Saturday 29 April

Ulster SFC semi-final

Derry v Monaghan, O'Neills Healy Park, 5pm (GAAGO)

When these two teams met at the same stage of last year’s championship Derry won the tactical battle and triumphed by four points.

Their ability to hit Monaghan successfully on the counter-attack was the central theme of the game, as they scored three goals that ultimately proved decisive.

It’ll be interesting to see what lessons Monaghan have learned from that experience and how they apply them this time around.

The Farney county will go in as underdogs against the reigning provincial champions, but as they proved in the quarter-final against Tyrone you underestimate them at your peril.

Derry seem to be trying to transition to a more offensive brand of football this year which has left their defence more exposed at times, and you can be sure that Monaghan forwards like Jack McCarron, Conor McManus, and Conor McCarthy will have carefully noted how the Oak Leaf County have conceded six goals in their last two competitive matches.

Fermanagh had some joy against Derry with long deliveries into the danger-area and we can expect Monaghan to try a similar ploy, more than likely with roaming goalkeeper Rory Beggan sending in scudding passes from distance.

The decisive battle may well be in midfield where Derry will feel they have an edge thanks to the presence of Conor Glass and Brendan Rogers.

But this is likely to be a match of very fine margins.

DERRY: Odhran Lynch; Christopher McKaigue, Eoin McEvoy, Conor McCluskey; Conor Doherty, Gareth McKinless, Padraig McGrogan; Conor Glass, Brendan Rogers; Padraig Cassidy, Paul Cassidy, Ethan Doherty; Niall Toner, Shane McGuigan, Niall Loughlin. Subs: Ryan Scullion, Declan Cassidy, Ciaran McFaul, Shea Downey, Lachlan Murray, Ben McCarron, Paul McNeil, Benny Heron, Conleth McGuckian, Diarmuid Baker, Oisin McWilliams.

MONAGHAN: Rory Beggan; Thomas McPhillips, Kieran Duffy, Ryan Wylie; Conor Boyle, Dessie Ward, Ryan O’Toole; Darren Hughes, Killian Lavelle; Stephen O’Hanlon, Micheal Bannigan, Conor McCarthy; Jack McCarron, Karl Gallagher, Conor McManus. Subs: Darren McDonnell, Sean Jones, Gary Mohan, Shane Carey, Karl O’Connell, Fintan Kelly, Conor Leonard, Kieran Hughes, Darragh McElearney, Francie Hughes, Colm Lennon.

Sunday 30 April

Ulster SFC semi-final

Down v Armagh, Clones, 4pm (BBC NI)

Down’s renaissance under new manager Conor Laverty has been highly impressive.

Last year they were drummed out of the Ulster Championship after a 0-23 to 2-7 defeat to Monaghan, this year they’ve made it as far as the last four thanks a highly impressive five-point win over Donegal.

They’re now the epitome of a very well organised team. They defend tenaciously in numbers and transition quickly when they turn the ball over to attack with great pace.

The big question now is whether they can make a full physical recovery from last weekend’s win over Donegal, because they put a huge effort into that game.

Armagh have the luxury of an extra day to recover from their win over Cavan, and that relatively comfortable win will arguably have taken less of a mental and physical toll.

Once again Rian O’Neill has been held in reserve by manager Kieran McGeeney who has named an unchanged team, but don’t be surprised either if he’s parachuted late into the starting XV.

After a disappointing League campaign, Armagh looked like they were getting close again to their 2022 championship form with an impressive quarter-final win over Antrim.

They should be further down the path physically and tactically than a Down team in the foothills of Laverty’s rein, but don’t be surprised if this derby match has a few interesting twists and turns.

DOWN: Niall Kane; Pierce Laverty, Anthony Doherty, Miceal Rooney; Danny Magill, Niall McParland, Daniel Guinness; Conor Poland, Ryan McEvoy; Ceilum Doherty, Ryan Johnston, Liam Kerry; Donach McAleenan, Pat Havern, Eugene Branagan. Subs: Charlie Smyth, Shane Annett, Ross Carr, Patrick Branagan, Conor Fitzpatrick, Andrew Gilmore, Anthony Morgan, Rory Mason, Shealan Johnston, Gerard Collins, Conor McCrickard. 

ARMAGH: Ethan Rafferty; Conor O’Neill, Aaron McKay, Aidan Forker; Ciaran Mackin, Greg McCabe, Jarly Og Burns; Ben Crealey, Shane McPartlan; Jason Duffy, Jemar Hall, Stefan Campbell; Rory Grugan, Andrew Murnin, Conor Turbitt. Subs: Shea Magill, James Morgan, Barry McCambridge, Ross McQuillan, Callum Cumiskey, Ciaran Higgins, Connaire Mackin, Stephen Sheridan, Rian O’Neill, Aidan Nugent, Oisin Conaty.

Leinster SFC semi-finals

Offaly v Louth, Croke Park, 1.45pm (GAAGO)

Opportunity knocks here for two teams who have waited a long time to get to a Leinster SFC semi-final.

It’s Offaly’s first time at this stage of the provincial championship in 16 years, while Louth have ended a 13 year wait.

Both teams have shown a lot of fortitude to make it to the last four. Louth looked like making an ignominious exit from the province when they trailed Westmeath by eight points in the quarter-final, but produced a stirring second-half comeback to win by two.

While Offaly showed plenty of character to pip Longford by a point in the first round and then brought their game to another level when besting Meath by four in their quarter-final.

Louth’s standing as a Division two league team and their impressive form in that competition this year will make them slight favourites here, but such is the tradition of Offaly football that they’ll be very confident themselves coming into this match.

They dominated Meath around the middle of the field last time out, and that’s likely to be the decisive battle here too.

Tommy Durnin and Conor Early are a powerful duo in the Louth engine room, and if they can get on top of Jack McEvoy and Conor McNamee and give forwards like Sam Mulroy, Liam Jackson and Conor Grimes a platform, the Wee County could edge this.

OFFALY: Ian Duffy; Lee Pearson, Declan Hogan, David Dempsey; Cian Donohoe, Peter Cunningham, Ciaran Donnelly; Jack MeEvoy, Conor McNamee, Cian Farrell, Ruairi McNamee, Anton Sullivan; Dylan Hyland, Nigel Dunne, Jamie Evans. Subs: Corey White, Bill Carroll, Joe Maher, Jack Bryant, Jack O’Brien, Aaron Brazil, Aaron Leavy, Shane Tierney, Shane O’Toole Greene, Luke Egan, Nigel Bracken.

LOUTH: James Califf; Dan Corcoran, Ciaran Murphy, Donal McKenny; Leonard Grey, Niall Sharkey, Conall McKeever; Tommy Durnin, Conor Early; Liam Jackson, Sam Mulroy, Conor Grimes; Daire McConnon, Ciaran Downey, Ryan Burns. Subs: Peter McStravick, Alan Connor, Jay Hughes, Ciaran Keenan, Craig Lennon, Conall McCaul, Oisin McGuinness, Dermot Campbell, Dylan McKeown, Paul Matthews, Anthony Williams.

Kildare v Dublin, Croke Park, 4pm (GAAGO)

Dublin squeaked home by just a point when these teams met in the first of the League, but there’s a lot of water under the bridge since then.

The Dubs went on to win Division Two, whereas Kildare suffered defeats to Cork, Derry, and Louth and only drew with relegated Limerick in what was ultimately a very disappointing campaign.

They’ll take come encouragement from their 10-point Leinster quarter-final victory over Wicklow, but that match was still in the balance until Paddy Woodgate kicked a 60th minute goal.

Dublin’s form has been much more convincing. They followed up that League Final victory over Derry with a four-goal demolition of Laois in their provincial quarter-final.

Players like Con O’Callaghan, Ciaran Kilkenny, Brian Fenton, and Colm Basquel were on fire in that match, and Dessie Farrell’s team look to be in a really good place right now and deserving of their red-hot favourites tag going into this game.

KILDARE: Mark Donnellan; Eoin Doyle, Shea Ryan, Darragh Malone; David Hyland, Kevin Flynn, Jack Sargent; Kevin O’Callaghan, Aaron Masterson, Barry Coffey, Ben McCormack, Alex Beirne; Jack Robinson, Darragh Kirwan, Paddy Woodgate. Subs: Aaron O’Neill, Ryan Houlihan, Mick O’Grady, Kevin Feely, Brendan Gibbons, Daniel Flynn, Jimmy Hyland, Neil Flynn, Paddy McDermott, Paul Cribbin, Tony Archbold.

DUBLIN: David O’Hanlon; Daire Newcombe, David Byrne, Sean MacMahon; Lee Gannon, Cian Murphy, Jack McCaffrey; Brian Fenton, James McCarthy; Ross McGarry, Sean Bugler, Ciaran Kilkenny; Paul Mannion, Con O’Callaghan, Colm Basquel. Subs: Stephen Cluxton, Cormac Costello, Craig Dias, Brian Howard, Tom Lahiff, Lorcan O’Dell, Killian O’Gara, Dean Rock, Niall Scully, John Small, Paddy Small.