Gaelic Games

Tailteann Cup round-up: Down into knockout stages after big win over Tipp

Offaly snatch unlikely draw against Laois, Meath beat Waterford with ease after strong second half

Down’s Gerard Collins in action during his team's win over Tipperary. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho

Kevin Egan
Sat May 20 2023 - 22:33

Down ensured their progression to the Tailteann Cup knockout stages by hammering Tipperary in the first part of a Semple Stadium double-header on Sunday.

Second-half goals from Shealan Johnston and Odhrán Murdock were the emphatic Mourne response to a home penalty that Kevin Fahey fired high and wide.

Down can aim for a bye to a home quarter-final, while Tipperary’s qualification prospects are badly hampered by a scoring difference of minus 29. Down had an early goal chance when Ryan Johnston stepped inside the cover but Jimmy Feehan got back to block at the far stick.

Their first from play came in the 21st minute, a Havern missile launched over the cover, and came at the midway mark of a seven-point run as Tipp went 30 minutes without a score. Tipp got their lifeline in the 40th minute when Seán O’Connor was hauled down for a penalty but after Fahey’s miss, Tipp’s woes were doubled.

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A Mark Russell mark was overturned by referee Thomas Murphy and their protests had hardly stopped when Shealan Johnston cut inside to find the net. That made it 1-11 to 0-5 and from there it was a matter of how big the score-difference deficit would become. Murdock goaled and it could’ve been more as Ryan Johnston palmed onto the crossbar.

Meanwhile on Saturday there was great drama in Portlaoise, where Offaly pillaged 1-3 without reply from the 68th minute onwards to snatch an unlikely 1-11 each draw with Laois at O’Moore Park.

The home side were more physical, more powerful and utterly dominant up to that point, while they took full advantage of a lucky break when Offaly goalkeeper Ian Duffy spilled a long ball and Kieran Lillis was on hand to poke the ball to the net to make it 1-8 to 0-5 at half-time.

Two Dyland Hyland points immediately after the restart roused the 2,500 crowd, but what followed was a very poor half-hour of action, with just four points added. Niall Corbet’s point looked like the insurance score, but a scrambled Joe Maher goal and two outstanding Nigel Bracken points left it level at the end.

In the same group, a goal from Liam Gallagher meant that London trailed by just one point at half-time in Ruislip, but a wind-assisted Cavan side powered on from there to win by 0-18 to 2-6, with Paddy Lynch (0-7), Gearóid McKiernan (0-3) and James Smith (0-2) scoring well.

Limerick look like the form side after they put in a very strong showing away to Carlow, prevailing by 1-19 to 0-14. They allowed Carlow to score five points in succession to level at half-time, but once Paul Maher goaled at the start of the second half, they never looked back, holding Carlow to two second half points up to the 66th minute.

Longford bounced back well from their defeat to Limerick in round one, with Joe Hagan and Dylan Farrell finding the net in the first half to ensure a 2-11 to 1-3 interval lead against Wicklow. A second goal from Hagan pushed them 14 points clear midway through the second half, and they eased off from there to win by 3-17 to 2-9.

Antrim were strong in the second half of their clash with Wexford and came from 0-11 to 0-9 behind to win by 2-15 to 0-4 in Wexford Park, where two goals in three minutes from Rúairí McCann turned the tide.

Fermanagh compounded Leitrim’s woes with a 1-19 to 2-7 win at Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada where Ryan Lyons added five points to his first half goal, and it was plain sailing for Meath in Fraher Field, as they beat Waterford by 3-17 to 1-14. The Déise were only two points adrift at half time but second half goals from Matthew Costello, Jordan Morris (penalty) and Donal Lenihan ensured a comfortable win for Colm O’Rourke’s side.

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