Ulster get second-half wind in sails

Interprovincial Football Championship / Ulster 2-13 Munster 0-9: Rampant Ulster tore Munster to shreds in the second half  to set up a repeat of last year's M Donnelly Interprovincial final.

Skipper Steven McDonnell led the charge with a wonderful display of vision, creativity and finishing, but that was just part of the story. Brian McEniff's side performed with a passion that belied the dwindling popularity of the competition.

A healthy crowd of around 2,500 turned up at St Oliver Plunkett Park, Crossmaglen, to witness an entertaining display of attacking football, and a 15-point turnaround, the hosts hitting 2-10 and conceding just a point in the second half.

Munster struggled to exploit the strong wind, Declan Browne their only threat up front in the opening 20 minutes. The holders, with Dick Clerkin an effective ball winner, were dangerous on the breakaway, responding to Browne's early points with scores from Paddy Bradley and McDonnell.

But the strike pair were largely starved of quality possession by the dominance of the Munster midfielders Nicholas Murphy and John Galvin and the industry of centre forward Conor McCarthy.

The sides were locked on 0-3 each after the opening quarter, but Munster then began to benefit from territorial advantage, reeling off five points without reply, and allowing themselves the luxury of a missed penalty. Browne's kick sent James Reilly the wrong way but came back off a post.

Munster maintained the pressure, and scores from McCarthy, Browne and Galvin put them 0-8 to 0-3 ahead by half-time. The half ended in acrimony, however, Ulster's Enda McNulty and Munster's Kieran Donaghy, the two involved in the penalty incident, red-carded after a brief melee.

Ulster roared into action on the restart, drawing level by the 12th minute. They then struck two goals in the space of five minutes. First McDonnell flicked Paul Finlay's driven free kick past Paul Fitzgerald, and, on 55 minutes, Paddy Bradley blasted another.

It was easy from there to the finish for Ulster, their lethal inside-forward line finishing with a combined total of 2-10, great scores coming from Finlay, Bradley and the superb McDonnell.

ULSTER: J Reilly; K McGuckin, K McCloy, E McNulty; A Forde, A O'Rourke, A Mallon; D Gordon (0-1), M McGrath; D Clerkin, C Toye (0-1), P Finlay (0-1); T Freeman (0-3), P Bradley (1-4, 2 frees), S McDonnell (1-3). Subs: L Doyle for Toye, R Mellon for Clerkin, N Gallagher for McGrath, D Diver for Forde, C Holmes for Gordon.

MUNSTER: P Fitzgerald; N Curran, M McCarthy, N Geary; T Stack, A O'Mahony, K O'Connor; N Murphy, J Galvin (0-2); J Masters, C McCarthy (0-2), P Kelly; D Browne (0-4), K Donaghy, R Donnelly. Subs: C Fitzgerald (0-1) for Donnelly, D Duggan for Curran, G Hurney for Browne, F Gould for Masters.

Referee: P Fox (Westmeath).