Armagh show their class in resounding win over neighbours Down at Clones

It was one-way traffic at St Tiernach’s Park today, where Armagh trounced their neighbours Down 3-33 to 0-14.

Down started the brighter of the two teams, and raced into a 0-5 to 0-2 lead after 11 minutes. Daniel Guinness opened the scoring immediately, after Odhran Murdock won the throw-in. Oisin Conaty and Pat Havern then traded points.

Guinness got his second and Shane Annett cancelled out a Conor Turbitt score. Down moved into a three-point lead after Murdock found the target, moments after winning a turnover at the other end.

However, Armagh began to turn the screw and following a Jarly Og Burns score, a goal from Tomas McCormack turned the game. And what a goal it was. McCormack won the ball in the middle of the field, and a slick handpassing move involving, Jarly Og Burns, Darragh McMullen and Conaty was finished emphatically into the net by the Annaghmore man.

Murnin then palmed over, and after Guinness got his third point, Armagh rattled off 1-8 without reply in a period of total dominance.

Turbitt got two points, either side of a Peter McGrane score. Then, Cian McConville got two points, either side of a Murnin score.

Thereafter came Armagh’s second goal of the game on 31 minutes. Down gambled by bringing out goalkeeper Ronan Burns for an Armagh kick-out. However, Blaine Hughes placed it perfectly into the bread basket of McMullen, he shrugged off Burns’ tackle and all of a sudden Down were left with a wide-open goal.

It was 1v1 inside between Turbitt and Ryan McEvoy, and the Clann Eireann sharpshooter beat the Kilcoo man to the ball and palmed home.

Further scores from Conaty and Tiernan Kelly put 12 between the sides, before Havern closed the half’s scoring.

Down needed a big third quarter to have any hope of pulling themselves into the game, but Armagh starved them of oxygen. A Turbitt free and a Murnin point got them up and running for the half, before McMullen hit the score of the day – paying off a quick counter attack by firing over off the outside of his right boot from two-point range.

Duffy was next on the scoreboard, before both Guinness and Liam Kerr saw attempts at goal saved by Hughes. Ryan Magill pointed to briefly break up Armagh’s dominance, but it resumed once more with McCormack scoring, two excellent points from Conaty, Turbitt nailing a free and Jarly Og Burns adding to the procession.

The next score went the way of Barry O’Hagan, but Armagh were enjoying themselves, and added a third goal by finishing beautifully into the bottom corner beyond the outstretched hand of Burns.

Kerr replied by raising a white flag for Down, but the Orchard County were relentless and were in complete command, with McConville and Conaty pointing, before substitute Oisin O’Neill added three – one one-pointer and a two-pointer – in the space of a minute, before Burns fisted over.

O’Hagan (free) and Ryan Magill were next on the board for Down, with Jarly Og Burns and Oisin O’Neill replying for Armagh. Armagh used their bench, with Tomas Galvin and Aaron O’Neill making their inter-county debuts, and O’Neill certainly made his mark with a sumptuous two-pointer.

The final scores came from Guinness and Kerr for Down and from McCormack for Armagh.

Armagh will play Monaghan in their fourth consecutive Ulster Final on Sunday, May 17.

MATCH STATS

Armagh: Blaine Hughes; Peter McGrane (0-1), Aaron McKay, Paddy Burns; Joe McElroy, Tiernan Kelly, Jarly Og Burns (0-4); Jason Duffy (0-1), Andrew Murnin (0-3); Greg McCabe, Darragh McMullen (0-2, 1tp), Tomas McCormack (1-2); Oisin Conaty (0-5), Conor Turbitt (2-5, 3f), Cian McConville (0-3, 1f).

Subs: Oisin O’Neill (0-4, 1tp) for McCabe (51), Daniel Magee for Murnin (52), Gareth Murphy for McElroy (55), Tomas Galvin for Turbitt (59), Aaron O’Neill (0-2, 1tp) for Conaty (60).

Down: Ronan Burns; Peter Fegan, Pierce Laverty, Callum Rogers; Caolan Mooney, Shane Annett (0-1), Daniel Guinness (0-4); Odhran Murdock (0-1), Ryan McEvoy; Miceal Rooney, Ceilum Doherty, Pearse McPolin; Adam Crimmins, Pat Havern (0-2, 1f), John McGeough.

Subs: Liam Kerr (0-2) for McGeough (26), Jamie Doran for Crmmins (HT), Ryan Magill (0-2) for Rooney (39), Barry O’Hagan (0-2, 1f), for Havern (46), Finn McElroy for McPolin (55), Tom Close for McEvoy (62).

Referee: Brendan Cawley