SENIOR FIXTURES TRIMMING LIKELY FOR RIDGE AFTER EARLY RESISTANCE
TOMORROW
Cork v Tipperary, Thurles, 7pm
Down v Antrim, Pairc Esler, 7pm – BBC iplayer
Roscommon v Leitrim, Pairc Sean Macdiarmada, 5.30pm
Laois v Westmeath, O’connor Park, 5pm
LEINSTER SHC ROUND 3
Offaly v Wexford, O’connor Park, 7pm
LORY MEAGHER CUP ROUND 2 Cavan v Lancashire, Ballyconnell, 1pm
Sligo v Fermanagh, Tourlestrane, 3pm
SUNDAY
Carlow v Kildare, O’connor Park, 2pm
Longford v Meath, Pearse Park, 3pm
Wicklow v Dublin, O’moore Park, 4pm
Derry v Donegal, Celtic Park, 4pm LEINSTER SHC ROUND 3
Galway v Kilkenny, Pearse Stadium, 4pm – RTE
MUNSTER SHC ROUND 2 Tipperary v Cork, Semple Stadium, 2pm – RTE
Clare v Waterford, Cusack Park, 3.30pm
Without the same defensive cover that has been the norm for Donegal in previous years, the defensive skills of Ward and his colleagues in the back line come under the spotlight.
“Your job as a defender, first and foremost, is to mark the man and, the way Declan wants us to play, defenders and forwards are going to stand up more and go toe-to-toe with the man they are marking rather than with a sweeper in
Roscommon Leitrim Today, Carrick on Sh, 5.30pm
v THERE’S hardly a fixture that a Leitrim footballer relishes more than a home Championship tie against Roscommon.
The local rivalry between the counties ensures that Leitrim aren’t nearly as cowed by Roscommon as others in Connacht but it’s 18 years now since they’ve beaten them in the Championship and they haven’t managed to be competitive in recent meetings, losing to them in the last two years by a combined 30 points.
For many, this fixture highlights the imbalance of the Championship like no other with victory guaranteeing Roscommon a place in the last 12 and only one victory away from the new round robin stage, while Donegal must win three games in Ulster just to reach the provincial final.
Buoyed by their win in New York and coupled with home advantage, Leitrim may be competitive up to half-time but it’s hard to see them making Roscommon sweat beyond that.
Roscommon boss Kevin Mcstay has changed things around from the Division Two final and makes five changes, with Peter Domican starting his first Championship game since 2012 at full-back.