DONEGAL 1-16
ARMAGH 0-12
Declan Bogue reports from Ballybofey
THE MUCH ANTICIPATED Ulster Championship opener – the one that was supposed to get the hearts aflutter after two quiet aperitifs – never quite caught fire as Donegal strangled the game and quietly ushered Armagh off the premises.
This latest defeat is filed under a growing list of examples were Armagh have sauntered up to the championship not just fancied but loudly signposted, and failed dismally.
It was hardly a secret that Donegal would aggressively pursue Armagh’s kickout. They had done so to devastating effect in the 2020 Ulster semi-final in Breffni Park and had the game boxed off by half time.
Against a rookie goalkeeper in Ethan Rafferty, the formerly languid centre-forward, they won eight of his fourteen kickouts, aimed in the main to the right half back position.
Although they went in at the break 0-9 to 0-6 up, there is a sense the gap should have been vastly bigger than that as they squandered five wides, had three attempts drop short, Peader Mogan hit the post on another occasion and Rafferty clawed a Jamie Brennan shot down from above the crossbar.
Armagh’s attacks were ponderous and quite sporadic, given the huge possession that Donegal enjoyed and while they stayed in touch through Rory Grugan with three points, they never got Rian O’Neill – cleared from his suspension – into the game in the opening half and he was booked for a needless challenge just before the break.
The decisive play came after Donegal had weathered a frantic opening ten minutes of the second half from Armagh, that didn’t yield a single score. The Orchard defence attempted to strip Shane O’Donnell and Jason McGee of the ball, but eventually Paddy McBrearty made things happen by finding Caolan Ward in space.
To Ward’s credit he made in along the endline and waited for McBrearty to follow in, before squaring for a punch to the net.
Seven points up, with half an hour to go. But still, there was no chance of Armagh getting back from that on a day they showed they still struggle against a defensively sound opposition.
Scorers for Donegal: M Murphy (0-6, 0-4f), P McBrearty (1-2, 0-1f), M Langan (0-3), EB Gallagher, J McGee, C Thompson, C O’Donnell (0-1 each)
Scorers for Armagh: R Grugan (0-5, 0-3f), G McCabe, J Óg Burns, B Crealey, T Kelly, C Turbitt, O O’Neill, S Campbell (0-1 each)
DONEGAL
S Patton
C Ward
B McCole
S McMenamin
R McHugh
EB Gallagher
P Mogan
H McFadden
J McGee
C Thompson
S O’Donnell
M Langan
P McBrearty
M Murphy
J Brennan
Subs:
C McGonagle for McGee (51), C O’Donnell for Thompson (55), N O’Donnell for McFadden (61), P Brennan for S O’Donnell (68m).
ARMAGH
E Rafferty
J Morgan
A Forker
A McKay
N Grimley
G McCabe
J Óg Burns
C Mackin
B Crealey
J Hall
R Grugan
T Kelly
C Turbitt
R O’Neill
J Duffy
Subs:
A Nugent for Duffy (half time), S Campbell for Hall (47), O O’Neill for Mackin (50), R McQuillan for Forker (62)
Referee: Maurice Deegan (Laois)