10 YEARS AGO

MAYO GAA released a statement accepting that Lee Keegan should have been withdrawn sooner following a heavy collision with Cork’s Eoin Cadogan during their National League meeting.

Cadogan was immediately removed from play but Keegan was allowed to stay on the field for 10 minutes before being substituted.

However, a statement on the Mayo GAA website stated that the three-time All-Star wing-back should have left the field earlier.

“The Mayo medical team accept that Lee should have been withdrawn as a precaution a number of minutes earlier when the collision occurred,” it read. “Player welfare is of paramount importance to all involved with Mayo GAA and members of the Mayo medical team have been to the forefront of player welfare initiatives in the GAA nationally.”

Cork were comfortable winners with Brian Hurley hitting 1-4 as they earned a 1-18 to 0-12 victory.

Roscommon and Monaghan couldn’t be separated until Conor McManus pounced on a sloppy Rossie kick-out and drove to the net, with the Ulster side tagging on another score in an eventual four-point win.

It was a tough day for Down in Newry as Donegal hammered them by 17 points.

Michael Murphy landed eight points while the Tir Chonaill men had goals from Ryan McHugh (2) and Patrick McBrearty.

Armagh made a poor start to the league season as they lost 1-10 to 0-8 to Meath in Navan.

Kieran McGeeney’s side found scores hard to come by, but Gavin McParland and Miceal McKenna did manage a brace each.

Tyrone also found scores hard to come by, but their 0-10 tally was enough to beat Cavan by two points.

Lee Brennan and Connor McAliskey combined for half of Tyrone’s tally but it was enough for the two points.

There was also a win for Antrim who defeated Carlow 1-12 to 0-10. Kevin Niblock’s 1-1 proved crucial for the Saffrons.

20 YEARS AGO

THE most famous McKenna Cup match of all time took place in Belfast as 19,631 fans turned up to watch Tyrone beat Armagh 0-13 to 0-11 at Casement Park.

The crowd was all the more impressive giving it was at a neutral ground with the stands and terraces packed.

The action on the pitch was tetchy with five players booked inside 22 minutes as players came embroiled in constant minor skirmishes.

Tyrone were the better team throughout but with Stevie McDonnell giving Ryan McMenamin a torrid time and Stephen Kernan landing three points, the Red Hands could never escape. Five pointed frees from Seán Cavanagh proved enough though with Stevie O’Neill also starring.

There were mixed results for Monaghan clubs in the All-Ireland football series.

Monaghan Harps scored 1-17 in their All-Ireland Junior semi-final but still lost out to Ardfert in an extra-time thriller.

The Oriel side led by four points with two minutes of extra-time left, but they conceded two goals – five in all on the day – to lose out in painful fashion.

In the intermediate semi-final, Paul Meegan starred with six points as Inniskeen dethroned Carbey Rangers on a 0-12 to 0-9 scoreline to advance.

30 YEARS AGO

THE cold snap saw a raft of fixtures postponed and opened up the possibility of disputes between teams.

The inter-pros fell victim to the weather, and initial plans were to reschedule them for the same weekend as the All-Ireland Club semi-finals. That would have ruled competing players out from representing their province.

Mullaghbawn were one of the side’s set to play a semi-final with Kieran McGeeney also on the Ulster squad.

Waterford delegates overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to allow beaten finalists from the Munster SHC and Leinster SHC back into the All-Ireland series.