McKenna Cup 2024

[ck]

Sounds like a great game. Fair play to both teams for going out and going at it at that level in January!
Did PO'R get any stick?

[mylestheslasher]

Derry 1-12 cavan 1-10. Final score. Derry were 8 pts up at half time with strong wind

[winsamsoon]

What sort of team had down out?

[lawnseed]

a few games like that armagh/down game are what the mckenna cup needs

[I SHOT JR]

Good win for Armagh and a healthy scoring return too.  Any word on who scored the goals?

[The GAA]

Both defences were brutal and both forward lines were v impressive.

down goals were scored by sheerin and coulter x2 - armagh's by mallon and a duffy.

Grugan and o'rourke impressive for armagh in the half forward line. toner completely decimated at full back.

While its good to see younger lads coming through i couldn't help but feel very sorry for young mckenna tonight. the lad obviously isn't ready for this step up and i think his development will be irreversibly harmed by getting roastings like this.

plenty of attacking football tonight and no covering especially for the purists!

[armagho9]

Both defences were brutal and both forward lines were v impressive.

down goals were scored by sheerin and coulter x2 - armagh's by mallon and a duffy.

Grugan and o'rourke impressive for armagh in the half forward line. toner completely decimated at full back.

While its good to see younger lads coming through i couldn't help but feel very sorry for young mckenna tonight. the lad obviously isn't ready for this step up and i think his development will be irreversibly harmed by getting roastings like this.

plenty of attacking football tonight and no covering especially for the purists!

was not there but i was told Shorty Clarke got a goal.  I heard Toner was roasted, Lavery very poor, Grugan very good.  heard McKenna was good but so was Carr who he was marking. heard Dyas was good as well

[The GAA]

shorty didn't score a goal - twas anto duffy.

McKenna was v v poor.

[whitegoodman]

both teams werent anywere near there first 15 so wouldnt judge the game too much, it was more like an under 16 match at times, u have the ball and try and score and then we will have the ball and try and score.

As the scoreline suggests both defences were destroyed, rony murtagh and Aidan Carr destroyed McKenna and Toner and every armagh forward destroyed every down defender with michael o rourke particularly impressive.  Brian Mallon had an impressive first half too.

Massive crowd for a mckenna cup match but £9 in is a disgrace.

[Abble]

some comments posted

"the lad obviously isn't ready for this step up and i think his development will be irreversibly harmed by getting roastings like this."
"McKenna was v v poor."

you'd know a lot about it i'd say. v useful that kind of stuff. thats our all-ireland minor winning captain there you're talking about, so i'd just hold back a wee bit and maybe show a bit of respect. all i would add is i mind going to watch a young kieran mcgeeney line out at corner forward after a bad performance or two in defence, how did he end up ?

mckenna has it all ahead of him

[David McKeown]

Thought the quality and entertainment level tonight were both excellent considering its the first game of the season and conditions were far from ideal.  As noted both defences weren't great although all mistakes particularly Armaghs were punished with an efficiency you wouldn't normally see at this time of the year which may have made them look worse than they actually were.  That said Toner was cleaned out by Coulter in particular.  I thought James Lavery was very very poor the first 60 minutes too which allowed Down to control midfield.  Padden played very well when he came in which allowed Armagh back in to the game and seem to give Lavery a new lease of life.

I wouldn't be as critical of Declan McKenna as some on here as I thought he was ok for his debut and did spend a lot of time marking Martin Clarke who seemed a level above everyone else on the pitch.  That said he looked a little slow for this level

As for the match itself, it fairly ebbed and flowed with Armagh 7 points up after 25 minutes and and 5 points down with 20 minutes to go.  Clarke went off injured with about 10 minutes or so to go and I felt that was the major factor in allowing Armagh to win.

Best for Armagh was probably Vernon and O Rourke

[superblues]

he was only stating the obvious he was very poor and just because he is your all ireland minor captain does not mean anything down had an all ireland minor winning captain came on he is now 30 and that still remains his best moment nothing is guaranteed

[never kickt a ball]

Armagh and Antrim open with wins

Armagh defeated Down by a single point and Antrim proved too good for St Mary's in the opening fixtures in Section C of the Barrett McKenna Cup. At Pairc Esler, Benny Coulter bagged two goals for Down, but it wasn't enough as Armagh claimed a slender 2-15 to 3-11 win. Former Mayo footballer Billy Joe Padden made a second half appearance as a substitute for the Orchard County. Antrim saw off St Mary's 2-12 to 0-9 at Casement Park. Despite the close nature of the full-time score-line at Pairc Esler, Armagh burst out of the blocks to claim an early 0-8 to 0-1 advantage. Rory Grugan bagged three first half points for the Orchard County, with Brian Mallon, Colm Watters and Joe Feeney also among their scorers.
However, beaten All-Ireland finalists Down launched a stern comeback before the break. Peter Fitzpatrick claimed the only goal of the first half, while Conor Maginn, Coulter and Ronan Murtagh claimed points to tie the contest at 1-6 to 0-9 at the interval. The game continued to be a tight affair on the restart with both sides claiming third quarter goals.
Coulter was on target for Down's second 'major' while Brian Mallon claimed the Armagh goal, with Down leading by 2-11 to 1-10 with 15 minutes remaining. Goals continued to flow freely in the second half, with Benny Coulter bagging his second goal for the hosts. However, Armagh held out at the death with Anthony Duffy claiming a late goal. Goals in either half were vital as Antrim claimed a 2-12 to 0-9 win in the Dr McKenna Cup at a rain swept Casement Park.
Liam Bradley's charges were in superb form throughout and led by 1-7 to 0-2 at half-time, with Dean O'Neill netting a 32nd minute goal. The Naomh Enda half-forward bagged the vital three-pointer after winning possession from a kick-out, setting off on a solo run and slotting the ball to the net from 21 metres.
The Saffrons made a pacey start with five of their forwards on target before the break, with Paddy Cunningham, Conor McGourty, Mark Sweeney and Terry O'Neill also claiming first half scores. Ciaran Campbell and Benny Herron kept St Mary's in touch, and the teaching college dug deep on the restart. Paddy Tally's side claimed the first two points of the second half with Tyrone's Kevin Mossey and Mark McKenna on target. A Paddy Cunningham score gave Antrim a 1-7 to 0-4 lead in the 41st minute, but St Mary's continued to lay down a marker. Midfielder McKenna claimed his second point of the half, before substitute Oisin Mac Iomhair slotted over a free to leave the score at 1-7 to 0-6 as the game entered the final quarter. The teams swapped points, before a third point from McGourty extended the hosts lead to five points. St Mary's continued to press hard, but a late Antrim goal after the students goalkeeper Ronan McAnenly messed up a dipping Kevin Niblock shot sealed the issue late on.

Barrett McKenna Cup

Section A

Donegal 0-14 0-10 UUJ

Section B

Monaghan 0-9 0-13 Queen's

Cavan 1-10 1-12 Derry

Section C

Down 3-11 2-15 Armagh

Antrim 2-12 0-09 St Mary's
Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/9363118.stm

Published: 2011/01/15 20:47:37 GMT

© BBC 2011

[Abble]

he was only stating the obvious he was very poor and just because he is your all ireland minor captain does not mean anything down had an all ireland minor winning captain came on he is now 30 and that still remains his best moment nothing is guaranteed

read back, as if it wasnt bad enough his first comment, then he has to get back on and add more 20 mins later with another insightful remark, like fek sakes, come on now. i dont mind some fair criticism but thats pure tripe.

[never kickt a ball]

Queen's and Derry take victories

Queen's University proved too strong for Monaghan in their Barrett Dr McKenna Cup Section B opener at Clones. Both sides finished with 14 men in a highly competitive encounter as Queen's University took a 0-13 to 0-9 win. Derry enjoyed a slender 1-12 to 1-10 advantage over Cavan in their game at Breffni Park on Saturday night. John Brennan's charges led by 0-11 to 0-3 at half-time with all of the Oak Leafers scores coming from open play. Michael Brennan grabbed a late goal. Monaghan were dealt a major blow with the dismissal of Francis Caulfield in the first half and Queen's upped a gear to lead by two points at the interval at Clones on Saturday afternoon. Substitute Joe Ireland was sent-off in the second period but the students held on to get off to a winning start. Cathal O'Rourke's charges were met with a determined Monaghan challenge, as the students edged a 0-5 to 0-3 score-line at half-time, with Tyrone's Niall McKenna and Derry's Charlie Kielt prominent. Monaghan matched the visitors well early on and led by 0-2 to 0-1 following points from Paul Finlay and Martin McElroy after 12 minutes. Midfielder Caulfield received a second yellow card for a mistimed tackle on Kielt in the 13th minute.
After the break, McKenna and Kielt were among the scorers as Queen's built up a 0-10 to 0-4 lead within 14 minutes of the restart. Ireland received a straight red card following a dangerous tackle towards the end of the third quarter, but despite his dismissal and goal chances for Monaghan duo Eoghan Duffy and Keith Hill, Queen's held out for victory. Visitors Derry got their McKenna Cup campaign off to an impressive start thanks to a 1-12 to 1-10 win over Cavan. John Brennan's charges led by 0-11 to 0-3 at half-time with all of the Oak Leafers scores coming from open play.
Conleth Gilligan led the charge with five well taken points from play in the opening half, with Paddy Bradley claiming two points inside the opening 35 minutes. Derry were dominant in all sectors in the opening period, with James Kielt particularly impressive at midfield. Cavan were dealt a major blow midway through the half as they lost their goalkeeper James Reilly through injury and he was replaced by David Ward. Derry continued to perform strongly on the restart, but Cavan dug deep in the closing stages, holding the visitors to just 1-1 in the second half. A late Michael Brennan goal put Cavan back into the frame with Derry holding a late 1-12 to 1-9 lead. However, Derry held out to register their first win of 2011.

Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/9363087.stm
Published: 2011/01/15 19:36:12 GMT
© BBC 2011