Fermanagh, a small county with a big heart, showed “boundless character” to recover from a six-point half-time deficit and snatch a dramatic win in Brewster Park.

Ulster champions Donegal flexed their muscle with a 10-point win in Navan, their first of the Allianz Football League Division 1 campaign.

The harsh and punishing reality of life among Gaelic football’s elite stared Meath in the face as they made their return to Division One after a 14-year absence.

It wasn’t always pretty, and there were times when it seemed like it would be Ryan McMenamin who would be leaving St Conleth's Park with a first league win for his new team, but Daniel Flynn’s 58th-minute goal proved crucial as Jack O’Connor began life in Kildare with a win.

A dogged Tyrone gave newly-promoted Meath a flavour of the realities of competing in Gaelic football’s top tier as they eased to a five-point success at Healy Park.

UCD overcame the loss of key marksman Con O’Callaghan as they edged UUJ by two points after extra-time in their Sigerson Cup first-round clash at Billings Park, Belfield.

Derrygonnelly will have a long winter to wonder how they were so wasteful as Kilcoo, who did more with less possession, took a big step towards an elusive first AIB Ulster club title.

Keith Earls will make his first Munster appearance of the season in tomorrow's Champions Cup opener against the Ospreys.

Derrygonnelly twice came back from the dead and then won a dramatic penalty shootout against Trillick, Tyrone star Lee Brennan the unlucky one to miss as the Fermanagh champions set up an Ulster club SFC semi-final against Kilcoo in two weeks time.

World Cup demands deprive both Munster and Ospreys of the majority of their top players when they meet in the Guinness PRO14 at Musgrave Park tonight.

Leinster are calling this block of Guinness PRO14 games ‘Own the Jersey’ – and Caelan Doris intends to do so with the No 8 shirt.

Ireland prop Jack McGrath admits his World Cup omission has been “pretty painful” and one of the lowest points of his career.

Monaghan squeezed through to the second round of the All-Ireland SFC Qualifier series with a nervy four-point win over a dogged Fermanagh side at Clones.

Donegal wriggled free of Fermanagh’s blanket of stubborn defensive resistance to find the spaces at a claustrophobic Brewster Park and pick off sublime second half scores on their way to the Ulster SFC semi-finals.

Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra, Rathmore, survived a stunning comeback from Ashbourne Community School to edge out a thrilling All-Ireland Post-Primary Schools SBFC semi-final at Waterford IT on Saturday.

Meath 2-12 Fermanagh 0-11

Rory Gallagher isn’t shying away from it. Five games into a division they were favourites to be relegated from, unbeaten Fermanagh took another big step towards a fairytale promotion at Brewster Park yesterday and their manager isn’t blinking at the bright lights ahead.

Ryan Lyons scored the only two points of the final 20 minutes to guide Fermanagh to their first victory of this league campaign against a woefully below-par Kildare side at Brewster Park on Saturday.

Liam McGrath pointed a 40-metre free five minutes into additional-time to gain Tipperary their first point after a hectic finish to an otherwise rather poor tie at Semple Stadium yesterday.

It was glass-half-full time for both managers after a hotly contested equalising score by Conall Jones with the last kick of the game salvaged a point for Fermanagh against 14-man Cork in Enniskillen.

A goal from Stuart Lowndes on 54 minutes proved decisive, as Dunboyne captured the Meath SFC for the first time since 2005 at Páirc Tailteann yesterday.

Joey Carbery may not be happy to take the late hits but if it frees up a teammate then he will continue to endure the pain for the Munster cause.

Donegal sucked all the energy and drama out of Ulster final day on Sunday afternoon, strolling to a 12-point win against a Fermanagh side that never looked capable of mounting the challenge needed to upset the odds.

Fermanagh 0-12 Armagh 0-7: Where to now for Armagh and the five-year revolution under Kieran McGeeney after this limp, uninspiring, and naive performance, during which they went an entire hour without scoring from play?

The loss of inspirational skipper Rory Best for tomorrow afternoon’s PRO14 shoot-out against the Ospreys at the Kingspan Stadium (kick-off, 3.05pm) will hit Ulster hard, particularly with Ireland lock Iain Henderson also sidelined.

Ulster start rookie tight-head Ross Kane against a fired-up Ospreys at the Kingspan Stadium this evening.

OSPREYS 32 LEINSTER 18: Leinster limped back into Dublin late on Saturday night having fluffed their lines in their dress-rehearsal for the Champions Cup quarter-final with Saracens and licking their wounds after a mauling by the Ospreys.

Fermanagh 0-7 - Armagh 07: A point each gives plenty to both teams. Armagh go up, after two seasons in the third division, while Fermanagh have to wait the outcome of a winner-takes all battle, on the final day of the season, away to Longford.

Fermanagh moved up to second place in the Division Three standings — just behind leaders Armagh on score difference — followed their win over a dogged Sligo (0-13 to 0-8) at Markievicz Park.

Munster face their first serious test of the new season when they travel to Swansea’s Liberty Stadium todayto face the Ospreys in the third round of the Guinness PRO14.

Ireland’s summer debutant John Cooney will start his third successive game when Ulster tackle a star-studded Scarlets outfit on an emotional night at Ravenhilll (kick-off, 7.35pm).

Carlow booked their place in tomorrow’s qualifier draw after edging a dour defensive battle with London at Ruislip.

The Dubs will be a different story altogether in the decider.

Owen Mulligan’s London debut ended in disappointment as Leitrim escaped from McGovern Park with a narrow victory.

Fermanagh 0-19 Wexford 1-11: Fermanagh boss Pete McGrath has called for a repeat of the second-half performance that condemned Wexford to a five-point qualifier defeat at Innovate Wexford Park on Saturday.

Donegal 2-12 Fermanagh 0-11: Since emerging as a force five years ago Donegal have often demonstrated the ability to win games in devastating spells, and they did so again yesterday — this time with 14 men — to swat Fermanagh aside in Ballybofey.

Fermanagh 1-12 Antrim 0-9: The first championship game of summer is not the worst time of year to win ugly and, after toiling to an unconvincing preliminary round win over Antrim yesterday, Fermanagh will feel the only way is up.