Courtesy of well-taken goals by Matthew Tierney and Enda Smith, Connacht gained an early stranglehold in this game – the fourth and final contest to be played at GAA HQ this weekend under the proposed new rules for Gaelic football.

Ulster remained in contention throughout the opening period thanks in no small part to a combined haul of 0-7 from Darren McCurry and Niall Grimley, but with goalkeeper Connor Gleeson, Aidan O’Shea and Diarmuid Murtagh among those to find the target, Connacht led by four points at half-time.

Single efforts by Rian O’Neill and Kieran McGeary either side of an Aidan Forker two-pointer edged Ulster in front in the early moments of the second half, only for Diarmuid Murtagh to spectacularly fire home a third Connacht goal on 37 minutes.

However, Ulster eventually responded with a goal of their own from Ross McQuillan, and with O’Neill also knocking over a couple of magnificent two-pointers, Kieran Donnelly’s northerners were four clear inside the closing quarter.

Tierney and Odhran Murdock found the net at either end in a frantic finale, but just when it looked like Ulster were going to hold out for a narrow win, Johnny Heaney struck his second two-point score to force the game into a penalty shootout.

It remained exceedingly difficult to separate these sides with Connacht’s Enda Smith and Ulster star Murdock, incredibly, being the only ones to find the net off the opening 10 attempts from the spot. Yet Smith couldn’t find the target from his second effort after the shootout moved into sudden death and it was then left for Down’s Murdock to to determine the outcome with a smooth finish.

Scorers – Ulster: R O’Neill 0-8 (2 2p, 1f); D McCurry 0-5 (2f); N Grimley 0-3; A Forker 0-3 (1 2p); R McQuillan, O Murdock 1-0 each; C Kilpatrick 0-2; K McGeary, M Bradley 0-1 each. Connacht: M Tierney 2-1; D Murtagh 1-2 (0-1f); J Heaney 0-5 (2 2p); E Smith 1-1; C Gleeson 0-2 (‘45’); D Smith (f), A O’Shea, J Carney, C Murtagh 0-1 each.

Ulster: N Morgan; D Baker, P Faulkner, P Burns; D Guinness, A Forker, E McEvoy; N Grimley, C Kilpatrick; D O Baoill, R O’Neill, C Thompson; O Murdock, O Conaty, D McCurry. Subs: J McElroy, M Bradley, S McNally, O O’Neill, N Toner, G Smith, B McBennett, A Clarke, E McElholm, R McQuillan, P Havern, M Jordan, P McGrane, R McCaffrey, K McGeary.

Connacht: C Gleeson; J McGrath, B Stack, S Mulkerrin; C McDaid, J Daly, E McLoughlin; J Carney, J Maher; M Tierney, B McNulty, E Smith; D Murtagh, A O’Shea, P Towey. Subs: C Carroll, B Tuohy, D Cregg, R Fallon, M Diffley, J Heaney, S Cunnane, U Harney, C Cox, D Smith, C Murtagh, D Duffy, F Boland, P Spillane, L Gallagher, C Lally, D Rooney, S Brosnan, S Rafter, J Grace.

Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).

Eager to make up for their heavy defeat at the hands of Connacht in the same venue on Friday, Leinster stormed four points clear during the early moments of the contest, with unanswered points from Kevin Feely (free), Paddy Small and Ciarán Kilkenny (two).

It got even better for Dessie Dolan’s side in the seventh minute as Small’s older brother John broke forward from defence to clinically secure a four-point goal.

Additional scores from Feely, Ciarán Byrne, Eoin Murchan and Ciarán Downey either side of the first-quarter mark gave Leinster a commanding 1-8 to 0-0 lead before their opponents finally got up and running with a two-point free from Killian Spillane.

The Kerry attacker and Brian McNamara did their utmost to keep the scoreboard ticking over, but thanks to a point each courtesy of Ray Connellan, Byrne, Feely and Paddy Small, Leinster were 10 ahead moving into the second half.

While Leinster initially remained on top after the resumption with points from Daniel Flynn and Paddy Small, Munster were galvanised by a 35th-minute goal courtesy of Chris Óg Jones.

Points either side of this effort by Spillane (four), Emmet McMahon and Jones suddenly reduced the gap to two and even though Feely and Darren Gallagher eased some pressure off Leinster’s shoulders, Ian Maguire and Spillane kept Munster in touch heading into the final quarter.

It became somewhat stop-start in the closing moments of a game played under the proposed rule changes for Gaelic football, but Munster managed to cut the gap to a bare minimum when Jones lashed over on 53 minutes. However, Leinster subsequently dug deep and ultimately got over the line with late points from Mark Barry, Ronan Wallace and Dean Healy.

Scorers – Leinster: K Feely 0-4 (2f); P Small 0-3; J Small 1-0; C Kilkenny 0-2 (1f), C Byrne 0-2 each; R Connellan, C Downey, E Murchan, D Flynn, D Gallagher, M Barry, R Wallace, D Healy 0-1 each. Munster: K Spillane 0-9 (2 2p f, 1 1p f); C Óg Jones 1-2; B McNamara 0-2 (2p f); E McMahon, I Maguire 0-1 each.

Leinster: S Cluxton; E Porter, D Keoghan, E Murchan; R Wallace, D Howard, J Small; R Connellan, J McCarthy; C Byrne, C Kilkenny, S Bugler; P Small, K Feely, C Downey. Subs: M Bambrick, M Barry, P Cunningham, R Dunphy, D Flynn, D Gallagher, D Healy, R Houlihan, K Roche, R Jones, P Kingston, C Lennon, E O’Carroll, L Pearson, K Quinn.

Munster: J Ryan; M Shanley, J Feehan, D Burke; D Cashman, T Morley, M Taylor; S Walsh, C O’Callaghan; I Maguire, E Cleary, E McMahon; A Griffin, C Og Jones, K Spillane. Subs: C Kelly, S Meehan, S O’Dea, C Walsh, T Walsh, A Sweeney, D Ryan, M Stokes, C O Currin, D O’Connor, B McNamara, P Walsh, J Naughton, D Neville, D Brennan, D O’Sullivan.

After Ulster had stormed four points clear early on with unanswered efforts from Joe McElroy, Darren McCurry, Ciaran Thompson and Odhran Murdock, Munster finally responded with a white flag score by Killian Spillane.

The energetic northerners bolstered their tally with points courtesy of Rian O’Neill and Daire O Baoill, before Emmet McMahon split the uprights to leave Munster four adrift at the end of the first quarter. While the experimental rules around scoring weren’t showcased in the opening 15 minutes, that subsequently changed when goalkeeper Niall Morgan got forward to kick a two-pointer from play in between singles by Eoin McElholm and McElroy.

McCurry and Armagh midfielder Niall Grimley found the range for the northern province after Darragh Brennan had scored at the opposite end, but Munster gained a new lease of life when a scrambled goal from Sean Walsh was followed by a Chris Og Jones point.

Yet despite Spillane adding a two-point free, the boots of Mark Bradley and Daniel McGuinness had Ulster leading 0-14 to 1-6 at half-time.

This left John Cleary’s side just four behind under the new rules and their deficit was cut to the bare minimum thanks to points from Jones, Spillane and Ian Maguire on the restart. However, Ulster fired back with scores by Oisin O’Neill, Bradley and Grimley, and they then created significant daylight in the final-quarter with a successful Kieran McGeary free and a Grimley two-pointer.

Aaron Griffin and Ulster’s Pat Havern traded scores as the final whistle approached, and although skipper Diarmuid O’Connor produced a 1-1 salvo in the closing moments, Marc Jordan and Niall Toner kicked late points at the opposite end to leave Munster facing into a shield final against Leinster on Saturday.

SCORERS

Ulster: N Grimley 0-4 (2 pt), N Morgan 0-2 (2 pt), D McCurry 0-2 (f), M Bradley, J McElroy 0-2 each, N Toner (f), P Havern (f), K McGeary (f), D Guinness, D O Baoill, C Thompson, R O’Neill, O O’Neill, E McElholm, M Jordan, O Murdock.

Munster: D O’Connor 1-1, K Spillane 0-4 (2 pt f, 1 pt f), S Walsh 1-0, C Og Jones 0-2, E McMahon, A Griffin, D Brennan, I Maguire 0-1 each.

ULSTER: N Morgan; D Baker, E McEvoy, P Burns; D Guinness, A Forker, D O Baoill; N Grimley, O Murdock; J McElroy, R O’Neill, C Thompson; O Conaty, D McCurry, E McElholm.

Subs: S McNally, O O’Neill, N Toner, P Faulkner, G Smith, B McBennett, A Clarke, R McQuillan, P Havern, M Jordan, P McGrane, R McCaffrey, K McGeary, M Bradley, C Kilpatrick.

MUNSTER: C Kelly; S Meehan, J Feehan, D Burke; A Sweeney, T Walsh, M Taylor; D O’Connor, B McNamara; J Naughton, E Cleary, E McMahon; D Neville, C Og Jones, K Spillane.

Subs: J Ryan, S O’Dea, M Shanley, C Walsh, T Morley, D Cashman, D Ryan, M Stokes, C O Currin, C O’Callaghan, S Walsh, P Walsh, A Griffin, D Brennan, D O’Sullivan, I Maguire.

Referee: B Tiernan (Dublin).

In the first of four games being played at the Jones’s Road venue this weekend to trial potential rule changes for Gaelic football, Mayo duo O’Shea and Jack Carney created a slice of history by registering a four-point goal and a two-point score from play in the second and 12th minutes respectively.

Corner-forwards Daire Cregg and Diarmuid Murtagh had recorded a brace of white-flag efforts prior to the latter score, and while Kevin Quinn finally got Leinster up and running, Murtagh and O’Shea also found the target from long distance to move Connacht into a 13-point lead as the first of four quarters came to an end at GAA HQ.

Despite Dublin duo Paddy Small and Ciarán Kilkenny kicking fine points for Leinster on the resumption, a variety of scores from Fergal Boland, goalkeeper Connor Gleeson, Donie Smith and Conor Cox left Connacht 18 points in front at the interval and in complete control.

Another experimental rule was on display at the start of the second half when Small split the uprights after opting for a ‘solo and go’ from an attacking free, but a goal at the opposite end by Leitrim’s McNulty helped Pádraic Joyce’s men to reinforce their authority.

While Louth star Ciarán Byrne did his utmost to get Leinster back into the reckoning with a four-point haul in as many minutes, Connacht kept the scoreboard ticking over through Cox and Sligo’s Cian Lally.

This left Connacht with an unassailable 19-point advantage heading into the final quarter, and even though the tireless Byrne rattled the net for Leinster during this period, Murtagh and London’s Gallagher raised green flags to ensure the western province emerged as emphatic winners.

SCORERS – Connacht: A O’Shea 1-3 (2pt); B McNulty 1-1 (1f); C Murtagh, L Gallagher 1-0 each; D Murtagh 0-4 (2pt, 1f); F Boland 0-3 (2pt); C Gleeson (2pt f), J Carney (2pt), D Cregg (1f), C Cox 0-2 each; D Smith (f), C Lally 0-1 each. Leinster: C Byrne 1-4 (2pt); K Quinn (2pt), P Small 0-2 each; K Feely, C Kilkenny, E Porter 0-1 each.

CONNACHT: C Gleeson; J McGrath, B Stack, S Mulkerrin; C McDaid, J Daly, E McLoughlin; J Carney, J Maher; M Tierney, B Tuohy, E Smith; D Murtagh, A O’Shea, D Cregg. Subs: C Carroll, R Fallon, M Diffley, J Heaney, S Cunnane, U Harney, B McNulty, C Cox, D Smith, C Murtagh, D Duffy, F Boland, P Spillane, C Lally, L Gallagher.

LEINSTER: S Cluxton; C Lennon, M Bambrick, E Murchan; J Small, R Wallace, J McCarthy; R Connellan, D Healy; C Downey, C Kilkenny, B Howard; M Barry, D Flynn, K Quinn. Subs: K Roche, S Bugler, C Byrne, P Cunningham, R Dunphy, K Feely, D Gallagher, R Houlihan, R Jones, D Keoghan, P Kingston, E O’Carroll, L Pearson, E Porter, P Small.

REF: M McNally (Monaghan)