Meath made easy work of newly-promoted Tyrone to win their Women’s National Football League Division 1 opener 4-4 to 0-2 at Newtownstewart.
Two first-half goals for Kerrie Cole gave Meath an ideal start to the new season, Megan Collins adding two further goals in the space of a minute midway through the second half. Maria Canavan offering Tyrone’s only reply on the scoreboard.
Waterford had a much closer encounter against Kildare, also fresh from promotion, managing a 1-13 to 2-7 win at Manguard Park.
Kellyann Hogan led the charge for the Déise with five points, four from frees, while Clare Walsh’s goal early in the second half proved crucial.
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Kildare weren’t without their own sharpshooting, Roisin Byrne matching Hogan’s tally while Alannah Prizeman and Neasa Dooley both raised the green flag, the latter with a stoppage-time strike to cut Waterford’s lead back to three points. But the gap would remain so to the final whistle, Tomás Mac an tSaoir’s charges holding out to come away with the win.
In Saturday’s top-flight fixtures, there was a meeting of the reigning League and All-Ireland champions in Tralee, Armagh overcoming Kerry by the slimmest of margins to get their season off to a positive start.
The visitors outscored the Kingdom 3-6 to 0-6 in the second half at Austin Stack Park, aided by the introduction of substitutes Blaithín Mackin and Rebecca Cunningham, who both netted for Armagh.
Meanwhile, Mayo travelled to face Dublin at Parnell Park, where a second-half goal from Chloe Darby proved the difference.
Dublin had put themselves into a comfortable lead after Rebecca McDonnell scored the first goal game after 23 minutes, but a superb effort by Sinéad Walsh, pointing two frees and a nabbing a goal in the 29th, restored parity before the break.
However, within a minute of the restart Darby made her move to put Dublin a goal up. The sides each tacked on an extra three points through the half, but Mayo were ultimately unable to claw back the deficit.
Two of the weekend’s fixtures – Laois v Carlow in Division 3 and Wicklow v Leitrim in Division 4 – were called off due to unplayable pitches.
Weekend results
Division 1 (Round 1)
Kerry 1-13 Armagh 3-11
Dublin 2-7 Mayo 1-7
Tyrone 0-2 Meath 4-4
Kildare 2-7 Waterford 1-13
Division 2 (Round 1)
Cork 3-12 Westmeath 0-5
Clare 1-4 Donegal 0-7
Roscommon 0-6 Monaghan 0-7
Tipperary 0-7 Galway 2-9
Division 3 (Round 1)
Limerick 2-6 Down 0-14
Wexford 3-14 Offaly 1-4
Louth 2-8 Cavan 2-10
Division 4 (Round 2)
Derry 0-4 Fermanagh 4-16
Sligo 3-8 Antrim 5-7
Longford 6-24 Kilkenny 0-3
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