Gaelic games previews

The weekend's matches

Today

DIVISION ONE

For a side that lost to Dublin by just three points in last July’s qualifiers Armagh have since been left well in the slipstream of the Dubs’ new reputation.

Pat Gilroy has opted to try out Seán Murray at full back after the Brigid’s player’s encouraging January displays. Injury and club commitments require a whole new half-back line from last summer’s.

The supplemented defence was a success last year and it will be interesting to see if familiarity assists opponents in combating the tactic. For a team that needs to find auxiliary scorers to share the burden with Bernard Brogan, there’s not much new on display up front. Armagh’s McKenna Cup form was poor and Ronan Clarke won’t be ready for this but Rory Grugan is rewarded for some good January performances.

Former Mayo player Billy Joe Padden makes his league debut at centre forward and will hope to sharpen the team’s productivity on the breaks. A big evening with the reopening of the Athletic Grounds but the visitors can spoil it.

James Horan can’t be accused of not trialling enough players in the Connacht League and with his colleges’ contingent back picks a strong side for the visit of the All-Ireland finalists.

Cathal Hallinan comes in at full back and Jason Gibbons at centrefield. Mayo have to hit the ground running, as Down’s side is reasonably strong although the anticipated return of Liam Doyle after three seasons of chronic injury has been put on hold again and in another late change Paul McComiskey returns.

The home side should do enough to celebrate the first match under lights at McHale Park.

DIVISION TWO

A second meeting in under a fortnight after the O’Byrne Shield match in Navan, won by the home side, who looked in fair enough form when stretching Dublin to extra time last week.

It’s a stronger Laois side this time and they now have home advantage. Meath may struggle at centrefield but their attack is good enough to win this.

Local derby sees Donegal bolstered by the return of their third-level players to take on a strong Sligo selection, featuring All Star Charlie Harrison and with David Kelly back.

A bad start could prove fatal and Donegal get the nod to put an indifferent McKenna Cup behind them.

Tomorrow

DIVISION ONE

Football’s eternal pairing with the teams in different places to last year when Cork really needed the reassurance of the win and Kerry were understrength.

The Munster champions are again short a number of first-choice players but that gives Jack O’Connor the opportunity to trial a couple of new defenders, Pádraig O’Connor and Jonathan Lyne, who played well in last week’s McGrath Cup win over Clare, as did corner forward David Geaney, who kicked six points from play.

Cork have 10 of the All-Ireland winning team starting and have sufficient depth in the panel to plug the gaps, as well as more convincing firepower.

Galway are missing their big names in the forwards, but bring a solid line-up to Inniskeen where the home team are experiencing fairly extensive metal fatigue.

According to manager Eamonn McEneaney he can call on only four or five of last year’s championship team with injuries and flat batteries depleting the panel.

Acknowledging that the county faces a stiff battle to retain its status, McEneaney is upbeat about the opportunity to look at new players but at this stage, before even the less seriously injured can return, prospects aren’t hectic.

DIVISION TWO

Rerun of a significant qualifier from last year, this brings Kildare back to Belfast after a good O’Byrne Cup.

Antrim lost to Derry last week but have the potential to be competitive in this division. Kildare were very flat in last year’s league but are favourites for promotion and should get the campaign off to a positive start here.

This fixture outranks its humble Division Two status. Both counties are in good form and could be playing again shortly in the McKenna Cup final.

Derry won the encounter last year in Division One although the Eoin Bradley incident spoiled their enjoyment.

Tyrone could do with some freshening up but Mickey Harte mightn’t see this as the ideal context. Home side marginally preferred.

DIVISION THREE

Louth manager Peter Fitzpatrick will be looking to maintain the good momentum gained in the O’Byrne Cup, which saw them narrowly lose out in last Sunday’s final to two stoppage-time goals from Kildare – and on that note has named a largely unchanged team, with the return of Andy McDonnell the sole switch.

Westmeath’s unceremonious drop from Division Two last season – with seven defeats from seven games – spelled the end of manager Brendan Hackett, but new manager Pat Flanagan has already moved things on, and brings in several debutants here including Darren Quinn, Robert English, Kevin Maguire and Denis Corroon.

Both these teams finished mid-table last season but look capable of promotion this time.

Cavan’s new joint-managers Val Andrews and Terry Hyland appear to have settled in well, and have already booked a Dr McKenna Cup semi-final place against Tyrone next Wednesday.

Offaly manager Tom Cribbin is without Ross Brady for the foreseeable future due to a broken jaw, but with the Rhode contingent already back on board after their Leinster club final defeat they seem capable of securing the opening points.

It’s certainly been a rollercoaster ride in the league for Tipperary under manager John Evans: from Division Four to Three to Two, and now back to Division Three.

They remain a highly competitive team and Evans has brought in several players from last season’s successful Munster under-21 team to improve the cause.

Limerick only moved up from Division Four after a tough battle with Clare, but new manager Maurice Horan can be reasonably optimistic about a good league campaign, especially having secured the services of experienced dual players Mark O’Riordan and Stephen Lucey

The recent retirement of Matty Forde couldn’t have come at a worse time if Wexford’s early season form is anything to go by.

They were fully outplayed by Dublin in the O’Byrne Cup shield and looked a pale shadow of the team that almost beat Dublin last summer, although manager Jason Ryan has since welcomed back some other more experienced names.

Waterford went unbeaten in Division Four last year, and manager John Owens can be confident of matching the best of them in this division.

DIVISION FOUR

As reigning Connacht champions, Roscommon must be half wondering what they’re doing in Division Four, but such is the competitive nature of the league that there’s no guarantee of promotion this year either.

Manager Fergal O’Donnell has drafted in several newcomers, with Séamus O’Neill also back on board after a two-year absence, although Michael Finneran and Kevin Higgins are paired at midfield for now. Star forward Donie Shine misses out with a broken thumb, and that must give Longford some encouragement.

However Glenn Ryan is also down some key men, including his star forward Brian Kavanagh, who remains club-tied with Kilmacud.

So here he goes again, and whatever Mick O’Dwyer thinks about the merits of the league, Wicklow would really want to be thinking about the higher divisions if they are to make real progress in the championship. For now O’Dwyer has gone for a new-look team, naming Paul Earls in defence, with Dara Ó hAnnaidh and Damien Power unavailable.

Carlow manager Luke Dempsey has been highlighting the importance of winning home games, but missing the likes of Mark Carpenter and Brian Murphy, won’t fancy the arrival of Wicklow.

Leitrim were poor in the FBD league, and manager Mickey Moran has tried to liven things up for this crucial opener by introducing debut forwards Paul Brennan and Brian McDonald.

Clare manager Michael McDermott can be happy enough with recent McGrath Cup form, and although they lost out in the final to Kerry, can be hopeful that the drive for promotion won’t fall just short this time.

Hardly the most exciting opener for either team, who finished second last (London) and last (Kilkenny) in the division last year.

At the same time it underlines the importance of securing the win here, to have anything left to play for over the coming months. Kilkenny put up a reasonable show in the O’Byrne Cup, but London are always difficult to beat at home.

Walsh Cup (Leinster SH) Final

Dublin v Kilkenny, Parnell Park, 2pm – Great win for Dublin against Galway in the semi-final sends Anthony Daly’s side into this in the best possible mood to give their Leinster overlords a good match.

Kilkenny should still take it.