By John Fallon
DUBLIN, Kerry and Galway had already secured home quarter-finals before this weekend’s action and Armagh also booked home advantage when they held off a spirited late rally from Waterford to emerge 2-15 to 1-15 victors after an exciting clash where Chloe Fennell’s last gasp free which would have forced a draw was deflected off the crossbar.
“We’ll take a home advantage, of course it is better than having to travel,” said McGonigle. “With the new rules going, it has changed the pace of the game that it has pushed on as well.
“We knew coming into this group, it was going to be a very hard group and coming away with two wins, you’d have to be delighted.”
Kildare came out on top in their shootout with Tipperary to advance to the last eight with Mayah Doyle’s goal helping them to a 1-13 to 0-9 victory.
“Overall it was a great performance and we are now going to give this quarter-final everything,” said Kildare manager Pat Sullivan.
“A key part was our players taking their chances with a high conversion rate that you need against a blanket defence.”
Mayo earned a quarter-final tie against Galway by virtue of an impressive 1-15 to 2-6 win away to Donegal, with a Lisa Cafferky goal wrapping up the win and manager Diane O’Hora said they knew it would be tough against a Donegal who turned them over in the league.
“I’m delighted for the group. They deserved this after the work that has gone in,” she said.
“We were coming up to the lion’s den and we’re just relieved, delighted with the result. I think we made some of the wrongs right from the league game in Swinford that loss cost us promotion to Division 1.”
Meath reached their sixth straight quarter-final with a 1-12 to 1-10 away to Tyrone in Healy Park with Meadhbh Byrne shooting 1-2 to send the 2021 and 2022 TG4 All-Ireland champions into the last eight.
Both counties had lost to Galway but Meath manager Wayne Freeman knew there was a lot more in them as they now prepare to face Kerry.
“We actually put ourselves in a really good position to battle it out against Galway so it was good to get over the line in this one,” he said.
Cork also advanced to the quarter-finals thanks to their comeback win a week earlier against Waterford and Armagh’s victory, and they will now travel to meet reigning TG4 All-Ireland champions Dublin.
Meanwhile, Waterford will play Donegal and Tipperary will take on Tyrone in the relegation qualifiers. The defeated counties in these two ties will then meet in the relegation play-off with the loser dropping to the intermediate grade for 2027.
