Allianz National Football League 2017 – Round 3

February 27th, 2017

Read the full round-up of results from Ulster teams in Round 3 of the Allianz National Football League…

Allianz Football League Roinn 1

Donegal 2-05 Dublin 1-08

Records remain intact after Michael Murphy’s free in added time rescued a draw for Donegal against Dublin in Ballybofey.

Niall Scully’s goal looked to have set Dublin up for a win, but Murphy stroked over after a foul on Eamonn Doherty in the 72nd minute.

The draw extends Dublin’s unbeaten sequence to 32 League and Championship matches while Donegal now haven’t lost in 16 matches in Ballybofey.

Donegal took a dramatic hold of the contest with quick-fire goals by Jason McGee and Ryan McHugh late in the first half; strikes that had them 2-2 to 0-5 in front at the changeover.

Rory Gallagher’s team had barren spells in both halves – 25 minutes in the first and 27 in the second without troubling the scoreboard operator – but they still earned a deserved draw.

Dublin were heading for the win when Scully scampered clear to drill a 54th minute goal past Mark Anthony McGinley, the Donegal goalkeeper.

Ciaran Thompson’s free teed up a grandstand finish and Murphy drew the teams level for a final time with that late, curling free at the Town End.

Jamie Brennan was often the only Donegal man in the Dublin half as the home side set about minding the house and catching their visitors on the counter. Still Donegal trailed 0-5 to 0-1 after 25 minutes.

When Thompson sailed over a delicious free, it was Donegal’s first point since midfielder McGee boomed over their opening point of the day after just 30 seconds.

But Donegal soon found themselves leading a game that was threatening to inch a little too far out of reach.

The first goal arrived in the 33rd minute. McGee had been sent on his way by Frank McGlynn – included in place of Darach O’Connor, who had been named in the XV – but shot at Stephen Cluxton.

After McGee steered across goal, Martin O’Reilly broke it into Brennan’s path but, from his scuffed shot, McGee managed to apply the finish.

And within a minute Donegal were toasting a second goal. Donegal won possession from the kick-out and McHugh netted.

The game had been in doubt until an hour before throw-in when match referee Ciaran Branagan finally gave it the go-ahead, on his third visit to walk the water-laden surface.

When Murphy slotted over a free, Donegal were four in front, 2-3 to 0-5, after four second half minutes.

Scully’s goal put Dublin back in the driving seat, but Donegal hit back to rescue a point that could well be priceless in their quest to stay in Division 1.

Report: GAA.ie

Monaghan 2-08 Kerry 1-10

Monaghan’s impressive start to the Allianz League continued with a deserved and important win over Kerry that keeps the Farney men unbeaten after three rounds.

Malachy O’Rourke’s team are well positioned with five points from a possible six ahead of a tough trip to Tyrone next Saturday.

For Kerry this was a second home defeat on the trot, and if the Kingdom are to harbour real hopes of getting back to the League final they will need to find some victories and points fast, starting with a win next weekend away to Roscommon.

Only two points from play – none in the second half – is the sort of statistic to annoy Eamonn Fitzmaurice more than worry him at this stage of the year, but Kerry will need to find some way of rebooting their season quickly.

Monaghan won’t view this performance as anything other than ordinary either, but O’Rourke has plenty to be pleased about on the back of this win.

Goals in either half from Jack McCarron and Gavin Doogan laid the platform for Monaghan’s win, with Doogan’s 39th minute goal wrestling the lead off Kerry, and the Kingdom couldn’t recover.

That score made it 2-3 to 1-6, after Kerry had edged three points clear courtesy of a James O’Donoghue free. The visitors managed another five points from play thereafter while a underwhelming Kerry could only muster four scores from frees.

The first half, played in blinding sunshine and heavy downpours, was a dull affair, punctuated only by David Moran’s brilliant goal in the 15th minute and McCarron’s 12 minutes later.

Paul Murphy did rattle an early shot off a Monaghan post, but converted frees from McCarron and goalkeeper Rory Beggan edged Monaghan into an early lead.

A fine Kerry counter-attack ended with Moran crashing the ball past Beggan to give Kerry the lead and Tadhg Morley and James O’Donoghue (free) extended Kerry’s lead to 1-2 to 0-2 by the 24th minute.

Paul Geaney fluffed a great chance for a second Kerry goal when he blasted wide with just Beggan to beat, but Murphy and O’Donoghue (free) raised white flags to edge Kerry five clear.

Monaghan persisted with their patient, probing game and in the 27th minute they found the opening when McCarron finished the ball to the net after Brendan Kealy had saved smartly from Conor McManus’s low drive.

Kieran Hughes and Geaney (free) exchanged points to see Kerry lead 1-5 to 1-3 at the interval, but playing into a strong wind Monaghan would have been the happier side at the break.

O’Donoghue’s free put Kerry three clear, but Doogan’s goal cancelled out that lead and from there to the end it was a cagey affair. Kerry huffed and puffed, but struggled to find the openings and scores, while McCarron and McManus scored a brace each, and Kieran Hughes added a fifth to see Monaghan over the winning line.

Report: GAA.ie

Allianz Football League Roinn 2

Down 1-13 Meath 0-14

Down got a first win of substance in almost two years, leading from start to finish against Meath to collect a first victory in the Allianz Football League since April 2015.

Stung by criticism from inside and outside the county after losing to Clare last time out, which was a 14th straight defeat in League and Championship, Down played with an edge in Pairc Esler that has been absent recently.

Down were understandably nervous in the closing stages and needed fullback Gerard McGovern to deny Meath an equalising goal right at the death.

He deflected Donal Lenihan’s goal-bound shot over the bar in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Having lost 10 Allianz League games in a row, Down needed a bit of luck to go their way and they got it as early as the second minute from Darragh O’Hanlon’s dropping free – Joe Murphy reacting quickest to flick the ball into the net.

Donal Lenihan’s point got Meath on the scoreboard – but they went a whole 29 minutes without scoring again from play as Down took over.

Battling hard for each other, they won most of the kickouts and Barry O’Hagan scored two points.

Conor Maginn, Darragh O’Hanlon and Aidan Carr all scored from distance with Down growing in confidence.

Meath full-forward Brian Sheridan caused some problems early on, but their lack of cohesion saw attack after attack break down, and Down counter-attacked smartly.

Lenihan and James Toher converted Meath frees before Donal Keogan ended their long wait for a score from play in the 34th minute.

Ryan Johnston and Graham Reilly traded scores, but Down were well in control leading 1-8 to 0-6 at the break. Meath needed to make something happen, but couldn’t get anything going in the second half.

After his Sigerson Cup triumph with St Mary’s, Kevin McKernan made a big impact on his return for Down with strong running and two points.

The inclusion of Kilcoo duo Darragh O’Hanlon and Ryan Johnston from the start also made a difference. Meath hung in the game somehow, mostly through the accuracy of Donal Lenihan’s free-taking.

Down were a bag of nerves when Graham Reilly’s 70th minute effort left just a goal between the teams, but McGovern’s late intervention got them their first points in Division Two.

Report: GAA.ie

Derry 1-18 Kildare 1-17

Derry snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with an injury-time goal from Emmett McGuckin securing a precious first Allianz League win of the season.

In the second minute of stoppage time, McGuckin followed in Ryan Bell’s high ball into the square and the Derry forward fisted to the net.

It was the first dropped points of the season for Kildare after their wins over Meath and Cork, with just three points now separating top from bottom in a congested Divison Two.

James Kielt scored an impressive nine points, catching the strong wind perfectly in the second half to land some spectacular long-range scores.

With Daniel Flynn and Tommy Moolick influential early on, Kildare led by 1-10 to 0-8 at half time with eight different players on the scoresheet.

The sides were level four times in the opening quarter, but from six points each, the visitors stepped on the gas and hit 1-3 without reply in a lethal four-minute spell.

In what was his first League start, Chris Healy scored a great goal, taking Daniel Flynn’s pass across goal and side-stepping the ‘keeper to drill the ball into the top corner.

Derry, with just one league point on the board in Division Two, knew they had to win to avoid a relegation scrap and came out fighting after the break.

They reeled off seven points in a row inside 10 minutes to completely undo all Kildare’s first-half efforts. Kielt was the star of the show with four of them, one an incredible effort from 60m, while Carlus McWilliams and Niall Loughlin also used the wind advantage to send over long-range points.

Kildare rallied with Niall Kelly pulling the strings along with two second-half points. They drew level twice in an exciting last quarter and hit four unanswered points to briefly take the lead in the 67th minute through Neil Flynn and Fergal Conway points.

It looked like Derry’s challenge was fading after that strong second half, but there was still time for one moment of drama with McGuckin’s opportunism snatching it for the Oak Leafers.

Report: GAA.ie

Fermanagh 0-09 Cork 1-14

Allianz Football League Roinn 3