Qualifier previews

All-Ireland SFC qualifier: Round One – replay – Antrim v Kildare, Casement Park, 7.0

All-Ireland SFC qualifier:Round One – replay – Antrim v Kildare, Casement Park, 7.0

Leitrim await the winners in round two. Right now, Kildare are an example of what happens when a team stands still. They go backwards.

Presuming marquee forwards Johnny Doyle for the visitors and Paddy Cunningham for the hosts will shine, the best supporting attackers should settle it. Antrim by a whisker.

Antrim: S McGreevy; A Healy, C Brady, J Crozier; T Scullion, K O'Boyle, J Loughrey; B Herron, A Gallagher; K McGourty, K Niblock, T McCann; P Cunningham, M McCann, K Brady.

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Kildare: S McCormack; P Kelly, H McGrillen, A McLoughlin; M O'Flaherty, E Bolton, B Flanagan; D Flynn, D Earley; J Kavanagh, P O'Neill, H Lynch; J Doyle, R Sweeney, E Callaghan.

Referee: Joe McQuillan(Cavan).

All-Ireland SHC: Phase One – Tipperary v Wexford, Thurles, 3.30 (LIVE RTÉ)

Something had to give after last year’s All-Ireland finalists took several backwards steps in the 10-point defeat to Cork on May 30th. Reconstruction begins in defence with Declan Fanning returning to full back, while Pádraic Maher goes to wing back. Conor O’Brien replaces the injured Paul Curran at corner back as manager Liam Sheehy attempts to reinvigorate Tipperary’s challenge.

Wexford are without suspended captain Diarmuid Lyng.

Tipp should progress but really it is a question of how they do it at this stage.

Tipperary: B Cummins; M Cahill, D Fanning, C O'Brien; D Young, C O'Mahony, P Maher; B Maher, S McGrath; G Ryan, S Callanan, P Maher; N McGrath, L Corbett, E Kelly.

Wexford: N Carton; P Roche, K Rossiter, C Kenny; R Kehoe, D Stamp, D Redmond; C Farrell, H Kehoe; P Atkinson, T Waters, E Quigley; T Mahon, S Banville, T Mahon.

Referee: J McGrath(Westmeath).

Antrim v Carlow, Casement Park, 5.0

Improving Carlow may cause a little stir here. That said, if the league encounter in Belfast is anything to go by, Antrim should prevail now that the Cushendall and Dunloy contingent are back in the team. Antrim’s experience should suffice to get them through by a scrappy point or two.

Referee: A Stapleton(Laois)

Gavin Cummiskey

Gavin Cummiskey

Gavin Cummiskey is The Irish Times' Soccer Correspondent