Saturday
Round 2A
Donegal v Cork, Ballybofey, 3pm
Not many are giving Cork a sniff here, even though they beat Donegal last time the sides met in the championship, back in 2024. Colm O’Callaghan’s suspension was upheld during the week and he’s a significant loss, particularly against Donegal’s army of big men around the middle.
Donegal are back in MacCumhaill Park, where their record isn’t actually as all-conquering as tends to be made out. They’ve lost three of their last six championship matches there, but this game is a long-awaited homecoming after the pitch was dug up and re-laid last September. Jim McGuinness’s side are unlikely to let the occasion pass without the appropriate performance. Verdict: Donegal
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Round 2B
Monaghan v Roscommon, St Tiarnach’s Park, Clones, 4.30pm – Live on GAA+
Roscommon will be disappointed by the loss to Tyrone last time out, but Mark Dowd’s men did at least produce a decent performance that afternoon at the Hyde. The Connacht champions have a solid panel, with options in many areas. Up front, Diarmuid Murtagh continues to carry a massive threat, while the emergence of Darragh Heneghan has been an added attacking weapon this term.
Monaghan are fed up listening to folk praising them for showing great spirit and fight, but the reality is the Farney County are raging against the tide. They have been hit hard by injuries – most recently Bobby McCaul’s cruciate. They’ll raise a gallop here again in what is a first championship meeting between the sides, but if Roscommon play to their potential, the visitors are a better team right now. Verdict: Roscommon
Kildare v Kerry, St Conleth’s Park, 5.30pm
In time, Kildare’s review of the year might figure out what exactly went wrong. Brian Flanagan’s side somehow slipped from being Division 2 promotion contenders – taking three points from their opening two games – to ultimately ending the campaign relegated to Division 3. Aside from a Leinster quarter-final win over Laois, Kildare’s only other victory this year remains a league win over Offaly at the end of January.
For Jack O’Connor’s Kerry, this appears to be as good an away game as they could have got. The Kingdom have been stewing since the loss to Donegal, and this contest should provide some healing. Verdict: Kerry
Derry v Meath, Celtic Park, 7pm – Live on GAA+
Meath beat Derry on the opening night of the league in a result that played a significant part in their promotion while the Oak Leafers missed out. They have both experienced some tough results recently though, and Meath’s form is a particular concern given the defeats to Westmeath and Cork.
Derry’s loss to Monaghan after extra-time was somewhat freakish, while Armagh are among the top three or four teams in the country. Meath’s Ruairí Kinsella is out for the rest of the season with a cruciate injury and this has the potential to be the kind of game Conor Glass wrestles over the line for Derry. Verdict: Derry
Sunday
Round 2A
Louth v Armagh, Inniskeen, 1pm – Live on RTÉ2
Armagh are carrying themselves with an appealing sort of swagger now. There’s a fair chance they never had any notion of training on the pitch in Inniskeen, but by popping the question, they forced Louth to deny them access, thus ginning up a handy row between neighbouring counties who are meeting for the first ever time in the championship.
Louth saved their summer with the win over Dublin but Armagh offer slicker opposition, not to mention one that is significantly more defensively coherent. If Gavin Devlin’s side are to make the last eight, this is unlikely to be their route. Verdict: Armagh
Galway v Westmeath, Pearse Stadium, 2pm
The Westmeath jamboree rolls into a sold-out Salthill, high on a summer that just won’t quit. We know who Mark McHugh’s side are by now – full of hard running, goal hunting and two-point shooting. The first cracks appeared in the Cavan game, where a rudimentary dash of height and pace was enough for the visitors to bang in three goals.
Galway are a curious one. Fourth favourites for the All-Ireland and yet they’ve only beaten Leitrim and Kildare. After last year’s world tour of Ireland, the furthest they’ve had to travel so far is Carrick-on-Shannon. Bigger tests lie ahead, but this should say plenty about where they’re at. Verdict: Galway
Tyrone v Mayo, Omagh, 3.30pm – Live on RTÉ2
Tyrone were never going to be that bad for that long. Malachy O’Rourke’s facility for devising a game plan for specific teams shone through against Roscommon. It also helps that their underage success is starting to filter through – Ethan Jordan and Eoin McElholm were terrific the last day.
Mayo mixed some brilliant score-taking with a bit of pretty abject defending against Monaghan. Jack Livingstone didn’t need to be anywhere as busy as he was and it feels like their inability to shut down the middle of their defence will eventually be their undoing. Though they won in Omagh last year, they feel too flawed to back with any confidence. Verdict: Tyrone
Round 2B
Cavan v Dublin, Breffni Park, 2pm
Ger Brennan returns to the Dublin sideline, but what difference that makes to how they play inside the whitewash remains to be seen. It has been a difficult season for the Dubs, but all is not lost, yet. If Con O’Callaghan can stay fit, they have a player capable of leading a dangerous attack. However, the goalkeeping situation is a concern and it is a position they need more certainty over if they progress from here.
Dermot McCabe will view this as a chance for Cavan to make a statement win, and their form in the recent loss to Westmeath was encouraging. But ultimately they did still lose that game, and overall their season has lacked any real spark. Cavan haven’t posted a competitive win over Dublin since a league semi-final victory in 1960. Verdict: Dublin
