Tailteann Cup: Leitrim 0–17 Waterford 0–12
Leitrim manager Andy Moran
After going in with a one point interval advantage, Leitrim upped their game in the second half to earn a hard-fought win over a competitive Waterford side at Ballinamore.
Leitrim got off to an impressive start when they grabbed a 0–3 lead in the opening three minutes with Ryan O’Rourke, Darragh Rooney and Tom Prior splitting the Waterford posts. After Billy O’Keefe opened Waterford’s account with a fourth-minute point it was a nip and tuck affair up to the break when the home side had a 0–9 to 0–8 half time lead thanks to a 35th-minute Darragh Rooney point.
After the restart Leitrim extended their advantage to six points in the opening 16 minutes of the second half with Niall O’Donnell putting over two 45s while Ryan O’Rourke, Aidan Flynn and Barry McNulty chipped in with a point each.
Waterford, who answered late in the game with two Tom O’ Connell points, plus one each from Alan Dunwoody and Donie Fitzgerald, could not close the gap on their opponents with Leitrim holding out for a five-point winning margin at the end.
