Preview: Weekend's Allianz Football League action

Allianz Football League Division 1

Saturday, March 14

Kerry v Mayo, Austin Stack Park, 4pm (RTE)

With Mayo in second place on eight points and Kerry in third place on seven points, this is a pivotal game in terms of deciding what teams qualify for the final.

Apart from a defeat against Donegal, Mayo have looked very good so far under the management of Andy Moran.

Most notable has been the keener cutting edge he has brought to their attack. Last year no-one scored less in Division 1 than Mayo, whereas this year no-one has scored more.

They’re averaging 24 points per match and what’s been most impressive has been their spread of scorers and the frequency with which they’re landing two-pointers.

Kerry’s campaign has been more of a slow burner but they’ve looked very good in their last two wins over Dublin and Monaghan as more of their front-line stars are filtered back into the starting XV.

Both teams will be really going for this game and it’ll be a test of their respective mettle. Mayo are an improving team, but Kerry are likely to still be a step ahead.

Dublin v Armagh, Croke Park, 7pm (TG4)

Just when it looked like a Dublin team in transition might be off the pace in Division 1 this year, they pulled off a surprisingly convincing win away to Roscommon out of the bag two weeks ago.

There was a lot to admire about the way they went about their business, most notably their kicking of two-pointers which had previously been an area the team struggled in.

Defensively they were excellent also as they held a previously high-scoring Roscommon to just 2-7.

It’ll be interesting to see if they can build on that win now in a clash with Armagh that will go have a big bearing on the relegation picture.

The Orchard county are currently second from bottom with just one win from five games, but the four games they lost were by an average of just two points each and all were games they might just as easily have won.

Kieran McGeeney’s team are doing a lot right, but they’re just not finishing a high enough percentage of the scoring chances they’re creating.

If they’re more clinical here they’re capable of sucking Dublin back into the relegation dog-fight.

Sunday, March 15

Roscommon v Donegal, King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park, 1.30pm (TG4)

Roscommon had a fair wind in their sails after three wins on the bounce but a meek enough defeat to Dublin last time out has sucked some of the air out of their campaign.

A match against table-toppers Donegal is not ideally what you would want next in order to generate some momentum.

The Ulster side are the form team in the division and remain unbeaten despite experimenting with their selections (26 players have featured so far in their League campaign).

Their greater defensive solidity should give them the platform to secure a win that would assure them of a place in the League Final.

Monaghan v Galway, Grattan Park, Inniskeen, 3.45pm (TG4)

It’s been a difficult League campaign for Monaghan who have lost five matches on the bounce by an average margin of 11 points each.

If they lose another one here they’ll be relegated, and based on the respective form of both teams it looks like the likeliest outcome.

Galway have been inconsistent both from game to game and within matches, but when things click for them they can be irresistible.

Their ball-winning ability in the middle third allied with the finishing power they have in attack should see them win here with a bit to spare.

Allianz Football League Division 2

Saturday, March 14

Louth v Derry, DEFY Páirc Mhuire, Ardee, 3pm

This is a big game in terms of the promotion picture in what’s a fiercely competitive division.

Derry currently sit pretty at the top of the table after four wins on the bounce, but Louth have a lot of momentum too after very impressive back to back wins over Tyrone and Cavan.

If they can win here they’ll join Derry on eight points and really put themselves in the frame for a place in the Division Two Final.

Ardee is a very tough place to go for opposition teams and the vocal home support should be worth a few points to the Wee County.

Their dominance in the middle third was the key to their last two victories and will be the key battle-zone again here.

Men like Conor Glass and Brendan Rogers should enable Derry to at least break even here, and, if they do, then an attack that has scored more than any team in the division could see them edge what should be a close encounter.

Cork v Kildare, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 5pm

After four wins on the bounce had propelled them to the top of the table, Cork were given a dose of reality by 20-point defeat to Derry two weeks ago.

They were completely dominated on both kick-outs so had little possession with which to play and by the end of the game their defence had been run ragged.

There will surely be some mental scars from such a heavy loss, but they’re perhaps fortunate they’re up against a Kildare team looking very short of confidence after three defeats in a row.

The most recent of those was a 14-point beating at the hands of Meath two weeks ago when they really struggled to play with any fluency.

If Cork can break even in the middle third their greater firepower should see them come out on top.

Meath v Tyrone, Páirc an Chrócaigh, 5pm

It’s been a very positive League campaign so far for Meath who have played some really eye-pleasing attacking football.

Forwards like Jordan Morris, Eoghan Frayne, Ruairí Kinsella, and Jack O’Connor are full of confidence and will do damage given a decent supply of ball.

You can be sure disrupting that supply will be top of Tyrone’s to do list, and it’ll be interesting to see how Meath cope with the Ulster team’s rugged defence.

It’s been a disappointing campaign for Malachy O’Rourke’s team so far with two wins and a draw from five games, but there were signs against Offaly two weeks ago that they were finally finding some rhythm in attack.

This game will give us a great insight into where both teams are right now, but for now Meath deserve to be regarded as favourites based on form.

Sunday, March 15

Offaly v Cavan, Glenisk O'Connor Park, Tullamore, 2pm

It’s been a very tough campaign for Offaly who are already relegated after losing five games in a row by an average of 10 points each.

They’re only playing for pride now but there’s plenty of that in the Faithful County and they’ll be keen to give their home support something to shout about.

They’ll figure it’s a winnable game too against a Cavan side who were well-beaten by Louth two weeks ago.

They really struggled in the first half of that match to win primary possession in the middle third, and that’ll surely be a big focus for them here.

If they can show an improvement there, then players like Paddy Lynch, Dara McVeety, and Ciaran Brady can kick them to victory and keep their hopes of Division 2 survival alive.

Allianz Football League Division 3

Saturday, March 14

Fermanagh v Laois, Brewster Park, 6pm

Fermanagh’s Division 3 status is hanging by a thread after five defeats in a row.

They need to win their final two games against Laois and Limerick, for Sligo to lose their remaining two games, and Limerick not to make it to four points in order to stay in the division.

That looks like an unlikely scenario, but they’ll take some heart from their performance last time out against Down when they ran the table-toppers to three points.

You never know what to really expect from this Laois team but if they can replicate the form that saw them claim an surprisingly dominant win over Westmeath last time out then they’re good enough to win here and really push themselves into the promotion picture.

Sunday, March 15

Clare v Wexford, Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg, 1pm

It’s a tightly packed peleton behind leaders Down in Division 3 and this game will have a big bearing on the race for promotion.

Both teams come into it with a bounce in their step after big wins in Round 5 as Clare swept aside Limerick and Wexford proved too strong for Sligo.

Wexford have the tightest defence in the division but Clare’s attack has been on fire in recent weeks and in-form players like Mark McInerney and Eoin Cleary can shoot them to victory here.

Sligo v Down, Markievicz Park, 2pm

Down have been the dominant team in the division, winning five from five, and can secure promotion with another victory here.

Sligo’s form has been up and down but they looked toothless in their most recent match against Wexford when they only managed to score 1-7.

Against a Down attack averaging 23 points per game, it’s hard to see the Connacht side posting a winning total here.

Westmeath v Limerick, TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar, 2pm

Westmeath’s promotion hopes weren’t helped by a surprise defeat to Laois last time out but they’re still in the race in what’s a very tight division.

Limerick are currently second from bottom but they’ve been very competitive in every match they’ve played bar the most recent one, a nine-point defeat to Clare.

They’re averaging just 16 points per match compared to Westmeath’s 22, and that keener cutting edge makes the Lake County favourites.

Allianz Football League Division 4

Saturday, March 14

Carlow v London, Netwatch Cullen Park, 6pm

Table-toppers Carlow suffered their first defeat of the campaign last time out against Longford and will be keen to get back to winning ways in what’s now a very tightly packed division.

London have been very competitive in every match they’ve played, but a leaky defence that’s conceding an average of 22 points per game is a problem for them.

Waterford v Antrim, Cappoquin Logistics Fraher Field, 1pm

After a very poor start to the campaign that saw them lose three games in a row, Antrim have undergone a sudden renaissance with two impressive wins on the bounce over Leitrim and Wicklow.

Their attack has really clicked into gear and should be too potent for bottom of the table Waterford who have lost five from five.

Leitrim v Longford, Heartland Credit Union Páirc Seán MacDiarmada, 2pm

Leitrim’s campaign has run aground with consecutive defeats to Antrim and Tipperary.

That most recent reverse against the Premier County was a bad one as they scored only eight points in a 13-point defeat.

Longford, in contrast, have a lot of momentum after beating table-toppers Carlow last time out and can give their promotion push another boost here.

Wicklow v Tipperary, Echelon Park, Aughrim, 2pm

Tipperary and Wicklow are both on six points each after five games. The winner here will still be in the hunt for promotion but the loser will likely be out of contention.

Tipp should have good momentum after beating Leitrim well last time out, but the Garden County tend to raise their game at home in Aughrim.