National Hurling LeagueDivision Two
Kildare v Carlow, Clane, 2.30 - Some impressive scoring nearly gave Kildare the points in Down a week ago before they had to settle for a draw, but Carlow - caught by Wicklow in injury-time - can make them settle for less.
National Football League
Division 2A
Waterford v Tipperary, Dungarvan, 2.30 - Postponed from last week, this still represents a good chance for Tipp to get off the bottom of the table.
Sunday
All-Ireland Club Football Championship: Semi-finals
O'Hanrahan's (Carlow) v Nemo Rangers (Cork), Clonmel, 2.30 - The universal response to this seems to be that O'Hanrahan's have lost the element of surprise and whereas they won't be beaten easily, Nemo should win. Yet this hides a multitude of nuances which make the likely outcome more complicated.
Nemo are the brand leaders in the club championship - eight wins spread over the 30 years or so of the competition's history and an almost unerring strike rate every time they emerge from Munster (which is pretty much every time they emerge from Cork). Even before they had won the provincial title, many Cork people seemed to have closed the book on their winning the All-Ireland.
Nemo are unlikely consciously to underestimate O'Hanrahan's, but the expectations surrounding Billy Morgan's team will give the Carlow champions a lot of cover going into the match. Nemo are reckoned not to be quite as strong as some of their illustrious predecessors, a fact underlined by the enduring influence of the survivors from the club's last success seven years ago.
They are also vulnerable at the back where Niall Geary's pure footballing - rather than destructive - instincts have been exposed against high-class full forwards, Bantry Blues' Philip Clifford and Glenflesk's John Crowley. Whether Anthony Kavanagh comes into that category isn't proven, but he was excellent against Na Fianna in the Leinster final.
In the Bantry match - reckoned Nemo's closest of the season - Damien O'Neill controlled centrefield until running out of steam and, in that context, the injury concerns about Philip Nolan are unhelpful for O'Hanrahan's.
Mark Carpenter is again available for the Carlow team but ironically his replacement, David Birmingham, was Man of the Match in the Leinster final. Big and hard-working, Birmingham's effectiveness would be threatened by Nemo wing back Kieran Connolly, a former Cork under-21 centrefielder.
For all the individual performances, O'Hanrahan's display was most notable for its combination play and team work. Yet there was more to it than preparation and hunger. As Na Fianna's Mick Galvin put it: "We were prepared for the hard work and the commitment, but we were surprised at how skilful they were."
A repeat of the provincial final display will give the Leinster champions a great chance, but a suspicion that they will find it hard to reproduce that level of performance means that Nemo's combination of freshness (a largely new team) and confident tradition is the better bet. Which brings neatly back to the opening remarks.
Crossmolina (Mayo) v Bellaghy Wolfe Tones (Derry), Enniskillen, 2.30 - Crossmolina came very close to Na Fianna at this stage last year but the club championship isn't renowned for rewarding experience and only once in the last 10 championships have beaten semi-finalists made the following year's final (in 1992 when both Thomas Davis and Dr Crokes did so).
Bellaghy's Ulster final display veered between the hapless marksmanship which would lose them this match and the integrated power play which would see them to victory.
Crossmolina are more even performers and the centrefield clash between Fergal Doherty - outstanding in the Ulster final - and John Mulholland and James Nallen and Michael Moyles threatens to be decisive. Bellaghy get a narrow vote.
National Hurling League
Division 1A
Offaly v Limerick, Birr - Once again Offaly found Antrim a bit of a handful but helped dig themselves into a hole with some poor finishing, quite at variance with the dead-eye exploits against Galway the previous week. The absence of the Birr and Seir Kieran players has weakened the team and the experimental line-up will surely struggle against a young and eager Limerick team who are expected to give the League a real crack this year.
Clare v Antrim, Cusack Park, 1.30 - The gap between Antrim's home and away form was again demonstrated last week when a battling performance and well-taken, late goals yielded a result that had looked infinitely beyond the team beaten off the pitch by Limerick a week before. Clare have been doodling away, winning well against Meath and losing narrowly to Galway, and even with Cyril Lyons still gathering data, they will expect to take the points here.
Dublin v Galway, Parnell Park - Kevin Fennelly's first outing with Dublin was catastrophic. With the vital Antrim match away in Belfast, it's hard to see obvious points for the Dubs and a relegation play-off already looks in the offing. Galway's altered selection gave a much-improved display last week with David Tierney - one of the few to play well in Birr - outstanding. Dublin don't look in the right sort of shape to cope with this.
Division 1B
Laois v Cork, Portlaoise - Struggling through heavy training regimes and even heavier pitches, Laois have had a miserable start to the League and the visit of the Munster champions - albeit in experimental mode for their first outing - offers little respite.
Waterford v Kilkenny, Walsh Park - Kilkenny, fresh from their leisurely voyage to the Far East, were apparently sent out last week with instructions not to take any chances with Laois's more extensive preparations. Accordingly, the All-Ireland champions zipped into the visitors and didn't ease off until the match was beyond their shell-shocked opponents. DJ Carey's centrefield positioning is a tactic Brian Cody has used before in order to give his biggest gun a bit of variety in more open spaces. Waterford keep the side which didn't get to play Wexford. Last year the counties produced a classic with Waterford winning. Hard to call this time, but Kilkenny's lack of practice may come against them this week.
Tipperary v Wexford, Thurles, nb 2.15 - Tipperary have had a distinct edge in the these matches in recent years and although the run-out in Derry last week won't have taxed them particularly, it gives them an advantage against a Wexford side that could have done with the competition of the postponed fixture with Waterford.
Division Two
London v Roscommon, Oxley Park, 1.00 - Close enough match in prospect with home advantage to swing it for London.
Wicklow v Westmeath, Arklow - The Kehoe Cup confusion in the IT can now be definitively laid to rest. Wicklow won it, not Kildare. Thanks to Aidan O'Sullivan from Bray who furnished the photographic evidence. In addition to that success, Wicklow have opened the League very strongly and will be in fine fettle for the visit of Westmeath.
Kerry v Louth, Killarney, 1.30 - No chance of Louth emulating their footballers as Kerry have started the League in an apparent hurry to return to Division One.
Armagh v Down, Keady - Down should get their first win of the campaign.
Division Three
Longford v Monaghan, Fay Park, Longford - Longford to win. Fermanagh v Sligo, Garrison - Sligo have the edge here. Leitrim v Tyrone, Carrick-on-Shannon - Tyrone have been struggling to win their early matches but will probably do so again tomorrow. Mayo v Donegal, Castlebar - Donegal appear to be more serious about matters this year but that resolution will be tested here.
National Football League
Division 2B
Wexford v Monaghan, Gorey, 2.00 - Will the inconvenience of last week's late postponement fire up Monaghan. Perhaps not.
