The game started at the break neck speed that was expected all week, with both sides firing over points inside the first minute of the game.
Daniel Guinness opened the scoring for Down, who were playing in their all black strip and entered this week’s game full of confidence after last weeks win over Donegal in the Quarter Final.
Oisin Conaty responded almost immediately with Armagh’s first score of the game. Kieran McGeeney’s men wearing the customary orange jerseys and white shorts.
The two sides traded scores over the opening ten or so minutes, where Down controlled the scoreboard and looked to be continuing on the same form as a week ago. Scores from Guinness, Havern, Annett and Murdock saw them lead five points to two.
Armagh then managed to get a handle on the game and began to stamp their authority. A fisted score from Jarly Og Burns was followed by a Tomas McCormack goal. The Annaghmore man finished off a great move down the right hand side and finished confidently past Ronan Burns.
Armagh kicked nine of the last ten scores in the first halt, enjoying a brilliant spell of attacking play. The highlight of the first half came when Darragh McMullen wrestled a Blaine Hughes kick-out out of the sky, beating Down Keeper Burns around midfield before launching a ball towards the full forward line where Conor Turbitt was able to beat his man and punch it home for Armagh’s second goal of the half.
The Orchard had eight different men kick scores in the first half.
Armagh kicked the first two scores of the second half, one from a Conor Turbitt Free and the other through Andrew Murnin who linked well with Oisin Conaty to split the uprights.
Darragh McMullen kicked a stunning two pointer from play to kick Armagh 16 points in front.
Down got their first score of the second half on the 46th minute through substitute Ryan Magill.
Armagh responded down at the other end with Tomas McCormack fisting a score before Oisin Conaty kicked two scores in quick succession to extend the Armagh lead even further.
Referee Brendan Cawley brandished a yellow card to a member of the Down backroom team for being on the field of play, this resulted in a 13-metre free kick for Conor Turbitt which he knocked over effortlessly.
Much like he had in the first half, Turbitt had one of the highlights of the second half when he finished off his second goal of the game on 53 minutes. A lovely cross field ball from his Clann Eireann clubmate Tiernan Kelly found Turbitt in space, and he buried the ball into the bottom corner comfortably.
Aaron O’Neill was introduced late in the game and kicked a two point score, alongside his brother Oisin who scored four points after coming off the bench.
Armagh never looked in any trouble in the second half and were able to pick the Down defence apart on their way to an astonishing 3-33 to 0-14 victory, setting up a fourth consecutive visit to the Ulster Final, this time to face Monaghan in two weeks time.
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