Ruthless Maghera dismantle St Macartan’s in MacRory Cup

St Patrick’s College Maghera 3-15 . . . St Macartan’s Monaghan 0-6

St Patrick’s Maghera have begun their Danske Bank MacRory with some gusto!

Last week they hammered St Ronan’s Lurgan by a margin of 25 points and this meeting with St Macartan’s Monaghan in Stewartstown on Friday afternoon was just as impressive.

Maghera led by 2-8 to 0-5 after playing against the breeze and eased off the gas during the second half. St Macartan’s had lost their opening game – a derby fixture with Patrician High Carrickmacross – by seven points and were in bother from the first score.

Goalie Sé Molloy took a 40m free that sailed all the way to the Monaghan net. Don Mulholland and wing half back Sean O’Kane tagged on points before St Macartan’s got their first score through Seamus Clerkin in the 13th minute.

Maghera continued to dominate the game with Mulholland converting two frees before Lorcán McMullan and Ultan McCloskey both scored from play.

Tomás Hughes knocked over a placed ball for St Macartan’s but it was effectively game over when the winners struck for their second goal in the 25th minute. A superb long ball pass from defender Tom Duffin eluded the Macartan’s defence and found full forward Fionn Cartin. The Banagher forward caught the ball and finished in style to the bottom left hand corner of the net.

Hughes responded with a neat two pointer and Ellis Foy was also on target for Macartan’s but efforts from Duffin and Dara Campbell left a gap of nine points between the teams at half-time.

St Macartan’s only score against the breeze came late in the second half from a Hughes free. While Maghera kept the score-board ticking over they could have registered more scores if they had been as ruthless as they had been in the first half.

Mulholland, Campbell and substitute Neil McDermott added points in the third quarter while St Macartan’s goalkeeper Caolán Hughes made a brilliant save to deny Fionn Cartin. However Cartin wasn’t to be denied and a couple of minutes later the full forward blasted to the roof of the net.

Campbell and substitutes Gabriel Moore and Dara McKenna tagged on late points as Maghera won with plenty to spare.

That win puts them top of the group on score difference with one game remaining against Patrician High Carrickmacross on Tuesday 24th. Patrician have also won both of their games, although not as emphatically as the 2025 champions who would only have to earn a draw to qualify as top seeds

St Patrick’s Maghera: F Cartin 2-1, D Mulholland 0-4 (2f), D Campbell 0-3 (3f), S Molloy 1-0, S O’Kane, L McMullan, U McCloskey, T Duffin, N McDermott, G Moore & D McKenna 0-1 each

St Macartan’s Monaghan: T Hughes 0-4 (1 x tp, 2f), S Clerkin & E Foy 0-1 each