Weekend previews: Louth with the chance to dump Kerry out of the championship
TOP FORM REQUIRED: Sam Mulroy of Louth celebrates. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
If this is Colm Collins’ final bow as Clare manager, may his charges make it a memorable one for him. The only team to exit the championship, Clare did so after a commendable performance against Monaghan. Derry need the victory to help avoid a preliminary quarter-final and have the composure to achieve it. : Derry.
There were reasons for optimism in Donegal’s display against Derry but ultimately they were too porous and the scoreline was justified. Paddy McBrearty should see more game-time here as Donegal fight for a home preliminary quarter-final berth but Monaghan have looked a step above them in their two showings in this group. : Monaghan.
Laois’ scoring threat has to be respected by Limerick but they have home advantage for a reason and now look a more formidable outfit with Iain Corbett back in the set-up. James Naughton is in fine fettle and Brian O’Donovan and Peter Nash aren’t too far behind him. : Laois.
Wexford have a pretty good record against Wexford in recent times and go to Navan with no inhibitions having dismissed Offaly on their own patch. At the same time, Meath have beaten a better team in Down to get to this point and can make the last four. : Meath.
Arguably the game of the competition thus far. Seeing as they only discovered they would be playing each other last Monday, it might not have the build-up of an Ulster SFC clash but there is plenty about it to be excited. Down are more of a work in progess than their opponents but they can do enough to push Cavan to the final whistle. : Cavan.
Craig Morgan, Jason Forde and Jake Morris make welcome returns to the Tipperary team although Cathal Barrett’s continued absence from the line-up is a worry. Offaly have had enough time to lick their wounds from the Joe McDonagh Cup final to go at this full tilt and should be a match for Tipperary in the opening quarter. But that stinging loss to Waterford and the words that followed it from management are sure to propel Tipperary and they can secure a quarter-final clash with Galway. : Tipperary.
There are still a few players in the Dublin panel who are wary of this stage after what Laois did to them in 2019. Carlow will be brimming with confidence and their aerial ability is bound to have consumed Micheál Donoghue’s thoughts these last couple of weeks. Dublin have the dynamism to see this one through and set up a clash against Clare but the slightest bit of complacency will be seized upon. : Dublin.
This year’s Division 2 finalists, Armagh pulled off eight consecutive wins in the league before Donegal surprised them in the Ulster final last month. That loss is unlikely to derail them and they can start their championship in style. : Armagh.
Donegal have a spring to forget but they won an Ulster title against the head and still have a few major names to take something out of this season. They might have to wait though as Waterford were solid in the league and can make the long trip worthwhile. : Draw.
A cracker of a game to start the championship as the league champions face a Dublin side who have built up plenty of hurt over the last couple of seasons. Not too much should be read into Kerry’s disappointment in Munster although they might have to make do with a share of the spoils here. : Draw.
Taking the scalp of Kerry in a Munster final was the perfect way for Cork to enter the All-Ireland series. They will travel to Salthill with momentum and Galway will be smarting having missed out on a provincial five-in-a-row. In the most open championship in years, these games are difficult to call but Galway can just about take the points. : Galway.
A difficult decision for Cork’s dual players as they are made to choose between the camogie side at home and the footballers in Galway. After losing to Galway first day out, Cork need points on the board and can pick them up here. : Cork.
Clare went about their work efficiently in Down in the opening round and will be competitive for good periods here. However, Galway already look to be the best candidates to top the table. : Galway.
It was a tough day out for Offaly against Waterford earlier this month and Antrim won’t be in charitable mood either as they look to set up what should be a top of the group clash with the Déise on July 1. : Antrim.
Other than the “dead rubber” Clare-Derry game, this is the only Sam Maguire Cup game not being televised or streamed this weekend. Bearing in mind Kerry could go out of the championship, Louth’s push against Mayo and Jack O’Connor and Mickey Harte meeting for only the third time in championship, it’s a strange call. Kerry might need to start taking a leaf out of Cork and Armagh’s book by keeping one or two of their better players on the bench to finish games for the substitutes’ list continue to look a mite bare even with Brian Ó Beaglaoich returning. Louth have the will to pull off one of the great shocks and good personnel both on the field and bench but if they play as open as they did against Dublin they will get rinsed. Their midfield might have an edge here but Kerry will be all business. : Kerry.
Kevin Walsh’s influence on this Cork team is clearly being seen, not just in their shape and discipline but first aiming to be hard to beat before being anything else. The problem is they don’t yet have that cutting edge and it will be difficult to demonstrate that when they are built to contain. Mayo could have spells here when they are frustrated but one glance at their bench and the solutions are there. Cork will likely keep Steven Sherlock in reserve once more but he might have to be sprung earlier than usual to give Cork another focal point upfront. Mayo to win but Cork to niggle at them. : Mayo.
For all the complaints that this game was too big for Carrick-on-Shannon, there were still tickets available at time of writing. The counties might say the venue was a put-off but the decision seems to be justified when Armagh and Galway were highlighting the large crowd they brought to Croke Park last year. That was a quarter-final, this isn’t even a final round qualifier. Armagh’s needs are greater here but Galway’s options have increased immensely in the past few months. It’s difficult to see the Ulster runners-up taking them down. : Galway.
Westmeath might be pointless but last year’s Tailteann Cup winners have given good accounts of themselves in the first two rounds. Tyrone are slowly but surely improving but there were jitters in how they eventually closed out the win over a 14-man Armagh side and Westmeath will look to bring those Tyrone doubts to the surface once more. All the same, with championship survival on the line Tyrone will be expected to be sticking around. : Tyrone
Fair play to Tony McEntee for acknowledging this is not a game Sligo can win but one they can compete in. Score difference could be crucial for the Connacht finalists here as they are just one point worse off than Kildare so Sligo will be looking to limit the damage. It’s not in McEntee’s make-up to go overly defensive but keeping the deficit down could have major advantages for a team many believed would be fodder. : Dublin.
A personal day for Davy Burke as he faces his native county and several men who he guided to an U20 All-Ireland title in 2018. Glen Ryan cut a frustrated figure following the defeat to Dublin when Kildare were only competitive for the opening quarter. Kildare are one of those teams in desperate need of a spark whereas Roscommon look far more certain of themselves and won’t feel the need to go chasing a big win to leapfrog Dublin if they hear of a large margin in Cavan. : Roscommon.
Andy McEntee’s work with Antrim since they exited the Ulster championship has been one of the unsung stories of this football summer. Carlow have a couple of much-needed wins behind them but the going might be too strong for them at the Belfast venue. : Antrim.
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