Weekend previews

A look at all the weekend's senior hurling and football championship games with team news and analysis.

Saturday/NHL Division Three final replay - Mayo v Monaghan, Markievicz Park, 3.30

Sunday

LEINSTER SHC - Preliminary round

Meath v Laois, Navan, 2.00 - Although they competed in different divisions, it is the newly-crowned Division Two winners who have the greater momentum against a Meath team that lost its top-level status. Laois's win over Antrim last week was impressively measured as they rode out the early storm and gradually overhauled the Ulster side. Laois make two changes from Thurles with Robbie Delaney and Fran Keenan who came on a substitute last week coming in for Peter Brady and Brian Ferns. Meath have one vacancy and are waiting on the fitness of Anton O'Neill at left corner forward. There was a huge gap between the teams last year and that rather than Meath's Walsh Cup win over the same opposition is likely to be more relevant.

MEATH: M Gannon; P Gannon, P Donnelly, G Kennedy; C Keena, D Murray, K Dowd; N Horan, D Callaghan; T Reilly, D Dorran, M Cole; E Lynam, C Sheridan, AN Other.

LAOIS: J Lyons; PJ Peacock, N Rigney, L Mahon; P Mahon, P Drennan, M McEvoy; D Conroy, R Delaney; F Keenan, J O'Shea, D Rooney; D Culleton, D Cuddy, J Phelan.

Westmeath v Dublin, Mullingar, 2.30 - Some controversy attended the venue for this. Last weekend Nicky Brennan was at pains to point out that the Leinster Council hadn't decided to play two championship matches involving Westmeath at separate venues, but that the county hurlers were insisting on home venue for the Dublin match rather than appear on the undercard in Portlaoise. It shouldn't make much difference, although Dublin looked very dozy against Derry in the releagtion play-off last month and enter this match having to improvise the free-taking with David Curtin injured. At least it was a Division One play-off. Westmeath were involved in the Division two equivalent. Up until the Kilkenny mauling, Dublin had looked more confident this year. It would be a 24-carat disaster were Kevin Fennelly's team to lose this and they hardly will.

DUBLIN (SHC v Westmeath): B McLoughlin; P Brennan, S Perkins, D O'Reilly; K Ryan, L Ryan, S Hiney; C Keaney, C Meehan; D Sweeney, D Spain, S Martin; K Flynn, G Ennis, P O'Donoghue

ULSTER SHC - First round

Down v London, Casement Park, 3.30 - Down are on a bit of an upswing, but that will hardly matter in what will in all likelihood be one of this year's top three least competitive fixtures.

LEINSTER SFC - First round replay

Louth v Longford, Navan, 3.45 - Considering they were understrength with Niall Sheridan failing a fitness test, Longford surprised general expectation with the quality of their play for the first hour last week. Louth, with their tailored fitness programme, certainly came good in the end and will be forewarned tomorrow (although given that they lost to Longford last year, forewarning doesn't seem to work). Paddy Carr has shuffled his deck and brings back the experienced Cathal O'Hanlon at full forward. Sheridan, who came on as a substitute last week, is deemed fit again, so he returns for Longford also at full forward and David Blesington reverts to his best position at centre back. Longford's attack looks capable enough with Paul Barden and Padraig Davis providing the rapier to Sheridan's broadsword. But Louth ought to have learned enough to survive.

LONGFORD: G Tonra; S Carroll, D Ledwith, F Coyle; C Conefrey, D Blessington, E Ledwith; C Keogh, E Barden; T Smullen, P Barden, R Clyne; D Barden, N Sheridan, P Davis.

LOUTH: S Reynolds; A Page, A Hoey, D Brennan; S Gerard, P McGinnity, J Neary; K Reilly, M Farrelly; AN Other, C Grimes, M Stanfield; O McDonnell, C O'Hanlon, JP Rooney.

LEINSTER SFC - First round Carlow v Westmeath, Portlaoise,

4.30 - Three years ago almost to the day the counties gave the country a chaotic introduction to the new system of punishing foul play and the deluge that descended on referee Niall Barrett convinced the GAA to take a more pro-active approach to defending referees. In the interim Westmeath have become celebrated for more conventional reasons, reaching the All-Ireland quarter-finals last year. The team was plagued by injury during the NFL and Ger Heavin isn't sufficiently recovered to start, but can be expected on at some stage. On last year's form Westmeath should be a shoo-in for this, but Carlow aren't as bad as their League record might suggest and have been playing well of late. Westmeath's own League season fell short at a higher level and wasn't entirely their fault. Luke Dempsey's injury list has been clearing up and the bulk of last year's team is available to implement the relentless action game that served them so well in 2001. It's very hard to see Carlow getting a foothold at centrefield and being able to put the necessary pressure on Westmeath.

CARLOW: J Clarke; J Hickey, B Farrell, A Corden; J Kavanagh, S O'Brien, J Hayden; P Kiernan, G Ware; M Carpenter, W Quinlan, S Kavanagh; T Walsh, J Nevin, B Kelly. Subs: P McGrath, K Kelly, M Drea, J Byrne, J McGrath, A Bowe, B Carbery, K Walker, M Dowling, A Corcoran, D Barcoe, S Myers, C Byrne.

WESTMEATH: A Lennon; D Healy, D Mitchell, F Murray; B Morley, P Conway, J Keane; R O'Connell, D O'Shaugnessy; K Ryan, M Flanagan, S Colleary; J Fallon, D Dolan, JP Casey. Subs: G Connaughton, J Davitt, D Heavin, G Heavin, M Ennis, D Murphy, A Mangan, D Brady, V Gavin, K Burke.

MUNSTER SFC - First round

Limerick v Kerry, Gaelic Grounds, 3.30 - Limerick may have done themselves a disservice by beating Kerry in the League - a result that will leave Kerry even more cautious than usual. Páidí Ó Sé will be interested to see how his debutants Seamus Scanlon and Colm Cooper get on in their first championship outing. Scanlon partners captain Darragh Ó Sé and should have his credentials examined by Limerick's very experienced John Quane - the only survivor of the team that gave Kerry a terrible rattle in 1991 and '92 - and basketballer John Galvin. This is a fixture that Kerry have won easily in recent years and Limerick's curate's egg of a League season doesn't suggest that Liam Kearns's promising young team is ready yet to compete at this sort of level.

KERRY: D O'Keefe; M O Se, S Moynihan, M McCarthay; T O Se, E Fitzmaurice, T O'Sullivan; D O Se (capt), S Scanlon; A MacGearailt, N Kennelly, E Brosnan; MF Russell, J Crowley, C Cooper. Subs: D Murphy, J Sheehan, L Hassett, D O'Cineide, D Daly, S O'Sullivan, I Twiss, F Kelliher, M Lyons.

LIMERICK: S O'Donnell; S Lavin, D Sheehy, T Stack; D Reidy, S Lucey, C Mullane; J Galvin, J Quane; P Ahern, M Gavin, S Kelly; M Reidy, J Stokes, AN Other.

Waterford v Clare, Dungarvan, 3.30 - It's normally fatal to the chances of a surprise to have too many people talking it up. Waterford have gone more than a decade without a championship win, but former Cork dual player Denis Walsh has reinvigorated them a bit whereas Clare finally lost their seat in Division One. Waterford are much changed with seven championship debutants and only five survivors of their defeat by the opposition two years ago. Clare footballers have been debilitated by retirement and withdrawal. This could be hair-raising for them, but at least they'll be ready.

WATERFORD: P Houlihan; M Crotty, M Fitzgerald, B Wall; T Dunphy, M Ahearn, Hearne; D Kirwan, K O'Keeffe; C Power, R Power, L Dalton; M Walsh, S Walsh, R Hennessy.

CLARE: F Maguire; P Gallagher, N Hawes, D Lyne; M O'Connell, D O'Sullivan, P Smyth; B Considine, G Quinlan; D O'Driscoll, D Russell, S Hickey; AN Other, P Hehir, M O'Shea.

ULSTER SFC- Preliminary round

Monaghan v Fermanagh, Clones, 6.45 - This was the fixture that collapsed Fermanagh's season a year ago. There's as little reason to believe

that Monaghan can win this as there was 12 months ago. Jack McCarville's team have spent a mediocre season in Division Two of the League whereas Fermanagh were again comfortable in Division One. Stephen Maguire is back after lengthy injury, but otherwise both sides show significant changes since last year. Fermanagh welcome back Raymond Gallagher, who missed last year, but Shane King has transferred to Down. Fermanagh will need a better display from centrefield than last year when Monaghan's Jason Hughes was the star turn. If that can be achieved, the Gallaghers, Tom Brewster and Maguire should ensure that his time the favourites deliver.

MONAGHAN: S Duffy, P McKenna, D McDermott, C Flanagan, G McQuaid, A Rooney, D Clerkin, J Hughes, E Lennon, JP Malone, R Woods, J McElroy, D Freeman, R Ronaghan, T Freeman.

FERMANAGH: D Feeley, B Owens, P McGuinness, M Lilley, S McDermott, J Gilheany, N Cox, M Greene, P Brewster, R Johnston, S Maguire, T Brewster, Raymond Gallagher, C Bradley, Rory Gallagher.