Roscommon 0-20 Cavan 0-22
Cavan ensured that the second promotion berth from Division Two is very much up for grabs after shocking Roscommon at Dr Hyde Park.
With Monaghan all but assured of an immediate return to Division One, Cavan brought their promotion push to the final day with a thoroughly deserved success.
Raymond Galligan’s side trailed by two points at the break, having missed two clearcut goal chances.
But they recovered from a four-point deficit early in the second half to turn the game on its head and take Roscommon’s hopes of returning to top-flight football out of their own hands.
Cavan were arguably the better team during the opening 35 minutes, despite trailing at the break.
They missed two glaring goal chances as Barry Donnelly blazed wide with the goal at his mercy and Gearóid McKiernan brought a great save out of Roscommon goalkeeper Conor Carroll.
Enda Smith and Dara McVeety swapped the opening two scores of the contest before points from Ultan Harney and Cian McKeon edged the Rossies 0-3 to 0-1 ahead.
A Conor Cox two-pointer from play stretched the home side’s lead further but it wasn’t long before Cavan, through a combination of their midfield dominance and turnovers, wrestled back the initiative.
Cormac O’Reilly hit two points in quick succession but Conor Hand responded for Roscommon with a perfectly-executed two-point free off the ground.
Cavan weren’t discouraged, though, and frees from Gearóid McKiernan and Cian Madden alongside points from play by substitute Seán McEvoy, McKiernan (free) and O’Reilly edged the Breffni men 0-8 to 0-7 ahead after 27 minutes.
But Roscommon were more efficient in the lead-up to half-time. McKeon and Jason Smith swapped points before a 45 from Hand and a Ciaráin Murtagh score just before the hooter left Davy Burke’s side 0-11 to 0-9 ahead at the change of ends.
A free from an acute angle by McKiernan on the resumption left the bare minimum between them but a Ciaráin Murtagh point was followed by two Cox frees after referee Seán Hurson brought the ball forward 50 metres twice when Eddie Nolan was prevented from going forward after claiming possession in the middle of the field.
But Roscommon couldn’t push on from there. McKiernan tagged on a free before a couple of two-pointers in quick succession from Dara McVeety and McKiernan, from a monstrous free, edged Cavan in front.
A brilliant individual point from Hand brought the sides level as the nip and tuck nature of the contest continued.
But Roscommon continued to play in fits and starts as Cavan looked more fluent in attack.
O’Reilly landed his fourth point of the afternoon before Madden, McEvoy and Donnelly kept the scoreboard ticking over.
Ciaráin Murtagh missed a goal chance for the hosts, palming Shane Cunnane’s pass off the crossbar.
Diarmuid Murtagh marked his introduction with a point, while Enda Smith and Ciaráin Murtagh (free) kept their side in touch.
McVeety and McEvoy pushed Cavan three points ahead, and even though Diarmuid Murtagh pared back the deficit to two points from a free, there wasn’t enough time for Roscommon to make further inroads as Cavan held on for one of their best league results in years to ensure an exciting conclusion to Division Two next weekend.
ROSCOMMON: C Carroll; R Fallon, J McManus, N Higgins; S Cunnane, D Murray, R Dolan; E Smith (0-0-2), E Nolan; C Murtagh (0-0-3, 1f), U Harney (0-0-1), C Hand (0-1-2, 1 tpf, 1 45); B O’Carroll, C McKeon (0-0-3), C Cox (0-1-2, 2f).
Subs: S Killoran for Harney (temp, 10-23 mins); C Neary for Dolan (35); D Murtagh (0-0-3, 2f) for Cox, K Doyle for Harney (both 48); D Cregg for McKeon (63); D Ruane for Cunnane (68).
CAVAN: G O’Rourke; N Carolan, B O’Connell, C Reilly; P Faulkner, C Brady, L Fortune; J Smith (0-0-1), G Smith; O Brady, B Donnelly (0-0-1), D McVeety (0-1-2); C Madden (0-0-3, 2f), G McKiernan (0-1-4, 1 tpf 4f), C O’Reilly (0-0-4).
Subs: S McEvoy (0-0-3) for O Brady (13 mins); R O’Neill for McVeety (temp, 26-28); E Crowe for Fortune (49); T E Donohoe for O’Reilly (55); R O’Neill for Smith (57).
Referee: S Hurson (Tyrone).
Cork 1-23 Louth 0-18
Cork found their shooting boots to boost their Division Two survival odds and take a step closer to securing Sam Maguire football at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Colm O’Callaghan bagged a second-half goal while Brian O’Driscoll and Mark Cronin each slotted a pair of two-pointers to leapfrog Louth with an eight-point victory.
Having trailed by 15 points, Sam Mulroy kicked five two-pointers (four from play) to lessen the damage to their score difference. The Wee County raised as many orange flags as white (six each) across the afternoon.
Backed by the wind, the Rebels showed their intent to target two-pointers, beginning with an early O’Driscoll double. Chris Óg Jones and Rory Maguire added scores for a four-point head start.
A dubious umpire’s call denied Jones their fifth and Louth countered to get off the mark through Mulroy’s two-point free.
O’Driscoll nailed his second two-pointer from play before Seán Reynolds’ response. Cork would score nine of the final 10 points from there to the break.
Cronin punished a Louth breach of the 4v3 structure with a two-point free and the corner-forward would later add another when Tommy Durnin didn’t hand the ball back after a foul.
Cronin tagged on a further point on the counter after Seán Brady blocked a Tom Jackson shot on goal. The Nemo Rangers danger man was then denied a goal by Niall McDonnell’s save but play was called back for him to tap over an advanced mark.
A free from returning captain Brian Hurley made it a six-point streak and 0-15 to 0-4 at half-time.
Mulroy’s positioning at centre-forward would become more impactful with the wind as he charged on to the ball to launch an outside-of-the-boot missile from the 45.
Cork quelled any comeback hopes with the next 1-3 for a 15-point lead. O’Callaghan slotted the first point and stitched the 43rd-minute goal after combining with midfield partner Ian Maguire.
Half-time substitute Ciarán Downey kicked a two-pointer and Mulroy notched three more sublime strikes from outside the arc but they could never close within eight points.
CORK: P Doyle; N Lordan, D O’Mahony, S Brady; M Taylor (0-0-1), R Maguire (0-0-2), B O’Driscoll (0-2-0); I Maguire (0-0-1), C O’Callaghan (1-0-1); P Walsh, E McSweeney, S McDonnell; M Cronin (0-2-4, 2 tpf, 1f, 1m), B Hurley (0-0-1, f), C Óg Jones (0-0-3).
Subs: S Walsh for O’Callaghan (1-5 mins, temp); R Deane for McDonnell (43); C O’Mahony (0-0-2) for Hurley (53); C Cahalane for McSweeney (58); S Walsh for I Maguire (65, inj); H O’Connor for Cronin (65).
LOUTH: N McDonnell; D McKenny, D Campbell, D Nally; L Gray, P Lynch, C McKeever; T Durnin, P Matthews; D McDonnell, S Mulroy (0-5-1, 1 tpf, 1f), A McDonnell (0-0-2); T Jackson, S Reynolds (0-0-1), R Burns.
Subs: C Downey (0-1-0) for Reynolds (h-t); E Carolan for Gray (h-t); D McKeown (0-0-1) for Jackson (42 mins); F Malone for D McDonnell (46); C Brannigan (0-0-1) for Burns (64).
Referee: T Murphy (Galway).
