Rebels and Royals earn promotion to Division 1 as Louth relegate Kildare

March 22, 2026

Meath's Jordan Morris celebrates ©INPHO/James Crombie

Cork and Meath earned their sixth respective wins in Division 2 of the Allianz Football League this afternoon to secure promotion to the topflight for 2027.

The Rebels were 0-22 to 0-19 winners over Tyrone at O'Neills Healy Park, Omagh, where late scores from Brian Hurley and Steven Sherlock proved crucial for the visitors.

Sean McDonnell’s point was the difference for the Leesiders at half-time (0-9 to 0-8) before Tyrone hit the front early in the second-half thanks to the scores of Darragh Canavan (free) and Mattie Donnelly.

Cork levelled and moved three clear through a Sherlock two-pointer and a free ahead of Hurley and Sherlock raising white flags down the home stretch which would be backed up by a Hurley two-pointer late on.

The Red Hands responded with three consecutive points to keep the heat on, but Hurley would grab the insurance score in the dying stages to cement the Rebels’ Division 2 final berth.

In Tullamore, Meath shook off a slow start to hand already relegated Offaly their seventh defeat of the campaign in comprehensive fashion.

It finished 2-22 to 0-18 at Glenisk O’Connor Park where Jordan Morris’s 28th minute penalty pushed the visitors 2-6 to 0-8 clear and they’d go on to hold a six-point advantage at the break.

The second-half saw Robbie Brennan’s side upping it a gear with a Sean Brennan two-point free being backed up by the scores of Ciaran Caulfield and Ruairi Kinsella.

Harry Plunkett and Darragh Flynn got scores back for the Faithful men, but it was the Royals that cruised to promotion with a double-digit victory in the end.

Louth chalked up their fifth win of the league campaign by sending Kildare back down to Division 3 with a fifth defeat in seven games.

Kieran McArdle’s 58th minute goal proved the difference in a 1-25 to 0-25 victory for the Leinster champions who had led by seven points at half-time.

The result also means that Cavan survive in Division 2 despite suffering their fifth loss of the campaign at the hands of Derry in Celtic Park (1-20 to 0-19).

A promising start that saw the Breffni men going 0-3 to 0-0 up was wiped away by Niall Loughlin’s brilliant goal for the hosts and they’d go on to hold a 1-9 to 0-9 lead at the half.

Loughlin, Ethan Doherty, Shane McGuigan and Lachlan Murray landed early second-half points for the Oak Leafers as an eight-point margin grew between the sides before Paddy Lynch and Gearoid McKiernan helped half that deficit ahead of the final whistle.


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