Senior footballers set to meet Tyrone in repeat of All-Ireland final

Tue, 12th March 2019

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 1: THREE BIG RIVALS IN PURSUIT OF LEADERS KERRY

Saturday: Galway v Roscommon, Pearse Stadium, 3.30; Monaghan v Cavan, Clones, 2.0; Dublin v Tyrone, Croke Park, 7.0; Kerry v Mayo, Tralee, 7.0

Kerry have been the form team in Division 1, powering to five straight wins, leaving them four points ahead of Dublin, Galway and Mayo, whom they meet on Saturday night. Kerry beat Mayo in last year’s League (1-15 to 2-9), having lost by 0-15 to 1-10 in 2017. The sides drew in the 2017 All-Ireland semi-final, with Mayo winning the replay.

Dublin’s bid to reach the League final for a seventh successive year faces the Tyrone test in Croke Park. Mickey Harte’s men haven’t beaten Dublin since the 2013 Division 1 campaign. Since then, Dublin have won six and drawn two of their eight League and Championship meetings, the most recent coming in last year’s All-Ireland final, where they finished six points clear (2-17 to 1-14).

Galway (6 points) and Roscommon (3 points) meet for the second time this year, with Roscommon having won the Connacht League final by five points in January. Galway beat Roscommon by four points in last year’s Connacht final.

The losers of Monaghan v Cavan (2 points each) will be in serious relegation trouble – indeed they may not be able to avoid the drop if other results don’t go in their favour.

The sides last met in 2017 when they drew in the League (0-7 each) before Monaghan won an Ulster quarter-final clash by 1-15 to 0-15.

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 2: MEATH HOPING TO END 13-YEAR SPELL IN DIVISION 2

Saturday: Clare v Meath, Ennis, 1.30; Cork v Donegal, Pairc Ui Rinn, 2.0; Kildare v Tipperary, Newbridge, 2.30; Armagh v Fermanagh, Athletic Grounds, 3.0

After being in Division 2 since 2006, the target is clear for Meath (8 points): win their last two games against Clare (3 points) and Fermanagh (8 points) and they will be returning to Division 1.

The Royals beat Clare by 14 points in last year’s League and by 13 points in 2016. This will be the fourth meeting in a year between Armagh (4 points) and Fermanagh, with each winning once while there was one draw.

They drew 0-7 each in the Division 2 campaign before Armagh won the final by 1-16 to 0-17. Fermanagh gained revenge in the Ulster championship, winning by 0-12 to 0-7.

Donegal (6 points) and Cork (3 points) last met in 2016 when the Ulster men won in both League and Championship. Cork are currently bottom of the table on scoring difference behind Tipperary and Clare.

Tipperary last met Kildare (5 points) in the 2016 League when the Lilywhites won by 11 points.

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 3: ONLY FIVE POINTS SEPARATE TOP SEVEN

Saturday: Longford v Sligo, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, 2.0; Louth v Westmeath, Drogheda, 2.0; Offaly v Laois, Tullamore,2.0; Carlow v Down, Netwatch Cullen Park, 3.0

Sligo are already doomed to relegation after losing all five games, but that’s the only issue decided in an otherwise very competitive group. Leaders Down (8 points) head to Carlow (5 points) for what will be the first clash between the counties since the 2004 All-Ireland qualifiers.

Second-placed Westmeath (7 points) will also be away, making the short journey to Drogheda to take on Louth (6 points).

Laois (6 points) take on Offaly (3 points) in what will be the first meeting between them since the last round of the 2017 League when Offaly won by a point (3-15 to 4-11). The win saved Offaly’s Division 3 status and sent Laois into Division 4. Now, Offaly are battling relegation again and will be relegated if they lose to Laois and Carlow and Longford draw or win their games.

Longford (5 points) will be hoping to get in the promotion mix against Sligo (0 points) but will be mindful that they could only manage a draw with the Connacht men last year, having beaten them in 2016 and 2017.

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 4: ALL SETTLED WITH TWO ROUNDS REMAINING

Saturday: Antrim v Wicklow, Corrigan Park, 2.0; London v Waterford, Ruislip, 12.30; Wexford v Limerick, Innovate Wexford Park, 3.0; Derry v Leitrim, Celtic Park, 4.0

Unusually for any division, the top two sports are settled after five rounds, with Derry and Leitrim having secured promotion after maintaining 100 per cent records.

It leaves them six points ahead of Limerick, Wicklow, Waterford and Wexford, all of whom are on four points. Derry (+26 points) top the table on scoring difference (Leitrim +24) as they prepare to host Terry Hyland’s men in what will be the first of two meetings between the counties in two weeks as they will meet again in the final. The battle for third place continues, with Wexford hosting Limerick, who lost to the Model men in League and Championship in 2017.

Waterford beat London by two points in last year’s League while Antrim and Wicklow drew.

2019 ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE: RESULTS AND FIXTURES

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 1

Round 1: Monaghan 2-13 Dublin 1-13; Galway 0-13 Cavan 0-11; Kerry 0-11 Tyrone 0-7; Mayo 1-8 Roscommon 1-7.
Round 2: Dublin 1-15 Galway 0-7; Roscommon 1-12 Monaghan 0-13; Kerry 0-16 Cavan 0-13; Mayo 2-13 Tyrone 0-10.
Round 3: Kerry 1-18 Dublin 2-14; Mayo 1-13 Cavan 0-11; Roscommon 1-10 Tyrone 1-10; Galway 1-9 Monaghan 0-11.
Round 4: Dublin 1-12 Mayo 0-7; Tyrone 1-16 Monaghan 0-12; Kerry 0-14 Galway 1-10; Cavan 3-13 Roscommon 0-13.
Round 5: Tyrone 1-15 Cavan 0-9; Galway 1-11 Mayo 0-12; Dublin 2-14 Roscommon 1-12; Kerry 0-17 Monaghan 0-13.
Round 6: Mar 16: Galway v Roscommon; Monaghan v Cavan; Dublin v Tyrone; Kerry v Mayo.
Round 7: Mar 24: Cavan v Dublin; Mayo v Monaghan; Roscommon v Kerry; Tyrone v Galway.

Final: Mar 31

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 2

Round 1: Donegal 0-16 Clare 0-13; Fermanagh 0-8 Cork 1-5; Kildare 0-14 Armagh 1-11; Meath 0-15 Tipperary 1-8.
Round 2: Kildare 1-10 Cork 0-10; Donegal 1-13 Meath 0-14; Tipperary 2-5 Fermanagh 2-5; Armagh 1-3 Clare 2-10.
Round 3: Fermanagh 0-8 Kildare 0-6; Clare 3-13 Cork 1-10; Meath 2-13 Armagh 0-13; Tipperary 3-9 Donegal 0-13.
Round 4: Meath 2-12 Cork 1-9; Armagh 1-15 Tipperary 0-12; Fermanagh 0-13 Donegal 0-10; Kildare 1-16 Clare 0-13.
Round 5: Fermanagh 0-12 Clare 0-9; Meath 1-9 Kildare 1-8; Donegal 1-9 Armagh 0-11; Cork 1-12 Tipperary 0-12.

Round 6: Mar 16: Clare v Meath; Cork v Donegal; Kildare v Tipperary; Armagh v Fermanagh.
Round 7: Mar 24: Armagh v Cork; Donegal v Kildare; Meath v Fermanagh; Tipperary v Clare.
Final: Mar 31

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 3

Round 1: Carlow 1-11 Sligo 0-7; Longford 1-8 Louth 0-9; Westmeath 0-13 Offaly 0-12; Laois 2-15 Down 1-12.
Round 2: Longford 1-6 Offaly 0-9; Louth 3-8 Laois 1-9; Westmeath 1-10 Carlow 2-7; Down 1-12 Sligo 1-10.
Round 3: Down 0-10 Westmeath 0-9; Longford 1-11 Carlow 0-9; Louth 2-10 Offaly 2-8; Laois 2-18 Sligo 2-10
Round 4: Down 3-7 Longford 0-8; Westmeath 0-13 Laois 0-10; Louth 5-16 Sligo 0-16; Offaly 0-15 Carlow 1-9.
Round 5: Carlow 1-10 Louth 0-12; Down 2-12 Offaly 0-10; Laois 0-14 Longford 0-12; Westmeath 3-12 Sligo 1-10.
Round 6: Mar 16: Longford v Sligo; Louth v Westmeath; Offaly v Laois; Carlow v Down.
Round 7: Mar 24: Down v Louth; Westmeath v Longford; Sligo v Offaly; Laois v Carlow.
Final: Mar 30

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 4

Round 1: Derry 1-10 Antrim 1-9; Leitrim 3-15 Wexford 0-11; Limerick 0-11 London 0-10; Wicklow 1-7 Waterford 0-9
Round 2: Derry 0-19 London 1-9; Limerick 1-13 Waterford 0-10; Leitrim 1-16 Wicklow 1-12; Wexford 1-10 Antrim 0-9.
Round 3: Leitrim 0-14 Antrim 1-10; London 2-10 Wexford 0-8; Derry 2-12 Waterford 1-8; Wicklow 2-8 Limerick 1-6.
Round 4: Leitrim 0-12 Limerick 0-11: Antrim 1-13 London 1-8; Derry 2-8 Wicklow 0-9; Waterford 5-4 Wexford 0-12.
Round 5: Wexford 0-12 Wicklow 0-9; Waterford 1-9 Antrim 1-8; Leitrim 1-9 London 0-7; Derry 0-13 Limerick 1-5.
Round 6: Mar 16: Antrim v Wicklow; London v Waterford; Wexford v Limerick; Derry v Leitrim.
Round 7: Mar 24: Derry v Wexford; Leitrim v Waterford; Limerick v Antrim; Wicklow v London.

Final: Mar 30