Last chance saloon for Donegal and Leitrim in Ladies Senior football relegation play-off

There's a relegation clash on Saturday, while eight counties will have Croke Park firmly in their sights in Sunday’s ladies football action.  

Ava Walsh of Donegal in action against Clara English of Tipperary. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Eight counties will have Croke Park firmly in their sights in Sunday’s ladies football action.  

In the TG4 Junior semi-finals, Antrim take on Sligo while Louth face Longford in a Clones double-header.

In the Intermediate grade, Laois and Monaghan will battle it out for a final slot when they meet in Longford, as Tyrone and Westmeath prepare to lock horns in Carrick-on-Shannon.

Laois and Monaghan are both former All-Ireland Senior champions hoping to recapture past glories.

Westmeath were Intermediate champions last in 2021, while Tyrone are aiming for their first Intermediate crown title since 2018.

Of the junior semi-finalists, Antrim are the most recent winners, in 2022, while Louth were champions in 2019, and finalists last year. Longford were winners last in 2016, while Sligo’s one and only Junior title was achieved in 2006.

Already this year, Longford and Louth met in the TG4 provincial championship in April, when a couple of late points from captain Áine Breen secured victory for Louth, who went on to land the title.

Form has remained good throughout the All-Ireland series, with Louth claiming four victories from four outings to top Group A, as Longford qualified in second place behind Antrim in Group B.

Before that double bill, Donegal and Leitrim meet in a Senior Championship relegation play-off on Saturday in Tubbercurry. The winners of that game will play Senior Championship football again in 2026, with the losers relegated to the Intermediate ranks.

Leitrim were TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate champions last year and will be keen to avoid dropping down. Donegal, meanwhile, have been a senior force since capturing the TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate title in 2010.

Both counties have already had chances to stay afloat but they lost out in provincial derbies, Donegal to Armagh and Leitrim to Mayo.

Following a ten-point loss to Armagh, Donegal make one change, with Eva Gallagher replacing Aoife McDermott in the inside forward line.

The Leitrim team that lost out to Mayo by seven points also shows one change for this do-or-die clash, with Aoife Gilmartin coming in for Muireann Devaney up front.

All five games will be live-streamed on the Spórt TG4 YouTube channel.