Armagh manager Darnell Parkinson said he was pleased with the way they began the defence of their Lidl NFL title when they defeated reigning TG4 All-Ireland champions Kerry by 3-11 to 1-13 in Tralee.
“We’ve had a lot of girls coming back in from club duty so these girls have been thrown in at the deep end a bit but they’ve really stood up to it,” said Parkinson.
“Once the first goal went in it gave us a bit of momentum and then you try and stay in the game and hopefully the next chance comes and luckily enough it did.”
In what was a repeat of last year’s top-flight decider, and a first competitive meeting between the counties since the 2024 TG4 All-Ireland senior Championship semi-final, an outstanding second half from champions Armagh, in which they outscored Kerry by 3-6 to 0-6, saw them claim the spoils.
The introduction of substitutes Blaithín Mackin, who struck for 1-1, and Rebecca Cunningham, with a goal, made all the difference, whilst Anna Carr in the Armagh goal was also in superb form.
Kerry manager Mark Bourke said that their challenge faded in the closing stages but they will learn a lot from the first outing of the season.
“Their goals were a result of probably us running out of legs in the last ten minutes. Our yellow card meant that it took an awful lot of effort for us to keep them at bay even though we did score one or two points with the yellow card but it could be seen that they had more legs than us in the final quarter.”
Rebecca McDonnell and Chloe Darby grabbed goals in either half at Parnell Park as Dublin began life under the joint management of Paul Casey and Derek Murray with a hard-earned 2-7 to 1-7 win over Mayo.
“We’re delighted. I suppose the first rounds of the national league are never pretty,” said Dublin joint manager Casey. “In fairness, two teams served up a good battle there and I think it was probably reflective of the short number of weeks that we’ve had with the girls."
The sides were deadlocked at 1-4 apiece at the break with Rebecca McDonnell finding the net for Dublin and Sinead Walsh responding for Mayo.
A goal from Chloe Darby proved crucial as Dublin made a winning start to the new campaign but Mayo manager Liam McHale lamented they didn’t take chances in the closing stages.
“A couple of our top forwards had good opportunities to score in the fourth quarter and we didn’t take the opportunities,” he said. “Our effort and the way we apply ourselves is great, but we need to just get a little bit cuter and a little bit wiser around the field and we’ll be good to go.”
Meath proved too strong for Tyrone with Kerrie Cole and Megan Collins scoring two goals apiece as they ran out 4-4 to 0-2 winners in Newtownstewart.
Meath, with Cole twice finding the net, led by 2-4 to 0-2 at the break and continued to dominate after the restart.
“I'm absolutely delighted with the result,” said Meath manager Shane McCormack. “It was hard for both teams today considering the conditions, they were horrendous.”
Tyrone manager Darren McCann said they can learn a lot from the outing. “Meath coped with the conditions that bit better than us, but it was a great experience for our girls. They're coming up against two-time All-Ireland champions in the last five years and we'll learn a lot from that,” said McCann.
Meanwhile, Kellyann Hogan kicked five points at a rain-soaked Manguard Park as Waterford began their Lidl National Football League Division 1 campaign with a 1-13 to 2-7 hard-fought victory over the newly-promoted Kildare.
“It’s great to get a win on the road in Division 1. It doesn’t matter who you play,” said Waterford manager Tomás Mac an tSaoir. “If you’re on the road, it’s going to be very, very hard. The conditions probably didn’t suit for any attractive football but the points are in the bag going home and that’s the main thing.”
Kildare manager Pat Sullivan said they can take a lot of positives from their display but they need to cut out unforced errors.
“I’m very proud of the girls,” he said. “It’s always going to be tough when you come through the ranks like that and you get to the top table. Waterford did show there today, in fairness to them, that they have the experience in Division 1. Our unforced errors, any time we gave away the ball, we were punished.”
In Division 2, Cork got the better of Westmeath on Saturday with two goals from Libby Coppinger and one from Hannah Looney in the opening half sending them on their way to a 3-12 to 0-5 win over Westmeath.
Donegal captain Róisín Rodgers got a last minute point to draw 0-7 to 1-4 against Clare, Monaghan edged out Roscommon by 0-7 to 0-6 despite not scoring after the restart.
Goals from Kate Slevin and Róisin Leonard helped relegated Galway defeat Tipperary by 2-9 to 0-7.
In Division 3 Wexford, Cavan and Down got their 2025 campaigns off to a winning start, while the Laois v Carlow game fell victim to the weather.
In Division 4 Fermanagh, Antrim and Longford were triumphant in their round 2 fixtures in Division 4, while the Wicklow v Leitrim game was postponed due to an unplayable pitch.
RESULTS
Lidl National Football League Division One Round One
Armagh 3-11 Kerry 1-13
Dublin 2-7 Mayo 1-7
Meath 4-4 Tyrone 0-2
Waterford 1-13 Kildare 2-7
Lidl National Football League Division Two Round One
Cork 3-12 Westmeath 0-5
Clare 1-4 Donegal 0-7
Monaghan 0-7 Roscommon 0-6
Galway 2-9 Tipperary 0-7
Lidl National Football League Division Three Round One
Wexford 3-14 Offaly 1-4
Cavan 2-10 Louth 2-8
Down 0-14 Limerick 2-6
Laois v Carlow – Postponed due to unplayable pitch
Lidl National Football League Division Four Round Two
Fermanagh 4-16 Derry 0-4
Antrim 5-7 Sligo 3-8
Longford 6-24 Kilkenny 0-3
Wicklow v Leitrim - Postponed due to unplayable pitch
