WEEKEND PREVIEWS
HURLING TODAY LEINSTER SHC ROUND 4
LAOIS V GALWAY MW Hire O’Moore Park, 5pm Ref: S Cleere (Kilkenny) AFTER navigating a way to a home win against Kilkenny, Henry Shefflin’s Galway will be full of confidence coming in to this one. Especially with so many big game players back in form and Conor Whelan back off the treatment table.
VERDICT: Galway
WESTMEATH V WEXFORD
TEG Cusack Park, 6.30pm Ref: S Hynes (Galway) A GOAL glut against Laois has done plenty for Wexford’s scoring average and those six green flags show a different dimension to the team’s play with Lee Chin back in harness.
VERDICT: Wexford DUBLIN V KILKENNY Parnell Park, 7pm (Sky Sports Arena) Ref: T Walsh (Waterford) DUBLIN will be still smarting with the way they rolled over at the same venue in the corresponding league fixture as Kilkenny had Dublin’s two-man inside line well worked out. Mattie Kenny’s side just need to bring a bit more unpredictability and creativity to their attack. VERDICT: Kilkenny
JOE McDONAGH CUP ROUND 4
KERRY V OFFALY
Austin Stack Park, 1pm Ref: R McGann (Clare) THIS is where Offaly’s Division 2A campaign came undone early doors back in 2020 so Michael Fennelly’s side will be well braced for battle. That Kerry have a far superior scoring average shows the form the hosts are in but the visitors can squeeze a result.
VERDICT: Offaly
CARLOW V DOWN
Netwatch Cullen Park, 2pm Ref: K Jordan (Tipperary) MARTY Kavanagh and Chris Nolan continue to do the bulk of the scoring damage up front for Carlow who just need to bring some consistency to their game against a Down side that continues to impress.
VERDICT: Carlow
CHRISTY RING CUP ROUND 5
KILDARE V SLIGO Newbridge, 1pm Ref: R Fitzsimons (Offaly)
MAYO V DERRY Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, 1pm Ref: B Keon (Galway)
LONDON V WICKLOW Ruislip, 1pm Ref: T Gleeson (Dublin)
NICKEY RACKARD CUP NICKEY RACKARD CUP
FERMANAGH V
ROSCOMMON Brewster Park, 3.30pm Ref: K Parke (Antrim)
TYRONE V DONEGAL
O’Neills Healy Park, 3.30pm Ref: J Judge (Mayo)
WARWICKSHIRE V ARMAGH Pairc na hEireann, 3.30pm Ref: K Brady (Louth)
LORY MEAGHER CUP ROUND 5
CAVAN V LONGFORD Kingspan Breffni, 12.30pm Ref: A McAleer (Donegal)
MONAGHAN V LANCASHIRE Inniskeen, 12.30pm Ref: J Clarke (Cavan)
LEITRIM V LOUTH
Carrick-on-Shannon, 12.30pm Ref: C Flynn (Westmeath)
TOMORROW MUNSTER SHC ROUND 3
WATERFORD V CORK Walsh Park, 2pm (RTE2) Ref: J Owens (Wexford) THERE is no doubting that Cork are capable of winning here but the Clare defeat showed a lack of confidence and a failure once again to block defensive channels. Waterford’s big worry is being a bit flat after giving it everything against Limerick but they have the power, the athleticism and the goalscoring ability.
VERDICT: Waterford
CLARE V LIMERICK
Cusack Park, Ennis, 4pm (RTE2) Ref: C Lyons (Cork) WITH qualification to the next stage of championship business already secured, the question is whether Limerick take a bit of a breather. That would certainly allow a Clare team flying high to take advantage, especially with Peter Duggan and Shane O’Donnell adding a fresh dimension to their attacking play. And yet it is the measure of this Limerick team that they can go to Ennis and take something.
VERDICT: Limerick
JOE McDONAGH CUP RD 4
MEATH V ANTRIM Páirc Tailteann, 1pm Ref: C Mooney (Dublin) IT’S top vs bottom as Antrim come gunning for a final place.
VERDICT: Antrim
FOOTBALL TODAY MUNSTER SFC SF
TIPPERARY V LIMERICK FBD Semple Stadium, 7pm Ref: P Neilan (Roscommon) THE odd thing is that Tipperary are the marginal favourites, which contradicts the form book.
Both teams secured promotion, with Limerick securing their place in Division Two, ensuring that whatever way this rolls for them they will be in the All-Ireland series.
Recent history says this will be a tight squeeze. However, Limerick’s progress under Billy Lee has been nothing less than spectacular.
VERDICT: Limerick
ALL-IRELAND U20 FC FINAL
KILDARE V TYRONE Carrick-on-Shannon, 5pm Ref: L Devenney (Mayo) CHAMPIONSHIP games are rarely defined by tactics, but this should be the exception. Kildare lean heavily on a well defined defensive structure, which put such a squeeze on Sligo in last weekend’s semifinal. However, Tyrone will present a far stiffer test, not least, the exceptional Ruairi Canavan – by a distance the best player in this grade.
VERDICT: Tyrone
TOMORROW
ULSTER SFC SEMI-FINAL
MONAGHAN V DERRY, Athletic Grounds, 4pm Ref: David Gough (Meath) IT is odd given the claustrophobic nature of the Ulster championship that this amounts to a first meeting in 12 years. Monaghan have serious cutting edge in a high powered inside line of Conor McManus, Gary Mohan and, in particular, Jack McCarron. However, Derry’s area of strength is in shutting down and with Chrissy McKaigue, Brendan Rodgers and Gareth McKinless leading from the back, they will give away a little. It is a toss of a coin that may just fall Monaghan’s way.
VERDICT: Monaghan
LEINSTER SFC SEMI-FINALS KILDARE V WESTMEATH,
Croke Park, 2.15pm Ref: S Hurson (Tyrone) THERE was a time not too long ago when this fixture would have reeked of menace for Kildare – they lost to Westmeath in 2016 – but there is a sense that the Lilywhites are a rising force. The emergence of Jimmy Hyland as a genuine leader of the Kildare attack has added to the belief that the Lilywhites are best placed – even though it may not happen this year – to disrupt Dublin’s dominance of Leinster. In the meantime, they can absolutely be certain of getting another shot at them in the final.
VERDICT: Kildare
DUBLIN V MEATH,
Croke Park, 4.30pm Ref: D O’Mahoney (Tipperary) EVEN the nostalgia around a fixture that once rocked does not really sell any more.
True, the readiness to accept that Dublin are back to where they were on the basis of the hammering they dished out to Wexford was more than a tad premature. But they are still on a very different level to the Royals. Since Meath’s last win in 2010, the average margin between the teams in six meetings is 13 points, albeit last year’s six-point reversal represented Meath’s best effort. However, if anything, they have regressed since then.
VERDICT: Dublin