Cavan beaten by Armagh in season opener
Armagh 2-17
Cavan 1-13
Paul Fitzpatrick
at Kingspan Breffni
Cavan’s first outing of the season ended in defeat this afternoon at home as Armagh proved too strong for an experimental Breffni outfit.
With several key players having stepped away from the panel, a decent crowd of diehards turned out to see Mickey Graham run the rule over several new faces. In truth, few really did themselves many favours on a disappointing afternoon.
Armagh played with the wind in the first half and brought a very useful seven-point lead in with them at the interval, 1-14 to 1-7.
The visitors made full use of the elements and kicked a succession of high-quality scores from long distance and tight angles. They kicked a wide from their very first attack and did not register another thereafter in an impressive first-half performance.
Central to their victory was full-forward Rian O’Neill, who was in exceptional form. He opened the scoring with a 50-metre free before Cavan debutant Conor Smith, who was lively throughout, cancelled that one out with a left-footed snapshot.
Oisin O’Neill, with a huge effort from the right wing, and brother Rian (free) made it 0-3 to 0-1 before Cavan were thrown a lifeline. Martin Reilly, who operated close to goal for the most part, gathered a Benjamin Kelly pass and played a great ball to Stephen Smith, whose shot on goal was saved.
Ref Niall McKenna awarded Cavan a penalty which looked soft; Reilly stepped up and buried it in the bottom corner for his third career goal in this competition.
But Armagh responded well with four in a row from Aidan Nugent (two), Rian O’Neill and Jason Duffy. To make it 0-7 to 1-1.
Cavan hit back with their best spell of the game. A good score from Conor Madden, an excellent effort under pressure from Reilly, an offensive mark well finished by Conor Smith and two more well-taken points in quick succession from Madden and Bryan Magee saw Cavan move 1-6 to 0-7 in front on 22 minutes.
A classy point from Stefan Campbell got Armagh going again and they would dominate the remainder of the half. Oisin O’Neill booted over another point and then when a shot dropped short, Conor Turbit fielded well and slotted low under Ray Galligan for the Orchard’s first goal.
Spectacular points from Aidan Forker, Rian O’Neill (two), Nugent and Turbit saw them ease clear, with Ryan Connolly’s 44-metre free from the ground all the response the Breffni men could muster before the short whistle.
On the resumption, the away team immediately put the game to bed. Rian O’Neill slotted over a free after 50 seconds and then Campbell played in Turbit who found the roof of the Cavan net with an emphatic finish to make it 2-15 to 1-7.
From there on, the intensity dropped. The free-flowing football of the first half was replaced by scrappy and at times ill-tempered play and the scores dried up for the most part.
Oisin O’Neill added another for Armagh before Cavan opened their second-half account in the 16th minute when sub Niall Murray hooked over on the run.
Murray quickly added another, a left-footed strike from 45 metres, and then a free after a foul on Madden to make it 2-16 to 1-10 with 12 minutes remaining – but shortly afterwards, his impressive cameo came to an end when he picked up a second yellow card.
Martin Reilly won and converted an offensive mark before Conor Turbit rounded off a good day’s work for himself with a well-taken point.
Deep in injury time, Cavan had the final say when sub Liam Buchanan, stationed at full-forward, knocked over a point and then Madden sped through the defence and slotted over off the left.
Cavan: Raymond Galligan, Patrick Meade, Padraig Faulkner, Luke Fortune, Ciaran Brady, Benjamin Kelly, Oisin Kiernan, Evaan Fortune, Kian Monahan, Martin Reilly (1-2, 1-0 pen, 1m), Bryan Magee
(0-1), Stephen Smith, Ryan Connolly (0-1f), Conor Madden (0-3), Conor Smith (0-2, 1m)
Subs: Stephen Murray for Kelly (12, inj.), Chris Conroy for Monahan (ht), Niall Murray (0-3, 1f) for Murray (46 mins), Gearoid McKiernan for Brady (58), Liam Buchanan (0-1) for Connolly (65)
Armagh: Blaine Hughes, Joe McElroy, Brendan Donaghy, Aidan Forker (0-1), Mark Shields, Greg McCabe, Conor O’Neill, Niall Grimley, Oisin O’Neill (0-3), Aidan Nugent (0-3), Stefan Campbell (0-1), Jemar Hall, Conor Turbit (2-2), Rian O’Neill (0-6, 5f), Jason Duffy (0-1)
Subs: Jarlath Óg Burns for Duffy (55 mins), James Morgan for Hall (58), Stephen Sheridan for O O’Neill (62), Caolán McConville for Shields (68), Mark Toal for Forker (70)
Ref: Niall McKenna (Monaghan)