GAA previews: Everything you need to know ahead of a busy weekend of hurling and football action
CRUNCH TIME: Derry manager Mickey Harte. Pic:Â Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
These two smell so much blood but they don’t know if it’s theirs or the other. It will be a small comfort to Westmeath to know that two results will see them through to the last 12 although a team that has lost three teams making that stage is an insult to the championship and not surprisingly it is set to be ditched for 2025. Westmeath did show patches of promise against Galway last day out and will fancy themselves to catch Derry as their three previous opponents have but there remains the bones of a good team in the Division 1 champions. They can squeeze out a first championship win. : Derry.
Another game between two teams yet to pick up a win in the round-robin stages and for Roscommon they have to go back to February for their last victory. Enda Smith is not in the form that won him an All-Star last year and that is a worry but so too is how leaky their defence has become. Cavan were dismal going down to Dublin in their previous outing but they will surely summon a performance to remain in the championship. Roscommon, though, can extend their season for at least another week. : Roscommon.
Cork sure won’t be short of support in Tullamore and they will need encouragement if they are to follow up that excellent win over Donegal with another result against a Division 1 side. We’ve written here before and will do again – Cork are an incredibly settled team and the benefits are being realised. Their pace and panache will give Tyrone problems although the Ulster men looked pretty mean in seeing off Clare so soon after their no-show in Ballybofey. The combination of the Canavans and experience of Mattie Donnelly and Kieran McGeary who are both on song at the moment is potent and can deliver Tyrone a win. : Tyrone.
It would have been an extremely long journey back for Donegal from Cork last Saturday week. The one-week turnaround from the Tyrone game undoubtedly affected the Ulster champions but Jim McGuinness won’t be looking for excuses and here they will look to pile on the points against Clare in the hope that score difference can see them (+5) leapfrog Cork (+4) and Tyrone (+7) to finish in top spot should Tyrone beat Cork. Not so much about players and management relations but the chatter around Clare football in the last couple of weeks hasn’t been positive. : Donegal.
OisÃn McConville’s Wicklow gave a good account of themselves in the league opener back in January and have recently rediscovered some of the form that saw them beat Westmeath and run Kildare so close in Leinster. Anything but a Down victory in Newry though would come as a surprise. : Down.
The wheel is slowly beginning to turn back in Limerick’s favour. They head to Sligo with three consecutive wins behind them and a forward line that have put together some handsome scores. That being said, Sligo’s attack carries more of a threat and will likely be the difference in the end. : Sligo.
Fermanagh are the dark horses in this competition and looked a formidable outfit in the group stages. They have shown they can win in different kinds of ways and this is unlikely to be a shoot-out like their game against Laois. Antrim themselves were scoring for fun in seeing off London but this should be a cagier affair that will go in favour of the home side. : Fermanagh.
Offaly captain Jason Sampson made the point during the week that this is a game the team are looking forward to as opposed to last year when they were facing Tipperary a week after losing out to Carlow in extra-time. Whether that attitude will be reflected in their performance is questionable, though. Cork mean business with nearly a full strength side and are determined to bring the heat they generated from the wins over Limerick and Tipperary into an All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin. Of course, it’s a case of not if they win but how much yet Pat Ryan will be looking for them to emulate the intense work ethic that powered their recovery in Munster. : Cork.
Laois can look back on a fine McDonagh Cup campaign that bodes well for next season and if they aren’t feeling too sorry for themselves they can make things awkward for Wexford. The absence of Liam Ryan does devalue the Wexford defence and the hope will be it’s precautionary ahead of facing Clare. Really, it’s all about taking care of the win with minimal fuss for Wexford. They were hard done by on a couple of occasions in the Leinster SHC but they know there are areas for improvement. Lee Chin is in the form of his life and can guide them to the last six. : Wexford.
Tipperary
Armagh came out the right side of a battle against Meath last week and will build on it with another win. : Armagh.
Kerry will be disappointed to have been held by Donegal and need the victory in Killarney and it will come their way. : Kerry.
Cork were far too good for Laois and finding their shooting boots will come in handy for this encounter, which should be more of a contest. : Cork.
It was an attritional opener for Mayo as they looked to frustrate Dublin. They can express themselves more in Ballina. ; Mayo.
This same fixture last year ended up costly Galway dearly. They lost their automatic All-Ireland quarter-final spot and they desperately fielded an unfit Seán Kelly in the preliminary defeat to Galway. Armagh didn’t exactly make the most of their qualification but knowing they have the measure of Galway will give them a boost going to Sligo. Like most Kieran McGeeney teams, they have bounced back incredibly well for defeat although they face a Galway defence that proven to be extremely mean. If Damien Comer was fit, he would make the difference but these two might be inseparable at the end. : Draw.
After a couple of patchy performances against Louth and Roscommon, Dublin were always going to run riot when they faced Cavan and their superior score difference means a draw will be enough to finish first. If Mayo have done their homework, they will know that there are areas of concern for Dublin namely in their own half of the field. Lee Gannon’s absence will be felt the more this season winds down and Ciarán Kilkenny has yet to hit form too. That being said, Paddy Durcan’s injury robs Mayo of genuine quality and if Ryan O’Donoghue is subdued who is going to take on the scoring mantle? Dublin are more vulnerable than people think but Mayo mightn’t be the team to expose that. Dublin.
Going by the team he has named, Jack O’Connor is done with the squad rotation he has overseen over the previous three games. It would appear Kerry are treating this as a virtual knock-out game at the same time showing their respect to a Louth team who probably have two, if not three players with good shouts for All-Stars at the moment. Craig Lennon and Conor Grimes are in belting form and the latter presents the physical, pacy threat that Kerry have to keep tabs on. It would be fair to say some of the Kerry players have been playing within themselves thus far but their true identities should be revealed here. Louth won’t be steamrolled like they were in this clash 12 months ago but they will be beaten. : Kerry.
This would be an easy call in Monaghan’s favour if their confidence wasn’t so low. Picking up a point against Louth was a decent result considering they have been without a victory since that opening Division 1 game with Dublin in January. Meath were only about damage limitation when Kerry arrived in Navan last Sunday week but they will have to be more expansive to win and make the final 12. Monaghan have the better players and have been exposed to stronger opposition but they will have to fully believe in their capabilities to win. : Monaghan Tailteann Cup quarter-final.
An appetising Leinster derby between two counties who haven’t been without their problems at times this year. Kildare’s approach to the secondary competition has been applaudable and they appear to have strike a balance in the team. Laois will fancy the upset and if this game came in the province they would have a real chance of pulling it off but this should be a Kildare win. Verdict: Kildare.
Kilkenny v Clare, FBD Semple Stadium 1pm (C. Cunning, Antrim)
: Kilkenny
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