Allianz Football League Division 1 North

Saturday May 22

Donegal v Monaghan, Ballybofey, 5pm, Eir Sport

Armagh v Tyrone, Athletic Grounds, 7pm, Eir Sport

Monaghan have resisted the temptation to send for the cavalry following their first round defeat to Armagh, as several high-profile players remain on the bench for their trip to Ballybofey to take on Donegal tomorrow evening. Karl McMenamin becomes the latest player to make his debut for the Farney men, lining out at centre back in an otherwise experienced back division.

Donegal got out to a very solid start against Tyrone in week one, but playing with an extra man for a huge chunk of the game may have been a significant factor – we’ll know more after tomorrow evening.

The Armagh versus Tyrone rivalry may not be anywhere near as big a thing as it was for the first decade of this millennium, but Brian Dooher and Kieran McGeeney were at the heart of some memorable clashes between the two counties and they will be in opposite dugouts tomorrow evening. Armagh did a fantastic job of creating space in their forward line against Monaghan, which they exploited through long deliveries into their corner forwards Rory Grugan and Rian O’Neill, as well as some powerful running from deep positions. A similar performance tomorrow will put them in good shape.

Monaghan (v Donegal): Rory Beggan; Kieran Duffy, Conor Boyle, Ryan Wylie; Karl O'Connell, Karl McMenamin, Ryan McAnespie; Darren Hughes, Killian Lavelle; Stephen O'Hanlon, Aaron Mulligan, Micheal Bannigan; Conor McCarthy, Andrew Woods, Sean Jones.

Allianz Football League Division 1 South

Sunday May 23

Dublin v Kerry, Semple Stadium, 1.45pm, TG4

Galway v Roscommon, 2pm, Pearse Stadium, GAAGo

Kerry’s devastating performance against Galway may have made the country sit up and take notice last Saturday, but it’s notable that Dublin also ran up a big total, all by playing the type of high-tempo, error-free, simple football that has become their hallmark.

Perhaps the most satisfactory aspect to Kerry’s first round win, from the perspective of their management, will be the manner in which they shut down a very dangerous Galway attack. Dublin won’t cough up anything like the same number of turnovers, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens if the reigning All-Ireland champions don’t get out to a fast start.

It’s hard to know what type of game will develop in Pearse Stadium, where Galway will host Roscommon on Sunday afternoon. These two sides are slated to meet in a Connacht semi-final later this Summer, and if form holds, both counties could end up playing a relegation playoff, regardless of the result here.

On the other side of the coin, Padraic Joyce will feel that he needs some sort of reaction from his troops, while Anthony Cunningham won’t want to cede any psychological advantage to his native county.

Allianz Football League Division 2 North

Saturday May 22

Westmeath v Mayo, TEG Cusack Park, 3pm, Eir Sport

Sunday May 23

Down v Meath, Athletic Grounds, 3.45pm, GAAgo

A new era is definitely here for Mayo. Last week we saw Oisín Mullin and Tommy Conroy put in stellar performances at either end of the field, while Matthew Ruane was hugely influential on a difficult day for big midfielders. James Horan will consequently be confident that he doesn’t have to rush players like Aidan O’Shea or Jason Doherty back into action tomorrow against Westmeath, who will feel that they let a glorious chance slip in their fixture against Meath at Navan**.**

Meath certainly got out of jail in that fixture and they’ll be expected to pick up a win against Down, given that these sides were two Divisions apart in 2020. 22 players got at least 20 minutes of football for Paddy Tally’s side in Castlebar, so the Down management team will be far more informed when it comes to who’s likely to step up for them in this tie in Armagh. Expect them to show considerable improvement, though whether or not that’s enough to pick up a win is another matter.

** Allianz Football League Division 2 South**

Saturday May 22

Laois v Cork, MW Hire O’Moore Park, 7pm, GAAGo

Sunday May 23

Kildare v Clare, St. Conleth’s Park, 2pm, GAAGo

Laois and Cork were two of the biggest underachievers in round one, as both sides started off with defeats that were quite comprehensive. Laois were always second best against Clare, while a huge chunk of Cork’s scoring came late in their game against Kildare, when the result was already decided. Ciarán Sheehan and Luke Connolly have been drafted into the Rebels’ full forward line in a bid to add a bit more penetration close to goal, with both counties hoping to salvage their promotion chances ahead of big provincial rivalry fixtures next weekend.

Aaron Masterson, Darragh Kirwan and Jimmy Hyland all showed up really well for Kildare in that game last week, as the younger generation continues to show up really well in Jack O’Connor’s panel. Clare edged out Kildare when these sides met in the 2020 league, but it’s a measure of where Kildare are at that out of the 11 players from the half-back line up that started that game for the Lily Whites, just two (Daniel Flynn and Kevin Feely) started against Cork – and both of those were in drastically changed roles.

Cork (v Laois): Mícheál Martin; Sean Powter, Daniel O’Mahony, Kevin Flahive; Kevin O’Donovan, Sean Meehan, Mattie Taylor; Ian Maguire, Paul Walsh; Sean White, Ruairi Deane, Kevin O’Driscoll; John O’Rourke, Ciaran Sheehan, Luke Connolly. 

Allianz Football League Division 3 North

Saturday May 22

Derry v Fermanagh, Owenbeg, 5pm, GAAGo

Cavan v Longford, Kingspan Breffni, 7pm, GAAGo

Derry enjoyed a landslide win in round one while Fermanagh knocked over the Ulster champions – it’s hard to imagine that there will be another fixture in league this weekend where both counties feel quite so good about how they’re fixed at the moment.

Sean Quigley kicked 0-9 for Fermanagh last week, but he was also hugely involved in general play, putting in tackles and leading by example in his approach to the game. He’s likely to be picked up by Derry’s Chrissy McKaigue – if ever a single individual battle was likely to be crucial to a result, this is that battle.

Cavan won’t feel good about that result in Enniskillen, but Mickey Graham can look at how his team competed well in some sectors, they overcame the loss of midfielder James Smith to a straight red card, and how they created chances near the end to salvage a result, they just weren’t able to take them. Longford have no such crumbs of comfort to nourish them in advance of a game that will mean an awful lot around the border towns and villages like Granard and Gowna.

Fermanagh (v Derry): Chris Snow; Ryan Breen, Jonny Cassidy, Luke Flanagan; Kane Connor, James McMahon, Kevin McDonnell; Eoin Donnelly, Stephen Gullion; Ciarán Corrigan, Tiarnan Bogue, Josh Largo Ellis; Conor Love, Darragh McGurn, Seán Quigley.

Allianz Football League Division 3 South

Saturday May 22

Offaly v Limerick, Bord na Móna O’Connor Park, 3pm, GAAGo

Tipperary v Wicklow, Semple Stadium, 4.30pm, GAAGo

Offaly scored one goal in Aughrim, but could have had two or three more. Limerick got out to a very slow start against Tipperary, scoring just one point in the first quarter and 0-4 in the first half. Yet both of these counties will feel really good about their league openers, and the winner of this fixture in Tullamore will be right in the driving seat in the division – they could potentially have a promotion shot locked down by the time the first break in the Six-One news on RTE tomorrow. Offaly have a bit more scoring power, Limerick will fancy themselves in a tighter battle where every possession is hard-fought, the type of football played here will be a big indicator as to the likely winner.

Tipperary and Wicklow have no safety net left, so expect David Power in particular to try and shake up his team in a bid to get off the mark. It’ll be a very different threat posed by Wicklow, who have more than their fair share of powerful, imposing attackers who will look to exploit the mark rule in Semple Stadium.  

Limerick (v Offaly): Donal O’Sullivan; Sean O’Dea, Brian Fanning, Michael O’Donovan; Tony McCarthy, Bob Childs, Gordon Brown; Darragh Treacy, Tommie Childs; Cian Sheehan, Cillian Fahy, Tommy Griffin; Adrian Enright, Danny Neville, Hugh Bourke.

Allianz Football League Division 4 North

Sunday May 23

Leitrim v Louth, Avant Money Páirc Séan Mac Diarmada, 3pm, GAAGo

Antrim v Sligo, Corrigan Park, 4pm, GAAgo

Leitrim were well in contention at half time against Sligo, but a red card left them exposed in the latter stages and they eventually fell to a comprehensive defeat. Louth also came away from week one empty handed, but they will feel a lot better about their first ever performance under Mickey Harte’s stewardship. Leitrim’s high point of 2020 was their eight-point win over this opposition in Dowdallshill, a similar outcome – even if the margin is just one or two – could be transformative for them in 2021.

Corrigan Park has already seen the Antrim hurlers record one momentous win over west coast opposition this year, if Enda McGinley’s group can repeat that result against Sligo then the Saffrons will have taken a huge step towards securing promotion out of the basement division.

Allianz Football League Division 4 South

Saturday May 22

Wexford v Waterford, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 3pm, GAAGo

Wexford could sit back last week as 30 football counties opened their league campaigns across Saturday and Sunday, so they’ll have had plenty of time to break down Waterford, who had a tough time of it up against Carlow. Waterford kicked three good points in the opening stages to lead by 0-3 to 0-2, then had just the one score from play for the remainder of the game as Carlow kicked on to win well.

Given the damage done to their scoring difference, Waterford need to win and look for a favour from Carlow next week. Wexford, for their part, are now just one game away from guaranteeing themselves a promotion playoff.

Waterford (v Wexford): Paudie Hunt; Sean Boyce, Brian Looby, Darach Ó Cathasaigh; Donal Fitzgerald, Michael Curry, Dermot Ryan; Tommy Prendergast, Mark Cummins; Jason Curry, Conor Murry, David Hallinan; Stephen Curry, Dylan Guiry, Darragh Corcoran.