Dublin 2-19; Roscommon 0-13
The scoreline makes it look like a Dublin stroll in the park but really it was only once the goals started going in well into the second-half that the All-Ireland champions could relax before 15,000 at Croke Park on Saturday evening.
Yes Dublin were always going to win this game but the 12-point margin is a bit unfair on Davy Burke’s men. Once again Con O’Callaghan was the chief architect of the win, nabbing 1-4 as he expertly led an attack, which appears to be improving. Certainly Colm Basquel finding the net will do his confidence no harm as the Ballyboden St Enda’s man has failed so far to find the form that made him an All Star in the 2022-23 series.
Dublin ended the day with 11 scores from all over the park including defense where Cian Murphy got forward to register a score while playing superbly in his primary role as well.
Roscommon managed a draw with the Dubs at this same stage last year, and had high hopes of keeping it a close game until the Metropolitan outfit hit the afterburners by scoring 2-4 without reply in the closing quarter.
If the Rossies can play as they did for the first hour they will give Mayo a right run for their money at Dr Hyde Park in Round 2 next Saturday. Burke knows that already it’s win or bust for his charges.
Donegal 0-21; Tyrone 0-14
Donegal are scything through opponents as if there will only be one outcome to their journey – a presentation of Sam Maguire on the Hogan Stand.
Having won Ulster, they seem to have got better as the All-Ireland series swung into gear at the weekend. Where a month ago they needed extra-time to take out Tyrone in the provincial semi-final, this time they have seven points to spare at MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey on Saturday.
From early doors it was evident that Donegal were able to punch holes in the Red Hand defense in the way they ran at them. While Tyrone managed to keep on their tails in the first half which ended with the winners only a point to the good (0-10 to 0-9), it was inevitable that their superior work-rate would see the losers begin to wilt the longer the game went on.
Ciaran Thompson had a gilt-edge chance for a goal before the break but his shot inched wide when a green flag looked inevitable. As it transpired there would be no goals from either side in a match which saw Tyrone give their all but unable to match the superior McGuinness coaching.
Once Ryan McHugh got the first score of the second half and Oisin Gallen added to it, they began to stretch their legs and despite putting everything into, Tyrone slipped off the pass and were soon four lengths behind.
Niall Morgan pointed from a 45m free after great work by Darragh Canavan but the margin was out to four for the first time in the game when Gallen (free) and McGee found the range.
Donegal kept the front-running exploits and slowly grew the length with the likes of Peadar Mogan and Odhran keeping the scoreboard ticking over to the end.
Louth 3-10; Meath 0-9
It has taken Louth a year shy of half a century to beat chief rivals and neighbors Meath in a championship game and at this home game for the Wee County played in Grattan Park Inniskeen, Co Monaghan, there were scenes of celebration following this 10-point victory reminiscent of a team winning something very tangible like a provincial or All Ireland crown.
In fact, all this game had riding on it were points for an All-Ireland SFC round-robin clash, but when your last big days were in the late 1950s and when you still harbor resent over that Leinster Final “robbery” of 2010, well, you can understand why such a win meant a lot more than usual to fans of the team in red.
Colm O’Rourke’s Meath had started the better and you wondered if Ger Brennan’s great exploits in keeping Dublin’s winning margin to four points in the Leinster Final would be followed by another loss at a lower level.
Once defender Craig Lennon lashed home a brace of goals and inevitably Sam Mulroy weighed in with the first green flag, the jig was up for those in the Royal County colors.
And there is no doubt that Brennan’s brigade were worthy not just of the victory but of the margin of victory. Indeed, and this doesn’t happen too often, but you felt a little sorry for the losers who had little to offer against a plainly superior outfit.
The first months succeeding the legendary Mickey Harte after he jumped ship to Derry were tough both for the panel and the new management until they secured their league status before embarking on the provincial series.
Putting good back-to-back performances is the toughest part of the deal for a team like Louth trying to improve their standing and there is no doubt that will be further tested next weekend when they go back to county Monaghan to play away in Clones against the Farneymen.
Trailing 3-5 to 0-5 at the interval, you half expected a Meath rally on the changeover but it wasn’t to be. These are indeed tough times in the Royal County with the only link to the feel-good times of the Boylan era the fact that the octogenarian still has a backroom involvement with O’Rourke.
Armagh 0-16; Westmeath 0-11
This was a perfunctory victory for the Orchard at the Athletic Grounds as they got their All-Ireland SFC campaign off on a positive footing with two points in the bag despite the loss of injured talisman Rian O’Neill.
Westmeath looked rusty following their seven week lay-off since sensationally losing to Wicklow in the Leinster championship while Armagh needed and managed to get their Ulster Final penalty shootout loss out of their system against Donegal less than two weeks previous.
It had been seven weeks since Westmeath’s last competitive game, whereas Armagh needed to lift themselves after the Ulster Final penalty shootout defeat to Donegal, less than a fortnight ago.
Inevitably neither side were able to hit the ground running but once the changeover occurred, Armagh kicked on and won relatively easily in the end.
Westmeath face high-riding Galway at home in Mullingar next Sunday while Armagh have an away day in Derry on Saturday evening.
GAA Football Results
All Ireland Round Robin series
Armagh 0-16; Westmeath 0-11
Dublin 2-19; Roscommon 0-13
Donegal 0-21; Tyrone 0-14
Louth 3-10; Meath 0-9
