Niall Gartland assesses how the nine counties of Ulster fared in a busy weekend on the intercounty front across men’s football, hurling and ladies football:

Antrim: Loss, loss, win

THE Antrim ladies started as they mean to go on in Division Three with a thumping 3-15 to 1-9 win over Clare, a super second-half showing making all the difference on the day. Unfortunately there was no such luck for their male counterparts – the Antrim hurlers came agonisingly close to a surprise win over Wexford but were left reeling by a goal conceded direct from a free eight minutes into added time. Their men’s footballers fell short, meanwhile, in their Division Four clash against Carlow, on a scoreline of 2-16 to 1-15.

Armagh: Win, loss, loss

TWO losses and a win for the Orchard County. Kieran McGeeney’s footballers were in rampant form in a surprisingly one-sided victory over Monaghan, a particularly impressive result given the amount of retirements they suffered during the off-season. Their hurlers lost a competitive encounter against Louth by 1-20 to 1-15, while an Armagh ladies team missing a host of experienced players lost by 12 to Waterford.

Cavan: Loss, win, draw

THE Cavan footballers really should’ve won their opening day encounter away to Cork. Seven points up with seven minutes to go, they looked home and hosed. That’s where it all went wrong and they ended up losing by a point, but still, it was a very credible performance. Their hurlers got up and running in Division Four with a deserved victory over Warwickshire while Cavan ladies claimed a draw against Mayo. That game finished 1-13 apiece and it’s a result that bodes well for their chances of pushing for a promotion spot in Division Two.

Derry: Loss, loss, loss

IT wasn’t a vintage weekend for Derry intercounty teams – Meath proved too strong for their men’s footballers at Croke Park (though the Royals arguably are underrated) while for the second year running, the hurlers coughed up five goals to the Kingdom in the league. Finally their ladies lost out their Division Four meeting to Sligo – though they did win their opening league encounter when they overcame Kilkenny nearly a fortnight ago.

Donegal: Win, win, win

NO such worries for Donegal though – their intercounty teams enjoyed a clean sweep in their opening day league encounters. The senior footballers were deserved victors over Dublin at Croke Park a week after annexing the McKenna Cup, while their hurlers made the trip to Garvaghey and came away with the two points on offer with an impressive victory over Tyrone. Last but not least, their ladies got off to a winning start as they powered across the finish line against Westmeath.

Down: Win, loss, draw

CONOR Laverty’s Down have high hopes of promotion to Division Three and they got their campaign underway with a hard-earned win over Clare in atrocious weather conditions, coming from five points down at half-time to win by five. Their hurlers came out second best in equally miserable conditions against Carlow, while their ladies emerged with a point in their Division Three match against Laois.

Fermanagh: Loss, draw

DECLAN Bonner’s first league game in charge of Fermanagh ended in a four-point defeat to Wexford on a day where they had plenty of possession but just couldn’t convert enough chances. Their ladies, meanwhile, played out a highly entertaining draw against Laois which ended up 3-13 apiece on the scoreboard. Finally, their hurlers weren’t in action and get their campaign up and running against Donegal this coming weekend.

Monaghan: Loss, loss, loss

LIKE Derry, it was three losses at the weekend for Monaghan. Their men’s footballers were on the receiving end of a bruising enough defeat to Armagh, while their hurlers failed to raise a gallop against Sligo. Their ladies shipped seven goals, meanwhile, in a lop-sided defeat to Tyrone.

Tyrone: Draw, loss, win

A MIXED bag for Tyrone last weekend. Their men’s footballers – toasty enough favourites for their Division Two encounter against Kildare – could only muster a draw on a rainy night in Omagh. A late Ethan Jordan goal pushed Tyrone three ahead on the scoreboard, but Kildare shot back with two unanswered scores, including a lethal Brian McLoughlin two-pointer to share the spoils. Tyrone’s hurlers gave Donegal their fill of it for large spells of their Division Three opener but eventually drifted away, but there was a happier outcome for Darren McCann’s ladies team, who rocked Monaghan for seven goals at Holy Trinity, Cookstown.