another side handed a long break, Cork headed to Navan [Louth’s nominated home ground] and overturned their three-point Division 2 loss to the Wee County. In truth, the Rebels dominated for long periods with the likes of Ian Maguire, Brian Hurley and Killian O’Hanlon poking holes in the Louth defence, but they let a six-point second-half lead slip before regaining their composure. A very solid start.

Monaghan

Monaghan may have only earned a point in their first outing, but it was a very positive one at the home of the Ulster champions Derry. Vinny Corey’s side looked miles off the Oakleafers in their recent provincial semi-final, but there was a huge rise in performance with Karl O’Connell, Conor Boyle and the returning Ryan McAnespie producing monster shifts. Suddenly top spot comes into play.

UNCERTAIN

Westmeath

If Westmeath had hung on, they had potential be the stars of the first round, but the Tailteann Cup holders got a reminder of the cut-throat nature of top-level football. They looked in control against a flat Armagh, leading by four points at a couple of junctures in the game, but their decision to hold possession rather than go for the jugular cost them in the second half as they went down by the minimum.

Westmeath looked set for a famous win, but lost in Armagh by the minimum

Armagh

A win’s a win but Armagh really failed to ignite at home to Westmeath. It was their easiest game on paper, something that will concern Kieran McGeeney, yet they are still on two points. A match with big rivals Tyrone this weekend could provide the spark needed as they continue the recovery from their Ulster final penalty shoot-out loss to Derry.

Dublin

Manager Dessie Farrell said that their lacklustre performance at home to Roscommon was down to having spent the spring in Division 2. Maybe it’s the game they needed, but if that logic holds true, games against two more Division 2 sides in the coming weeks may leave them undercooked heading into the All-Ireland series, should they get there.

Galway

Galway may seem a strange addition to the unsure section after beating Tyrone in round one, but they were far from their best in Salthill. They won by three and always seemed to have that wee bit extra, but given their numerical advantage – an extra man for 42 minutes and two extra men for 10 – they never really caught fire, something manager Pádraic Joyce alluded to afterwards.

Derry

Derry struggled to come down from their Ulster title win, finding the going extremely tough in their home draw with Monaghan. RTÉ analyst Enda McGinley had predicted as much pre-game, and Ciaran Meenagh knows that his side will have to find their energy again fast.

Sligo have bucked the provincial finalist trend

UNHAPPY

Louth

It’s been a tough period for Louth as their positive momentum just wobbles a bit. Nobody expected them to beat Dublin in the Leinster final, but few expected them to take a 21-point trimming. That loss still looked to be on their minds in their 'home’ match with Cork in Navan, and it was Sam Mulroy’s brilliance that kept them in touch before losing out. Given Mayo and Kerry are to come, they really needed to avoid defeat, you’d expect.

Tyrone

Tyrone’s loss to Galway made it four championship defeats in succession, and the departures of a few fringe players – such as back-up goalkeeper Benny Gallen and Cormac Munroe – in recent weeks just adds to a bit of the negativity. Tyrone have also had to quash rumours that Cathal McShane had left the scene. Still, they played quite well in their loss to Galway as they lose Frank Burns to a red card and Niall Morgan to a black card, and the prospect of hosting Armagh this weekend should act as a real galvanising tool.

It's all to play for in the Ulster dominated Group 4

Kildare

Kildare fans should be used to frustration, but the hits keep on coming for the Lilywhites. Their Leinster performance against Dublin pointed to a side getting their act together, but in their next outing they stumbled to a draw with Division 4 Sligo. With Newbridge out of action, they have no home game in reality – Nowlan Park instead being used for the visit of Dublin – and they have a lot of work to do to reach the All-Ireland knock-out stages.

Kerry

Kerry’s 39-game home unbeaten championship run came to an end against Mayo in round one, and they looked well short of their best. The side just hasn’t looked as defensively solid as it did in their All-Ireland success last year, and that loss means that progression straight to the quarter-finals is now a big ask.

Clare

The visit of Donegal to Ennis looked the perfect opportunity for the Banner to take a scalp, and they started with that in mind as they led 0-06 to 0-03 at the break. They faded badly from there and with tough Ulster battles to come, elimination looks the most likely outcome.

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