SCHOOL EDITION 29 MAY 2024 - Flipbook - Page 29
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ULSTER SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
SPORT
ANING BUSINESS
WEDNESDAY APRIL 26 2023
www.irishnews.com
29
ARMAGHRATINGS
7
7
7
6.5
7.5
8
6
6
6
6.5
6
6.5
ETHAN RAFFERTY Was reaching the Cavan 45-yard
line with his kickouts into the wind in the rst half. Safe
hands under the high ball. Nailed a 45 too.
CONOR O’NEILL Picked up Oisin Brady when he came
into range and, although he did score a point, O’Neill
restricted his impact. Got forward to score a point of
his own
AARON McKAY Had Gearoid McKiernan for company
for most of the rst half and James Smith for most of
the second. Dealt with them both. Safe hands late on
as Cavan pushed forward.
AIDAN FORKER Tracked Paddy Lynch who was
prepared to shoot from anywhere. Lynch did
manage four points from distance but never
got a sniff of goal.
GREG McCABE Emptied namesake Jonathan
to force a turnover in the rst half with a tackle
that was typical of his display. Dominated
Gerard Smith and got forward to score a point.
CIARAN MACKIN Alertness and bravery did the
spadework for Armagh’s crucial rst half goal. Mobile
and focussed, he won his duel against Jonathan
McCabe.
JARLY ÓG BURNS Late in the game grabbed a kickout
to ease the pressure on Armagh. Haven’t seen the best
of him yet this season.
BEN CREALEY Worked hard in mideld but Cavan
shaded the battle there. The Maghery midelder got
forward to thump in Armagh’s rst half goal and there
was no way back from there for the home side.
SHANE McPARTLAN A brilliant point in the rst half
from the left wing. In bravely to win a couple of breaks
in mideld.
STEFAN CAMPBELL A roving role around the
middle third. Up against Ciaran Brady and
carried the ball forward at pace. His driving
runs earned two rst half frees for his team.
JEMAR HALL Happy to sacrice personal gains for the
cause but should be more condent in possession.
Pacey and direct, he contributed a quality point.
Back in mideld, McKiernan
nally found his groove with
two points and Lynch added
another as Cavan began
to dominate the Armagh
kickouts and push the
Orchardmen into their own
half.
A goal chance was coming
and it did came when
Niall Carolan beat Stephen
Sheridan to an Armagh
kickout. Tiernan Madden
raced onto the ball and drove
for the Armagh posts, he
played a one-two and blasted
a shot to the far corner.
Cavan fans started to roar
in celebration but Armagh
voices drowned them out as
O’Neill threw himself across
goal to clear it off the line.
And they’ll tell you Armagh
don’t want to win the Ulster
Championship?
Don’t believe a word of it.
JASON DUFFY The mulleted Cullyhanna
forward is a determined competitor. Worked
tirelessly in the Orchard engineroom and
Cavan struggled to match his intensity. Hit the bar with one
scoring chance.
7
6
RORY GRUGAN One-two with Turbitt for Armagh’s
opener. Clipped over a free and sent Duffy through on
goal. Always tidy in possession and involved in several
other scores including the goal.
CONOR TURBITT See STAR MAN
SUBSTITUTES
7
RIAN O’NEILL Back with a bang after missing two games.
Brilliant goalline clearance to deny Tiernan Madden
denied Cavan a last hurrah.
SLIPPING AND SLIDING (left) Cavan’s Cian Madden and
Armagh’s Jamar Hall clash; (above) Armagh’s Conor O’Neill
gets to grips with Ciaran Brady
Picture: Philip Walsh
an is that they got going too late
It was so effective but just
too late. They didn’t deserve
anything from Saturday’s game.
Forget the wide count. It’s so
easy to get wrapped up in wides.
16-3 was the tally but both Mickey
Graham and Ciaran McKeever
rightly used the same phrase
afterwards – “potshots”.
Look where Cavan were
shooting from. Wings and corners
and sidelines and the far side of
the 45’. Not one of the 16 wides
was kicked from the scoring zone.
Armagh’s defensive forceeld
pushed them out and Cavan
never found ways to puncture it.
Is that 16 wides or 16 bad
ANDREW MURNIN Stationed at full-forward against
Killian Clarke. Scored a point after a swift break and a
turn on a sixpence. Maybe not fully t after injury.
decisions to shoot in the rst
place?
Switching Gearoid McKiernan
(below) into a permanent
mideld station helped
but the issue wasn’t
the tactical approach,
rather Cavan’s physical
and mental deciencies
in that rst half.
Even the fact it was
Paul Faloon refereeing.
No referee in Ulster allows
the game to ow better,
allows for more physicality in
the tackle. Armagh played to the
line perfectly. Cavan couldn’t
even see the line in the rst half,
they were that far back from it.
The energy levels they brought
to the early part of the second
period and its nish were
what they should have
had for 80 minutes, but
they were nowhere
near it.
Armagh
brought
their performance for
long enough that they
didn’t need it. They
always had the gears in
them to get out of Breffni,
even if Rian O’Neill hadn’t
put his practice in goals to good
use. Ciaran McKeever revealed
afterwards that he goes in goal
before training every night and
throws himself at penalties.
Compared to Ballybofey 12
months ago, the shoe was on
the right foot for them. Conor
Turbitt had the run of the place.
Andy Murnin pulled Killian Clarke
everywhere. Everything went
through those two in the rst half.
O’Neill
played
almost
exclusively at full-forward when
he came on, until things got halftight and he hadn’t seen a ball for
a while so came out around the
middle to help.
Forget the wides. Cavan paid
the price of not having a proper
cut at it.
5
5
5
AIDAN NUGENT Replaced Murnin for the closing stages.
Penalised for an illegal handpass.
STEPHEN SHERIDAN On for Crealey after an hour.
Couldn’t break Cavan’s stranglehold on mideld.
CALUM CUMISKEY In for Duffy for nal ve minutes.
CIARAN HIGGINS Not on long enough to be rated
STAR MAN
9
CONOR TURBITT Cavan were
well warned but they could do
nothing with him. Genuinely
two-footed, the Clann Eireann now
has 15 Ulster Championship points
to his credit after seven more at
Kingspan Breffni and he is growing in
stature with every game. Applies the
nishing touch after hard work of his
team-mates. Hard to pick out his top
score, but his second half point when
he glided in from the left wing was
probably the best of the lot.
COMPILED BY ANDY WATTERS