Derry 0-11 Tyrone 0-20
Tyrone eased to a nine-point win over Derry at Celtic Park in this year’s McKenna Cup opener at Celtic Park.
Darren McCurry top-scored for the winners with five points, including four from play, while the recalled Kyle Coney took the man-of-the-match award.
The Division One side, despite their dominance in territory and possession, could only boast a two-point advantage at the break, leading 0-9 to 0-7.
Kyle Coney was the hub of most of Tyrone’s attacks after the break but they could count as many as 11 contributors to the scoreboard. The hosts endured a miserable second half, before a debut point from young Darragh Canavan and a second from Cathal McShane wrapped up Tyrone’s victory.
DERRY: O Hartin; SF Quinn, C Mulholland, E Concannon; G McKinless (0-1), E McGill (0-1), R Dougan; E Bradley (0-2), P Cassidy; C McFaul (0-1), C Bradley, P Coney; J Rocks, R Bell (0-3), E Lynn (0-2).
Subs: P McNeill for C Mulholland (42 mins), P McGrogan for G McKinless (47), B McCarron (0-1) for SF Quinn (53).
TYRONE: N Morgan (0-2); L Rafferty, R Brennan, C Meyler; T McCann, A McCrory, B McDonnell (0-2); C Grugan (0-1), B Kennedy; N Sludden (0-2), K Coney (0-1), C McShane (0-2); D McCurry (0-5, one free) , D Mulgrew (0-2), R Sludden (0-1).
Subs: D Canavan (0-1) for T McCann, M Murnaghan for D Mulgrew (both 45 mins), R McNamee for B Kennedy (52), R O'Neill (0-1) for D McCurry (59) , D McClure for C Grugan (62).
Referee: Paul Faloon (Down).
Offaly 0-11 Kildare 1-20
Kildare showed some encouraging early season form as they enjoyed a routine win over an experimental Offaly in the O’Byrne Cup at Faithful Fields, Kilcormac.
Kildare’s 1-20 to 0-11 win was achieved pulling up after they tore Offaly asunder in the first half.
Playing some fine attacking football, Kildare were full value for their 1-14 to 0-4 interval lead with Pádraig Fogarty getting the goal just before half-time.
There was no way back for John Maughan’s Offaly from there but they did improve in the second half, though Kildare running in a spate of subs was a factor in this.
Ballyteague’s Jimmy Hyland, who starred in Kildare’s march to the under-20 All-Ireland last year, impressed scoring six points, including three from play.
OFFALY: B Rohan; D Hogan, D Dempsey, E Rigney; C Donohue, P McConway, J O'Connor; C Mangan, A Leavy; N Bracken, A Sullivan (0-1), R McNamee; B Allen (0-3, two frees), J Moloney (0-3), S Tierney (0-4, two frees).
Subs: M Abbot, D Fleming, K Higgins, C Carroll, PJ Daly, R McNamee.
KILDARE: M Donnellan; J O'Toole, M Barrett, DJ Earley; J Gibbons, K Cribbin, J Murray; P Cribbin, T Moolick; A Tyrrell (0-2, one free), P Nash (0-2, one free), E O'Flaherty (0-3); J Hyland (0-6, three frees), B McCormack (0-2), P Fogarty (1-2, one 45).
Subs: D Malone (0-1), F Dowling (0-1), D Slattery (0-1), N Flynn, P Connell, B McLoughlin.
Referee: M Deegan (Laois).
Wexford 2-13 Laois 1-11
Wexford continued their impressive start in the O’Byrne Cup with a thoroughly deserved five-point victory over Laois at Enniscorthy.
Paul McLoughlin’s side overcame a slow start to go on and dominate the second half.
Laois were 0-5 to 0-3 in front after 20 minutes with Colm Murphy and Evan O’Carroll their main marksmen, but with Paul Curtis and Jonathan Bealin keeping the home side in touch, a Robert Frayne 34th-minute goal gave Wexford a 1-5 to 0-5 interval lead.
Laois trailed by just a point, 1-7 to 0-9, at the end of the third quarter but a fine Niall Hughes goal 10 minutes from time extended Wexford’s lead before Michael Keogh grabbed a late goal for Laois.
WEXFORD: C Swaine; M Furlong, G Sheehan, C Carty; G Malone, S Doyle, M O'Connor; B O'Connor (0-2), N Hughes (1-0); C Devitt, J Bealin (0-3, two frees), R Frayne (1-0); P Curtis (0-2), K O'Grady (0-3), D Shannon.
Subs: T Rossiter for Carty (h/t); J Tubritt (0-2) for Frayne (50 mins); B Brosnan (0-1) for Shannon (55); E Nolan for Malone (67); D Pepper for Devitt (63).
LAOIS: E Keogh; RC Fennell, D Booth, J Kelly; S Nerney, C Begley, F Crowley (0-1); K Meaney, R Bracken; D O'Reilly, E Lowry, M Scully; E Lowry (0-2, two frees), C Murphy (0-5, three frees), E O'Carroll (0-3, one free).
Subs: E Buggy for Kelly; S Attride for E Lowry (both h/t); E Dunne for Meaney (43 mins); M Barry for Bracken (48); R Piggott for Crowley (49); M Keogh (1-0) for O'Reilly (50); R Hitchcock for Fennell (56). Referee: J Hickey (Carlow).
Kerry 0-11 Limerick 4-14
All-Ireland champions Limerick proved far too strong for a young Kerry side in difficult wet conditions at Austin Stack Park.
Goals proved the difference between the sides and Kerry gifted Limerick two goals inside the opening three minutes, the first one only after 15 seconds through David Reidy and two minutes later Oisín O’Reilly found the Kerry net.
Kerry rallied and fired over four unanswered points from Michael O’Leary (two), Shane Conway and Jordan Conway to cut the deficit to 2-4 to 0-6 at the interval.
Limerick lost David Reidy to a shoulder injury just before half-time. Within 13 seconds of the restart Graeme Mulcahy slipped in for a third goal and impressive Barry Murphy added the fourth.
KERRY: M Stackpoole; S Weir, B Murphy, E Leen; J Diggins (0-1), M Boyle, P Kelly; D Griffin, B Barrett; J Conway (0-1), M O'Leary (0-2), M Leane; J Goulding, S Conway (0-4, three frees), D Goggin.
Subs: J O'Connor for Leen (h/t), P Boyle (0-3, two frees) for Goggin, M Slattery for Kelly (both 48 mins), N O'Mahony for D Griffin (54), E Murphy for Leen (66).
LIMERICK: B Hennessy; W O'Meara, S Finn, L Lyons; D Byrnes (0-1), D Morrissey, P O'Loughlin; R Hanley, C Ryan (0-2, one free); G Hegarty (0-3, one s/l), D Reidy (1-0), T Morrissey (0-1); B Murphy (1-6, three frees), S Flanagan, O O'Reilly (1-1).
Subs: G Mulcahy (1-0) for Reidy (35 mins), A Costello for Lyons (48), R Connolly for O'Meara (53).
Referee: C Lyons (Cork).
