Preview: Weekend's provincial senior football championship action
Ross McQuillan of Armagh and Kieran McGeary of Tyrone collide during the Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship semi-final match between Armagh and Tyrone at St Tiernach's Park in Clones, Monaghan. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile.
Saturday, April 11
Connacht SFC quarter-final
London v Mayo, McGovern Park, Ruislip, 2.30pm - GAA+
London are a steadily improving team and had a decent Allianz Football League Division 4 campaign that included a win over eventual champions Carlow, but this should still be a straight-forward enough task for Mayo.
Andy Moran has gotten off to a very encouraging start as manager of his native county with a positive evolution in their attacking play the most positive aspect so far.
Last year they kicked just 15 two-pointers in 13 games whereas in this year’s League they managed 25 in seven games.
They also scored more than any other team across the four divisions in the Allianz Football League (an average of 25 per game) and that sort of firepower should see them win comfortably enough.
LONDON: Andrew Walsh; Daire Rooney, Matt Moynahan, Sean O'Donoghue; Ciaran McKeon, Conal Gallagher, Conor O'Donohue; Liam Gallagher, Daniel Clarke; Josh Obahor, James Davis, Kristian Healy; Micheal O'Reilly, Shay Rafter, Joe McGill. Subs: Cormac McConnell, Conor Redican, Ciaran Gaughan, Nathan Feeney, Shaun Wogan, Liam Crowley, Conor Goggin, Marc Friel, Stephen Henry, Liam Murphy, Finbarr Crowley.
MAYO: Rob Hennelly; Jack Coyne, Rory Brickenden, Fenton Kelly; Sam Callinan, Michael Plunkett, Paddy Durcan; Bob Tuohy, David McBrien; Jack Carney, Ryan O’Donoghue, Hugh O'Loughlin; Cian McHale, Aidan O’Shea, Paul Towey. Subs: Jack Livingstone, John MacMonagle, Donnacha McHugh, Stephen Coen, Sean Morahan, Jordan Flynn, Conal Dawson, Fergal Boland, Diarmuid O’Connor, Tommy Conroy, Cillian O’Connor.
Leinster SFC first round
Offaly v Laois, Glenisk O'Connor Park, 6.15pm
Offaly had a very tough time in Division 2 of the Allianz Football League, losing seven games from seven, but their cause wasn’t helped by a rash of injuries that left them significantly weakened.
Many of those players are now fit to play again, and the experience gleaned by a cohort of young players in their absence might ultimately stand to the Faithful County in the championship.
Laois were wildly inconsistent in Division Three of the Allianz Football League, something highlighted by the fact that they were beaten by bottom of the table Fermanagh but were the only side to register a win over eventual champions Down.
When they click, players like Evan O’Carroll, Paul Kingston, Rioghan Murphy, and Darragh Galvin give them a lot of scoring power, but you can never be sure what you’re going to get from Justin McNulty’s team.
Confidence is surely low in the Offaly camp at the moment though, so Laois might be the slightly better bet here.
OFFALY: Conor Melia; Shane O'Toole Greene, David Dempsey, Lee Pearson; Cormac Egan, Diarmuid Egan, Daire McDaid; Jack McEvoy, Jordan Hayes; Marcas Dalton, Keith O'Neill, Rory Egan; Dylan Hyland, Shane Tierney, Darragh Flynn. Subs: Sean O'Toole, Aidan Bracken, Conor Dunican, Nathan Poland, Kyle Higgins, Jack Bryant, Eoin Sawyer, Harry Plunkett, Sean Conway, Eoin Dunne. Cathal Ryan.
LAOIS: Killian Roche; Jack Lacey, Trevor Collins, Alex Mohan; Pa Kirwan, Aaron McEvoy, Simon Fingleton; Ciaran Burke, Conor Heffernan; Kevin Swayne, Ronan Coffey, Patrick O'Sullivan;
Brian Byrne, Daragh Galvin, Evan O'Carroll. Subs: Matthew Byron, Darren Brennan, Killian Byrne, Niall Corbet, Jake Darcy, Ben Dempsey, Mikie Dempsey, Paul Kingston, Rioghan Murphy, Cian Nolan, Robert Tyrrell.
Sunday, April 12
Ulster SFC preliminary quarter-final
Armagh v Tyrone, BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, Armagh, 4.15pm - RTE/BBC NI
Having lost the last three Ulster Finals in a row in pretty agonising fashion, Armagh will surely be highly motivated to go one better this year.
Their played some good football in Division One of the Allianz Football League this year, even if at times some poor finishing meant results went against them.
Still, their form graph is a lot more convincing than that of Tyrone who won only two matches in Division Two and have struggled to develop a coherent attacking style of play.
Armagh’s greater firepower allied with the hugely vocal support they’ll get in the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds should give them an edge.
ARMAGH: Blaine Hughes; Peter McGrane, Aaron McKay, Paddy Burns; Ross McQuillan, Gareth Murphy, Jarly Og Burns; Tiernan Kelly, Ben Crealey; Greg McCabe, Darragh McMullan, Tomas McCormack; Cian McConville, Jason Duffy, Oisin Conaty. Subs: Ethan Rafferty, Barry McCambridge, Joe McElroy, Ryan Duffy, Callum O'Neill, Daniel Magee, Conor Turbitt, Oisin O'Neill, Fergal O'Brien, Rory Grugan, Andrew Murnin
TYRONE: Niall Morgan; Cormac Quinn, Peter Teague, Niall Devlin; Frank Burns, Joey Clarke, Michael McKernan; Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick; Seanie O'Donnell, Ronan Cassidy, Ben McDonnell; Darren McCurry, Mattie Donnelly, Daragh Canavan. Subs: Oisin O'Kane, Michael Rafferty, Aidan Clarke, Ben Cullen, Kieran McGeary, Dalaigh Jones, Aodhan Donaghy, Ciaran Daly, Lorcan McGarrity, Eoin McElholm, Ethan Jordan.
Connacht SFC quarter-finals
Sligo v Leitrim, Markievicz Park, Sligo, 3pm
Sligo struggled for consistency in Division Three of the Allianz Football League but when the chips were down they found a way to beat Clare in the final round of fixtures to retain their status.
The fact they achieved that result despite playing with 14 men from the 44th minute testifies to the character in the group and they’ll take encouragement also from the fact it was their best attacking display of the campaign.
Less positive though is the fact that Sligo scored fewer two-pointers than any other team in the League (just eight in seven matches), and that’s an area they really need to improve on.
Regardless, they should be too strong for a Leitrim team that suffered some bad beatings in Division Four, especially in their last match when lost by 23 points to Carlow.
SLIGO: Aidan Devaney; Tommy Ross, Conor Sheridan, Luke Casserly; Canice Mulligan, Jack Lavin, Paul Kilcoyne; Darragh Cummins, Luke Towey; Lee Deignan, Alan McLoughlin, Cian Lally; Joshua Flynn, Niall Murphy, Shane Deignan. Subs: Keelan Harte, Paul McNamara, Michael Lavin, Rossa Sloyan, Daire O'Boyle, Gavin Gorman, Conor Johnston, Kyle Cawley, David Quinn, James Donlon, Pat Spillane.
LEITRIM: Killian Gaffey; Cillian McGloin, Conor Reynolds, Seán Harkin; Eoin McLoughlin, Mark Diffley, Keith Keegan; Conor Quinn, Barry McNulty; Fergal McLoughlin, Riordan O'Rourke, Tom Prior; Ryan O'Rourke, Gavin Reynolds, Ben Guckian. Subs: Daire O'Shea, Eanna McNamara, Kieran Clancy, James Rooney, Peter Prior, Michael Mc Kiernan, Oisín McLoughlin, Paul Honeyman, Jack Kelly, Tom Plunkett, Ruairi O'Rourke.
New York v Roscommon, Gaelic Park, New York, 8pm - GAA+
It’s only two years since New York pulled off their only ever victory in the Connacht championship when they stunned Leitrim, but a repeat of that result is unlikely to happen against Roscommon.
There has been a big churn in the New York panel since then and the fact they haven’t played a single match since last year’s Tailteann Cup clash with Offaly is a big hurdle for them to overcome.
Roscommon’s form in the League was a bit up and down but they ultimately won more than they lost and if they play anything near their best here should win comfortably enough.
NEW YORK: Joey Grace; Tadhg O'Riordan, Sean Wilson, Cian O'Dea; Jack Foley, Matthew Queenan, Rob Wharton; Eoghan McElliott, Conall Kennedy; Donal Hunt, Frank O'Reilly, Tiarnan Mathers; Conor Keenan, Jack McKenna, Killian Butler. Subs: Ryan Corrigan, Shane Brosnan, Adam Loughlin Stones, Oisin Mathers, David Naughten, Jack Healy, Jack Kennedy, Mick Argue, Noel Hatton, James Walsh, Jack Savage.
ROSCOMMON: Conor Carroll; Patrick Gavin, Caelim Keogh, Eoin McCormack; Eoin Ward, Ronan Daly, Senan Lambe; Keith Doyle, Conor Ryan; Dylan Ruane, Enda Smith, Darragh Heneghan; Diarmuid Murtagh, Daire Cregg, Robert Heneghan. Subs: Aaron Brady, Niall Higgins, Colm Neary, Robbie Dolan, Shane Cunnane, Jack Duggan, Paul Carey, Ben O'Carroll, Conor Hand, Eoin Colleran, Ciaran Lennon.
Leinster SFC first round
Carlow v Wicklow, Netwatch Cullen Park, 2.30pm
Carlow come into this game with a serious spring in their step after winning the Allianz Football League Division 4 title but there’s never much between these two teams.
When Wicklow play to their full potential they’re capable of putting up a big score, but they struggle to perform consistently for the full 70 plus minutes.
Carlow’s more dependable defence could be the decisive factor in what should be a very tight game.
CARLOW: Ben McCarron; Colin Byrne, Niall Roche, Paddy McDonnell; John Phiri, Dara Curran, Padraig Bolger; Mark Furey, Conor Doyle; Lee Walker, Colm Hulton, Mikey Bambrick; Liam Gavin, Christopher Blake, Sean Murphy. Subs: Johnny Furey, Lee Moore, John Murphy, Tadgh Roche, Ross Dunphy, Adam Burgess, Kyle Nolan, Jamie Clarke, Kevin Murphy, Eoghan Ruth, Aaron Amond.
WICKLOW: Mark Jackson; Tom Moran, Conall Ó Gallchobhair, Gavin Fogarty; Cian Deering, Matt Nolan, Jonathan Carlin; Dean Healy, Jack Hardy; Joe Prendergast, Padraig O Toole, Christopher O Brien; Oisin Mc Graynor, Kevin Quinn, Eoin Darcy. Subs: Cathal Fitzgerald, Brian Bohan, Jack Kirwan, Cathal Baker, Mark Kenny, Conor Fee, Jacques Mc Call, Liam O Neill, Eoin Murtagh, Sean Murphy, John Paul Nolan.
Longford v Westmeath, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, 3pm
Longford's promotion from Division Four of the Allianz Football League underlined how their young team is an encouraging work in progress.
They're good enough to be competitive here, but if Westmeath play to their full potential they should be a cut above.
Players like Luke Loughlin, Matthew Whittaker, Brian Cooney, and Sam McCartan give them the sort of scoring power that the Longford defence could struggle to handle.
LONGFORD: Eoin McGuinness; Patrick Fox, Ryan Moffett, Bryan Masterson; Peter Lynn, Ronan Sweeney, Dessie Reynolds; Liam Glennon, Oisin O'Toole; James Moran, Matthew Carey, Daniel Reynolds; Dylan Farrell, Joseph Hagan, Oran Kenny. Subs: Mícheál Hughes, Cian Brady, Aaron Farrell, Niall Farrelly, Iarla O'Sullivan, Matthew Flynn, Paddy Moran, Conor Smith, Aidan McGuire, Caolán Lynch, Gavin Farrelly.
WESTMEATH: Jason Daly; Daniel Scahill, Charlie Drumm, Tadhg Baker; Ronan Wallace, Shane Allen, Matthew Whittaker; Brían Cooney, Ray Connellan; Kevin O'Sullivan, Sam McCartan, Conor Dillon; Tom Molloy, Luke Loughlin, Brandon Kelly. Subs: Jack Connaughton, Adam Treanor, Shane Corcoran, Robbie Forde, Senan Baker, Devin Hill, Shane Ormsby, Danny McCartan, Eoghan McCabe, Jack Duncan,
TJ Cox
Munster SFC quarter-finals
Cork v Limerick, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 2pm
Cork football is on an upward trajectory after an impressive League campaign that saw them secure promotion to Division 1 for the first time since 2016.
Limerick were a tad unfortunate to be relegated from Division Three but they just don’t possess the same firepower the Rebels do.
Quality forwards like Steven Sherlock, Chris Óg Jones, Mark Cronin and Brian Hurley should shoot Cork to a comfortable enough win.
CORK: Micheál Aodh Martin; Maurice Shanley, Daniel O'Mahony, Seán Meehan; Brian O'Driscoll, Tommy Walsh, Luke Fahy; Colm O'Callaghan, Ian Maguire; Paul Walsh, Mark Cronin, Seán McDonnell; Chris Óg Jones, Dara Sheedy, Steven Sherlock. Subs: Patrick Doyle, Tomas O'Mahony, Rory Maguire, Darragh Cashman, Seán Walsh, Conor Cahalane, David Buckley, Ruairi Deane, Eoghan McSweeney, Conor Corbett, Brian Hurley
LIMERICK: Jeffrey Alfred; Sean Kilbridge, Cormac Woulfe, Diarmuid Buckley; Barry Coleman, Killian Ryan, Tony McCarthy; Eliah Riordan, Jack McCarthy; Rory O Brien, Cillian Fahy, Paul Maher; Robbie Childs, James Naughton, Danny Neville. Subs: Ronan McElligott, Darren O Doherty, Oran Collins, Oisín Moss, Lee Woulfe, Mark McCarthy, Colm McSweeney, Josh Dineen, Zach McCarthy, Shane Cross, Peter Nash.
Waterford v Tipperary, Cappoquin Logistics Fraher Field, 2pm
When these two teams met in the League two weeks ago Tipperary won well by a margin of 13 points.
Waterford will be a tougher nut to crack in Fraher Field, but the Premier County should still be too strong for them.
WATERFORD: Simon Burns; Tommy Martin, Billy Hynes, Conor Ó Cuirrín; Glen Power, Adam Crawford, Conor Murray; Michael O'Brien, Michael Curry; Donal Fitzgerald, Aaron Ryan, Liam Mulligan; Dermot Ryan, Stephen Curry, Alan Dunwoody. Subs: Paudie Hunt, Darach Ó Cathasaigh, Adam Murray, Darragh Walsh, Caoimhín Walsh, Cian Kiely, Kyle Flynn, Conor Keating, Colin Foley, Conor Fennell, David Butler
TIPPERARY: Shane Garland; Jack O'Neill, Eoin O'Connell, Manus McFadden; Kieran Costello, James Morris, Charlie King; Joe Higgins, Paudie Feehan; Eoin Craddock, Michéal Freaney, Killian Butler; Cian Smith, Sean O'Connor, Daithi Hogan. Subs: Robbie McGrath, Darragh Brennan, Mark Corcoran, Paddy Creedon, Michael Lowry, JP Mboka Tansia, Emmet Moloney, Darragh O'Connor, Paddy O'Keeffe, Mark Russell, Mark Stokes
