Football previews: Rossies to take down Dubs but no separating Donegal and Galway
Roscommon’s Daire Cregg celebrates. Pic: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Does last weekend’s win over Kildare suggest the fortunes of Dermot McCabe and Cavan have changed? Louth would argue their own victory over Tyrone indicates they are back on track after two successive defeats. It’s a difficult one to call but Louth appear a little more capable of grinding out a result and moving away from the drop zone. : Louth.
It doesn’t get any easier for Offaly. Mickey Harte could be forgiven for thinking all his former teams are coming back to haunt him. Lose here and that will complete the trifecta. Cormac Egan admitted they let down their travelling supporters with their offering in Derry. They can do themselves more justice but the win is beyond them against a stung Tyrone side. : Tyrone.
There’s no question Meath were harshly done by in the closing stages of the Cork game but Robbie Brennan might be thankful for the hype train slowing down a little. The early optimism about Kildare’s chances in this division has been dampened by back-to-back losses. With so much youth, it’s understandable they still look a team uncertain of themselves. On that count, Meath are further down the road. : Meath.
Not that scoring difference should be a factor for Down as they look to cement their promotion but they could rack up a score here. Even if it is another Ulster side, Fermanagh haven’t shown that they deserve to be in Division 3. : Down.
Laois’s inconsistency is the reason they find themselves in seventh position. One week, they beat high-fliers Wexford. The next, they go down to Clare. Westmeath’s only defeat was to the team above them, Down, and a second reverse looks unlikely on this occasion. Verdict: Westmeath.
The carrot is obvious here – the victors will move away from relegation trouble and at least keep their hopes alive of squeezing into the top two. The losers’s fate becomes a lot more uncertain. In Rathkeale, Limerick have given two solid performances thus far and a third one may be enough to earn them a second victory. Verdict: Limerick.
Beating Leitrim was a much-needed shot in the arm for Antrim but Wicklow have been moving well since being edged out by Carlow and they can remain in second place. : Wicklow.
Cork v Waterford, Páirc Ui Rinn, 7.35pm (E. O’Neill): Cork will take a lot of heart from their double-score victory over Kerry. Waterford also beat The Kingdom and have a string of strong displays heading to Ballintemple but Cork to win. : Cork.
Meath can stay in the conversation for a final place by seeing off lowly Kildare. Verdict: Meath.
Monaghan won’t be just the great survivors if they get out of this tight spot: they’ll be miracle workers. Mayo had their fun in the closing stages in Clones and this long trip comes at the worst time for Gabriel Bannigan’s weakened side. Kerry themselves have yet to give a convincing display at home. The visit of Mayo in a couple of weeks will be a better test but two points won’t be enough here. Finishing a game with gusto after the Roscommon, Galway and Dublin fadeouts will be required too. : Kerry.
Kieran McGeeney’s affability after the Donegal defeat was a sign of a manager either not entirely bothered by recent form or one who has been around the block so long now that he can take the rough with the smooth. There is certainly rough at the moment, as competitive as they have been. Beating Dublin in Croke Park next month may be enough to stay up but it still leaves a lot to chance. They can summon a display to take something from Castlebar. Mayo are exciting but Donegal showed they can be pinned down. : Draw.
Donegal selector Neil McGee wasn’t afraid to state Donegal are aiming for the league. And yet Jim McGuinness hasn’t gone that far. In his time, the only league finals he has made were in Division 2 because they were the byproduct of promotion. Donegal are more than safe now and they may taper off a little before building back up again. Galway will sure hope Donegal don’t have league final aspirations as points are more valuable to them at the present time. : Draw.
That defeat in Killarney on day one would have affected other teams but Roscommon have built from it. As Donie Smith said during the week, few teams get a better new manager bounce than them and Mark Dowd’s start has been impressive. Hyde Park is not a place Dublin teams should fear but they are low in confidence and when are expected to be without Con O’Callaghan (hamstring) their odds drop significantly. : Roscommon.
During Conor Counihan’s time in charge, Cork would relish these trips north and even if Ian Maguire is suspended this current crop of John Cleary’s has plenty of reason to make the long journey with belief. Next to Cork, Derry are the form team in Division 2 having put that Round 1 defeat to Meath behind them. Cork’s two-point abilities give them a chance but Derry can join them on eight points. : Derry.
The early spark in Wexford’s showings has been put out by the Limerick and Down defeats. Sligo have presented a mixed bag too and a share of the spoils is a possible outcome. Verdict: Draw.
Waterford are one of the teams London would have targeted for a win at the outset of the competition. Both shipped trimmings last weekend but London can bring their points total to five. Verdict: London.
Longford have reacted well to losing to London but this is an ambitious Carlow team they host. Win here and Carlow could be close to untouchable at the top. Verdict: Carlow.
Steven Poacher will want a reaction from Leitrim after a somewhat surprising home loss to Antrim. Thurles being unavailable again to the footballers is a sour one for Niall Fitzgerald but they can set up a de facto promotion semi-final against Wicklow in Round 6. : Tipperary.
If Kildare are going down, one of these is likely to join them. Fewer teams are suffering more from absentees than Armagh and Dublin. The visitors have been through tougher scrapes. : Dublin.
Not making a league final won’t end the world for Kerry but their form has been decidedly patchy, whereas Galway look like they mean business. : Galway.
Cavan can consolidate their first place spot with a fourth victory. Verdict: Cavan.
With only one point separating them in third and second place respectively, the result here could have a major say in the promotion battle. Verdict: Donegal.
Each side have just one win on the board. Westmeath to shade it. Verdict: Westmeath.
Wexford will required a lot of digging to get out of their hole they’re in. Verdict: Tyrone.
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