Captain Lauren McConville (centre) leads Armagh out for the second half (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Richard Bullick
A cameo appearance from the incomparable Caroline O’Hanlon, marking the start of her record-extending 25th season in the orange jersey, helped Armagh pick up their first points of 2026 after losing their opening game in NFL Division One.
It wasn’t a high-scoring game, or exciting enough to be memorable, but the result was what mattered most at Hawkfield last Sunday, so there was a sense of relief following Armagh’s hard-fought 0-13 to 0-9 away win against Kildare.
Armagh were desperate to bounce back from the disconcerting 12-point beating by Waterford at the Athletic Grounds seven days earlier and duly did so with this deserved victory at Kildare GAA’s Centre of Excellence which could prove very valuable.
Although Armagh have reached the last two National League finals, including their historic triumph at Croke Park in 2024, starting this campaign with back-to-back defeats would have sparked relegation fears for Gregory McGonigle’s understrength side.
With two out of the eight teams facing the drop, picking up points is so important even at this very early stage of the season and Armagh got back to winning ways despite finding themselves three points down in the opening quarter.
An inspiring Player of the Match performance from Lauren McConville laid the foundations for the Crossmaglen great’s first victory as official Orchard captain, and former skipper Kelly Mallon led the way with a five-point haul, all of them from frees.
Armagh’s game management in the closing stages was bolstered by the introduction of the iconic O’Hanlon, who made her Orchard debut way back in 2002 before plenty of the present panel were born, and the evergreen veteran was a typically calming influence.
Armagh’s Emily Druse in full flight on the way to scoring the first of her points (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Having O’Hanlon’s hand on the tiller helped provide reassurance and the 41-year-old made her composed presence count in a tense enough final few minutes as Armagh got over the line for this much-needed win as they seek to shore up their top-flight status.
Like McConville, Mallon’s Harps clubmate Emily Druse raised two white flags from play – the first of them for a sublime effort from the outside of her right boot – while four others chipped in with one point apiece as Armagh avenged last year’s All Ireland exit at Kildare’s hands.
Vice-captain Aoife McCoy, the tenacious Catherine Marley, the previous Sunday’s top-scorer Maeve Lennon and Clan na Gael’s Lara Marsden, who had pointed twice against Waterford on her first start for Armagh, were the other Orchard contributors.
Medical student Druse had scored her first ever Armagh goal and set up the Orchard’s other major of that afternoon for Niamh Henderson as the orangewomen won last season’s league game against the Lilywhites at Silverbridge just under 12 months ago.
But Kildare’s narrow win when the teams met again in the Athletic Grounds in June eliminated Armagh from the All Ireland race – their first failure to reach at least the last eight since 2016 – and left them having to negotiate a Senior Championship relegation play-off.
So Armagh made this trip to Hawkfield for a match originally fixed for Newbridge under no illusions that they would have a battle on their hands against a Kildare side encouraged by an away draw with newly-promoted Cork the previous Sunday.
Armagh’s published line-up had included one personnel change from the team which started the previous weekend, with 2024 Orchard County Player of the Year Roisin Mulligan due to make her seasonal debut in place of Clonmore’s Sarah Quigley.
As it transpired, Mulligan didn’t start, so Killeavy’s Laura Kavanagh – drafted in for Mallon the week before as a late change to the team that had been announced for the opening game of the season – again took the field from the off.
There were also a number of positional shuffles on paper, starting with Ballyhegan newcomer Alana Donnelly – who wore No 14 on her Orchard debut the Sunday before but played in defence – being listed at left corner back this time.
That was accommodated by Donnelly’s clubmate, 2024 national All Star Grace Ferguson being switched to midfield as part of a new pairing with newly-elevated vice-captain Cait Towe, who was listed at left wing back last day.
Former skipper Kelly Mallon kicked five frees in Armagh’s victory over Kildare (Pic: Colin Molloy)
There they replaced Quigley, who didn’t feature having picked up a knock against Waterford, and Catherine Marley, repatriated to centre half forward with Dromintee’s McCoy taking over the No 14 jersey from Donnelly.
O’Hanlon for fellow former All Ireland Player of the Year Aimee Mackin was one of two alterations to Armagh’s matchday squad of 30, with the other seeing the former’s Carrickcruppen clubmate Anna Carr replaced by young Cailin Traynor.
Carr has been the Ulster All Stars goalkeeper in all six seasons since the inception of the awards, but didn’t feature in Armagh’s opening game against Waterford, when named on the bench with Brianna Mathers of Shane O’Neills in nets.
Blaithin Mackin was originally included in the matchday 30 to play Waterford but later delisted for Eimear McGeown and, along with her sister Aimee, the Melbourne Demons AFLW star headed the list of notables not togged out for the trip to Kildare.
So McGonigle certainly hasn’t had anything approaching a full deck to choose from on his return to the Orchard helm, but at least Armagh won the throw-in at the start of each half through Marley, who showed great physical commitment all afternoon.
Catherine, whose elder sister Niamh Marley is in the Wolfhounds squad for the current Celtic Challenge, seemed to take almost as many knocks as if she was playing rugby, repeatedly putting her body on the line for the Orchard cause.
Orchard hopes of drawing first blood were dashed as Kildare quickly went two up, though a flowing move saw captain McConville – making her 61st consecutive start since returning from Australia during the pandemic – open Armagh’s account in the fourth minute.
Lennon hooked a low shot across goal between the two frees which had Kildare three ahead midway through the half but Marley pointed early in the second quarter and Mallon reduced the arrears to one with a superb free from wide on the right in the 20th minute.
Kavanagh made a couple of good interceptions in defence and the visitors went from three down to three up at half-time thanks to a run of six unanswered points, though the scoreboard could have been more in their favour by the break.
Mallon landed another free after Armagh attacked off turnover ball but, if the new rules were really fit for purpose, they should have ensured the Kildare defender who cynically fouled McCoy as she raced towards goal was sinbinned.
Another turnover won by McCoy just after Mallon’s equalising free looked like it might lead to an Armagh goal but, after an exchange between Lennon and Mallon, a low shot from Marsden rolled through to the Kildare keeper.
Lara Marsden added another point to last week’s first scores of her Orchard career (Pic: Colin Molloy)
But McCoy gave Armagh the lead a minute later when Kildare over-carried, McConville availed of the new solo-and-go provision to burst forward and the Orchard attack continued up the right through Donnelly and Marley.
Mulligan kicked a wide shortly after coming on for Caoimhe McNally on 28 minutes but Armagh scored twice more before the break, firstly through Lennon after a wonderful turnover by McConville and the referee playing advantage for a high tackle on McCoy.
The half ended with Mallon punishing Kildare for a breach of the three-up rule unnecessarily adopted from men’s gaelic football and Marsden pointed just 18 seconds after the resumption to put Armagh 0-8 to 0-4 ahead.
Kildare ended Armagh’s scoring sequence of seven with a point from play after being off target with a free and the hosts got two more before McConville came through on McCoy’s shoulder to split the posts in the 42nd minute.
Another three-up breach by Kildare gave Mallon a straightforward free to tap over and Armagh made it three points in less than three minutes with a really exquisite score by Druse, off the outside of her right foot from range as she steamed through on the left.
Kellie Shields, who had caught the eye in Crossmaglen’s run to a first county final appearance for 18 years last autumn, came on in place of Lennon to make her Orchard debut between her clubmate McConville’s point and that free from Mallon.
It was Armagh’s turn to pay the price for a three-up breach early in the final quarter but Mallon nailed her fifth free after a very physical challenge on Marley and Druse promptly fisted over her second point to put the Ulster champions five ahead on 49 minutes.
The only score for either team thereafter was a Kildare free for another three-up breach by Armagh which enabled Alannah Prizeman to match Mallon’s five-point tally, which likewise all came from frees.
The experienced Eve Lavery took over from Druse – though the latter actually returned in injury-time in place of Grace Ferguson – and O’Hanlon came on for Marsden after 59 minutes having spent most of the match stood on the sideline like an additional coach.
Armagh vice-captain Aoife McCoy is brought to ground by the Kildare defence (Pic: Colin Molloy)
O’Hanlon was only on the field for 137 seconds, but that was time enough for her to take control and stamp her authority on proceedings as Armagh ran down the clock in efficient fashion without any further concessions. It was great to see her back.
McConville really led by example, Mallon nailed her frees and that audacious effort from Druse was the score of the day but it was striking how O’Hanlon immediately took control in the finishing stages to ensure Armagh closed out the win.
Still as committed to the Orchard cause as ever despite having another Commonwealth Games with the Northern Ireland netball team on the horizon this summer, the apparently timeless midfield maestro still has plenty to offer this Armagh set-up on and off the field.
There was never any doubt that returning manager McGonigle would want to keep O’Hanlon on board and, with Armagh missing a few frontliners such as the Mackin sisters at present, she should have an important part to play over the next few weeks.
The next assignment for McGonigle’s women is a home match this Sunday (1pm) at Dromintee against a Cork team who followed up their initial draw with Kildare by beating Galway 1-10 to 2-5 in the second round of fixtures.
It will be a proud occasion for local Dromintee woman McCoy, the 2024 All Star forward who has never before had the opportunity to play an NFL Division One match on her club pitch in the course of an outstanding Orchard career which is now in its 13th season.
ARMAGH: Brianna Mathers; Maeve Ferguson, Clodagh McCambridge, Alana Donnelly; Emily Druse (0-2), Lauren McConville (capt; 0-2), Laura Kavanagh; Cait Towe, Grace Ferguson; Lara Marsden (0-1), Catherine Marley (0-1), Caoimhe McNally; Maeve Lennon (0-1), Aoife McCoy (0-1), Kelly Mallon (0-5; 5f). Subs used: Roisin Mulligan for McNally (28), Kellie Shields for Lennon (41), Eve Lavery for Emily Druse (55), Caroline O’Hanlon for Marsden (59), Emily Druse for Grace Ferguson (62).
Referee Brendan Rice signals a free as Armagh captain Lauren McConville is fouled (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Lara Marsden battles forward for Armagh on Sunday with support from Aoife McCoy (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Catherine Marley often found herself in the wars during a determined display (Pic: Colin Molloy)
The previous Sunday’s debutant Alana Donnelly goes on the attack against Kildare (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Aoife McCoy tries to get a shot away under pressure from Kildare defenders (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Clan na Gael’s Lara Marsden on the attack for Armagh against Kildare at Hawkfield (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Top-scorer Kelly Mallon was making her first start of the season for Armagh (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Armagh captain Lauren McConville dragged down by a Kildare defender on Sunday (Pic: Colin Molloy)
A tussle for possession during the NFL Division One game between Kildare and Armagh (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Orchard captain Lauren McConville during her Player of the Match performance (Pic: Colin Molloy)
